I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse
Contents |
Host
Greg James
Broadcast
Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Three, 15 February to 30 March 2015 (8 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
The new 5G wireless technology was meant to transform lives. It succeeded, but not in the way they expected. The wireless signal caused mutations in bacteria found in the human body, and when this infection messed with the brain, violent and unpredictable behaviour resulted.
Six months after the technology was switched on, and some weeks after the army assumed command of the country, a group of ten (initially) survivors have gathered at Monroe Shopping Village. While the army work out logistics to rescue them and transport them to quarantine, they have a week to wait - while not being killed.
To keep themselves alive, the pack of ten are under close watch by the military. The survivors will be given tips and tasks by the military, most of which risk exposure to the hostile forces around the Village.
Though many lives were claimed by the disease, the bodies didn't rest in graves. They shamble around, looking for any remaining live people to consume. The slightest brush from one of these undead will have horrible results. Limbs ripped off, brains torn out, and death comes as a merciful release.
The series shared many of Big Brother's defining features. Contestants were picked to represent as many viewers as possible, on-screen captions introduced each player, and host Greg James both narrated and provided some comic relief. And we could see how the producers could pull strings and tilt the game to a particular result.
Some viewers were prejudiced against the series from the start, believing that BBC3 should have spent money on zombie drama In the Flesh. Most viewers dismissed the opening episodes as all talk and no action - the group arrived in dribs and drabs through the first episode, and no-one was eliminated from the game until half-way through episode two. By the time the pace picked up, viewing figures had fallen by three-quarters, from "very good" to "disappointing"; those fans who stuck with the show really liked it.
Trivia
The Monroe shopping village is a nod to the Monroeville Mall used in George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead. There were many other references to zombie movies, books, series, and other media.
