THE world’s financial systems are collapsing, jobs are disappearing everywhere, terrorism stuns the world and the weather is seasonably miserable.

In a curious sort of way, none of this seems too bad now that there is some determinedly bleak and depressing television to watch in the shape of the Survivors saga on BBC 1.

Those of us who grumble that our flu jabs make us feel under the weather for weeks afterwards are now obliged to keep quiet for a while when confronted with a telly scenario that looks at the aftermath of an international virus outbreak that kills millions of people.

The lucky folk who do not die — all young and good-looking for presentational reasons — are required to find their inner cave person and adapt to a foreign world without electricity, clear running water, computers, mobile phones and a good scriptwriter.

Some will be better than others at developing the long-forgotten skills needed for survival and I suspect we can expect a heavy message about the desirability of bonding together in adversity as the series continues.

It is an update of Terry Nation’s drama that was launched in April, 1975, and ran for 38 episodes over three series.

I think I must have been out at the time because I have only the faintest recollection.

This time round I intend to watch it all — in case there are some good tips for a post-Armageddon future on the Belmont moors.

There might even be advice in a general sense about the best way to survive Christmas.

Simple soul that I am, I have some sympathy with those people who advocate a “sustainable” Yuletide, even though the practical details seem a little hazy.

Maybe it involves saving trees by not sending any seasonal cards, providing interesting cardboard boxes without content for young children, standing in the window and shouting with joy when you spot a robin, serving a traditional dinner minus the turkey and inventing your own rules for Monopoly so that nobody loses any money, thus avoiding rancour and the spilling of blood.

I guess the important question here is whether we should help save the planet by scoring ecological brownie points or stimulate the global economy by pigging out on food, booze and prezzies in the usual manner?

What a survival dilemma for the bleak midwinter!

What will you do?