Derbyshire's ‘plague village’

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In 1665 the Derbyshire peak village of Eyam suffered a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague — the Black Death.

Real-life plague histories, like that at Eyam, became an indispensible source of reference for Survivors scriptwriters, directors and producers, as they crafted the stories for all three seasons of the programme.

Yet the story of the Eyam plague is unusual because its impact on the framing of one particular episode — the season two classic Greater Love — is so readily apparent. In Greater Love — an earlier script by Mad Dog writer Don Shaw — the influence of the Eyam plague story is evident in the choice of title for the episode and in key elements of the plot. The reaction of the Eyam community to the onset of the plague is refered to directly by characters in the programme as Whitecross's own fate is discussed.

To find out more about the influence of the Eyam story on the scripting of Greater Love, click on one of the links below:

 
 

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Page last updated:
23 June 2005