The Last Train (Cruel Earth in Canada) is a British six-part serial, a post-apocalyptic drama first broadcast on the ITV network in 1999. It has since been repeated on ITV2 in 1999/2001 and on numerous occasions on the UK Sci-Fi Channel. The serial was written by Matthew Graham and produced for ITV by Granada Television.

The series has not been released on DVD or any other format, and has never aired in the US.

Plot synopsis A random group of individuals on a train travelling between London and Sheffield are cryonically frozen when the train crashes inside a tunnel and a canister of gas being carried by a passenger is released in their carriage. They unfreeze to find the United Kingdom in ruins. Unbeknownst to them, 52 years have passed. They wrongly believe weeks, then months, then just 14 years have passed whilst they were frozen in time before eventually finding out the devastating truth. They are some of the few humans to have survived an apocalyptic asteroid strike and are alone in the British countryside. It is revealed that the passenger with the gas canister, Harriet Ambrose, knew of the incoming asteroid strike and had been on her way to a top-secret government project known as Ark.

Harriet wishes to track down the Ark team to find her boyfriend, scientist Jonathan Geddes. The rest of the group agrees to join her, since it seems like their best chance to find other survivors and a safe haven. On the way, they must deal with the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world, such as feral dog packs and tribes of seemingly hostile humans—children of the few original survivors.

Cast and crew

Main characters Actor/Actress Character Nicola Walker Harriet Ambrose, responsible for the accidental freezing of the railway carriage passengers. She emerges as one of the leaders of the group, due to her apparent knowledge of the disaster as a Ministry of Defence scientist with knowledge of Ark. It is later established that she is the girlfriend of Arks chief scientist, Jonathan Geddes, who has arranged her clearance, as she was not part of the "Facilitating Team" or the "Hibernation Team". Christopher Fulford Ian Hart, a policeman who boarded the train in a rush to join his wife who was in labour; his wife and child died in the asteroid strike. He has strong feelings for Jandra. Steve Huison Colin Wallace, a businessman whose sanity soon begins to slip. He has feelings for Roe and tries to kiss, then later to have sex with her. He deliberately locks Mick outside of Ark in the final episode.Treva Etienne Mick Sizer (Michael Smith), a thief and smooth-talker who becomes a leader of the group. He begins a relationship with Roe, upsetting Colin.Amita DhiriJandra Nixon, she was escaping from an abusive husband with her children, Leo and Anita, and after awakening, connected with Ian. She succumbs to her injuries after Leo, in a rage, causes her to fall into a derelict underground refinery.James Hazeldine Austin Danforth, an all-round handyman who lost his wife to illness before the asteroid strike. He becomes a father-figure to much of the group.Janet Dale Jean Wilson, a nurse practitioner who provides basic medical care to the group.Zoe Telford Roe Germaine, a pregnant girl, approximately 20 years old, on the way to get an abortion. She has a physical relationship with Mick.Sacha Dhawan Leo Nixon, Jandra's teenaged son, who has misguided anger issues. He refuses to believe his mother regarding his father's abusiveness and later is responsible for Jandra's death, after which he admits to his father's wrongdoing.Dinita Gohil Anita Nixon, Jandra's young daughter of whom the group is quite protective. She befriends Hild. Many episodes begin or end with her diary-entry narration, a task covered by Leo for the end of episode five, when Hild's "tribe" abducts Anita and Hild.Caroline Carver Hild, a pregnant teenager who is running from her "tribe" of survivors, who roam the countryside on horseback. She befriends Anita and seems to care about the group.

Supporting cast Ordered alphabetically by actors' surnames Guard (Roger Bingham) – Episode 1 Johnathan Geddes (Ralph Brown), Arks chief scientist and Harriet's lover, who gave her the cryogenic canister, government clearance, a security badge/swipe card, and directions to meet at his government bunker and later, at Ark. He appears as Harriet remembers him in a video in Episode 2, and in person having aged 40 years at the end of Episode 6. Karen (Joy Carradice) – Episode 6 Mark (Kenneth Colley), Gillian's father and leader of the Mareby village group; he wants Hild and the train group to stay with him and, to that end, sabotages the van – Episode 5 Darren (Chris Cook) Archie (Robert Dunn) – Episode 1 Danny (Justin Ellery) – Episode 1 Gillian (Deborah Findlay), Mark's daughter; she's had several still-born babies – Episode 5 Sam (John Flitcroft) – Episode 1 Becky (Abigail Hayes) – Episode 1 Teenager (Chris Hoyle) – Episode 1 Miss. Eversleigh (Mary Jones) Coats (Josh Moran) – Episode 1 Behemoth (David Nicholls) – Episode 6 (not credited in episode 5) Hornrim (Phil Smeeton) – Episode 6 (not credited in episode 5) Midwife (Flo Wilson) – Episode 4

Episodes

Production In Canada, the series aired under its working title: Cruel Earth.

The series was written by Matthew Graham, who went on to co-create and write Life on Mars, its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, and the short-lived Bonekickers. He also wrote the episode "Fear Her" for the 2006 series of Doctor Who, as well as two episodes of Hustle.

Settings: The railway depot shown in the programme, that is said to be Sheffield railway station, is in fact the derelict Manchester Mayfield railway station in Manchester. The church in episode 2 is Gorton Monastery. The camp in episode 4 is an old Pontin's holiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales (Tower Beach Holiday Camp). The village "Mareby" in episode 5 is Wardle, a small village in Greater Manchester, near Littleborough and Rochdale. The Ark structure featured in episode 6 was Thorpe Marsh Power Station, located five miles northeast of Doncaster; it was undergoing demolition at the time.

In the United States, the Fox Network purchased the rights to produce a new version of the series soon after its original 1999 UK transmission. Retitled The Ark, the idea did not progress beyond the pilot stage.

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