Zoe Tapper and Robyn Addison: “It’s high octane stuff!”

Both Zoe Tapper and Robyn Addison's characters have seen major developments during the second season of Survivors. Tapper's Anya has had to use her medical skills much more, while Addison's Sarah makes up for her treachery in the first series by submitting to a rapist who controls cutting gear that the team need, before coming face to face with her own mortality later in the season.

You've finally got some scenes together this year...

Zoe Tapper: They focused very much more on the main Survivors this year, whereas last year they brought in a number of guest artists. The feedback from the viewers last year was that they were keen to follow our storylines a lot more. I think everyone's been a lot more fulfilled as actors, which helps to make a harmonious set.

In the first season, Sarah is quite selfish, and self-centred. What makes her change?

Robyn Addison: She has a crisis moment, which is a form of revelation and changes how she perceives herself. Everything she thought she could use as her tools for survival aren't actually much use at all. She gets herself into trouble and has to deal with the consequences of that. That affects her for the rest of the series. I think she really grows, and becomes a much more integral part of the Family.

Zoe Tapper: I think she realises as well that there's a strength of feeling between the Survivors, which has grown massively. She wants to be a part of that.

Robyn Addison: The others are more resourceful than Sarah because they're a little bit older than her – they've got specific roles within the Family. I don't think in the first season Sarah did. She doesn't have a definite skill – Anya's a doctor so she's very good at listening, good at making decisions and knowing her mind, which Sarah doesn't. She was quite peripheral and didn't really knew where she fit, so she latched on to anyone who showed her any attention.

Zoe Tapper: Sarah has never really had to do anything for herself, and suddenly she found herself in a position where she's got to make decisions that affect other people's lives as well as her own.

Robyn Addison: All of the characters become much closer this series, and fight for one another more than would have happened at any point in the last series.

Do they think of themselves as a Family?

Zoe Tapper: I think it's implicit. They've made the decision to stick together and formed an incredibly strong bond. They're tested to the limits during series two – it's high octane stuff! They find themselves in situations where they have to stick together and help one another. Instead of running away from that, it fuses them together even more.

Did you talk to Adrian Hodges about what you wanted to see changed this year?

Zoe Tapper: Yes – there was quite a lot of scope for Anya because she had changed a lot. I was quite interested to see how that manifested itself among the group. She was much more of an outsider in series one, and now she could be much more involved. I was very concerned about her sexuality, and how they were going to deal with that in light of her clear reaction to Tom Price. I was unsure of where she was going. Adrian was quite vague to begin with. I said, "She's quite an intelligent doctor, would she really fall for this mass murdering psychopath?" His response was, "I never said it was going to be a functional relationship!" But I'm incredibly pleased with how they resolve their situation.

The first episode is very tough for Anya, operating on Greg then getting caught in a rockfall...

Zoe Tapper: It was incredibly full-on for me. I think Anya had just come to terms with the fact she had got these skills and could help people – then she finds herself in a situation where she can help Greg. Because Abby, who is the natural leader, has been taken away, Anya has to step up to the mark and take charge. When I was doing the scene where I was operating on Greg, there was an advisor who helped me out. I actually could sew up the prosthetic wound they'd created – I was taught how to sew the needle and do the sewing properly. They decided to film a lot in one go – there was a lot of dialogue and I had to be very focused on what I was doing. It was a real challenge, but I was definitely getting some palpitations. When we saw the finished episode, I became much more squeamish but at the time I channelled Anya.

How do you think you'd cope with Survivors flu?

Zoe Tapper: I would not react in any way as well as my character has...

But surely she had a nervous breakdown in the very first episode?

Zoe Tapper: She did, but she then she picked herself up. Certainly in this series, she's much more in control of her own mind and herself. You see them trying to cope with this crisis quite well.

Robyn Addison: I'd probably hide and read. There'd be loads of time to read and no distractions. I'd sit with loads of canned goods and loads of books. And we'd walk to see friends through the Channel Tunnel.

Zoe Tapper: We tried to persuade Adrian to write into the script that we'd ride through the Channel Tunnel. But it might be slightly expensive to stop the train service.

Robyn Addison: So we got Birmingham... Which is fine. But while the West Midlands are beautiful, we were pushing for the Loire Valley!

Zoe Tapper: One Sunday morning, when we were filming in the centre of Birmingham, they had closed off all the roads for us and the Art Department had set dressed it, with rubbish everywhere. We were just getting ready to film – and all of a sudden, these doors sprung open, and out came all of these clubbers who had been hidden away into the early hours...

Robyn Addison: There were things around that looked four months old – half packets of nappies – and people were grabbing them. Someone was nicking a mannequin...

Zoe Tapper: And they didn't seem that perturbed about it! They were more, "What can we take?"

Robyn Addison: They took no notice of the massive crane camera or all the people milling around.

Zoe Tapper: The Art Department were having mild heart attacks! The clubbers were ushered away quite swiftly. But they were very oblivious – not feeling anything!

How did your family and friends react to the show?

Zoe Tapper: I have a hard core group of friends who want to know everything. My father in law was worried that we would be encouraging vigilante behaviour in the cities.

Robyn Addison: My dad is a sci-fi geek, so he loves it! He loved the original series. My mum works at two hospitals in Derby, and the medical profession loves Survivors.

Zoe Tapper: My mum had a really interesting reaction to Anya's relationship with Tom Price: she loved the moment when he said he'd break anyone's neck if they came near me!

Robyn Addison: My parents were like, "And again in your pants!"

Words: Paul Simpson

Original article here.