27 replies to this topic

[darkestboy]

With a reputation for discovering and developing new talent, BBC Three introduces an exciting group of young actors alongside writer Dominic Mitchell whose captivating script is set to push the genre into uncharted territory.

In his first BBC drama since the award-winning Eric And Ernie director Jonny Campbell has brought together a company of fresh acting talent; playing the role of Kieren Walker, Luke Newberry leads the cast together with David Walmsley (best friend, Rick Macy), Emily Bevan (fellow zombie, Amy Dyer) and Harriet Cains (sister, Jem Walker). Joining them are Ricky Tomlinson (Ken Burton) Steve Evets (Bill Macy) and Kenneth Cranham (Vicar Oddie) (Hellbound: HellRaiser II).

In The Flesh is the story of teenager Kieren Walker and his reintegration back into both the local community and the heart of his family. After his death four years ago, his friends and family thought they’d never see Kieren again. But then, shortly after his funeral, thousands of the dead were re-animated in one freak night; and now, after months of re-habilitation and medication, the zombies are gradually being returned to their homes.

With its central themes of redemption, forgiveness, acceptance, denial, and the very essence of what it means to be alive or dead, In The Flesh is a complex but tender look at what happens when families get a second chance at mending their past and working together towards an unpredictable future.

Set in the fictional village of Roarton, In The Flesh started filming on Sunday 21 October and is shot around the North West of England. The cast also includes Alex Arnold (Alex) (Skins), Steve Cooper (Steve Walker), Marie Critchley (Sue Walker), Stephen Thompson (Philip Wilson), Sandra Hugget (Shirley Wilson), Gerard Thompson (Dean), Kevin Sutton (Gary), John Owen-Jones (Keith), Karen Henthorn (Janet Macy), Oliver Birch (Giles Weir), Steve Garti (Duncan Lancaster), Juliet Ellis (Patty Lancaster), Lee Toomes (Ben), Stewart Scudamore (Doctor Shepherd), James Foster (Treatment Assistant), Rachel Toomes (Joanne), Riann Steele (Lisa Lancaster), Sue Wallace (Maggie Burton), Gillian Waugh (Pearl Pinder), Julian Gorman (Daniel Holland), Roma Christensen (Maisy), Susan Twist (Mrs Bennett), Danielle Vitalis (Hannah), Ryan Wilkinson (Teenager).

Dominic Mitchell’s In The Flesh was discovered by Drama North through ‘Northern Voices’, a BBC Writersroom scheme.

BBC Three Controller Zai Bennett says: "It's a testament to Dominic Mitchell's fantastic script that some of the greats of UK drama are joining our exciting young actors for BBC Three's new zombie drama, In The Flesh. "

Director Jonny Campbell says: “From the moment I read the opening scene I was hooked. Dominic is an utterly fearless and instinctive young writer with an uncanny ability to tell a great story full of humour and humanity in a most original way. An elusive and rare combination in TV drama. What’s most exciting about In The Flesh is that it challenges our pre-conceptions about the standard zombie genre and in so doing almost certainly creates a new one.”

Writer Dominic Mitchell says: "When I took part in the fantastic BBC Writersroom Northern Voices scheme, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my drama about the medicated undead would be produced, let alone with such an incredibly talented cast and crew attached."

Actor Luke Newberry says: "I am really excited to be playing Kieren who is an amazingly complex character. He is on an unthinkable rollercoaster of a journey, one in which he has been given a second chance at life and he has to come to terms with how to deal with that. The characters may look like zombies but this is a very human story about people trying to survive."

Commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning with Zai Bennett, Controller BBC Three.

Made by BBC Drama Production North, it is Directed by Jonny Campbell (Eric And Ernie, Doctor Who), Produced by Ann Harrison Baxter (The Secret Of Crickley Hall, Waterloo Road), and the executive producer is Hilary Martin (The Secret Of Crickley Hall, South Riding).

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk...-the-flesh.html

Nice to see BBC3 aren't wasting time coming up with a successor for Being Human. A trailer can be seen here

[NIccibee]

A nicer successor would be The Fades season 2, but I'll give this a go.

Although, I'm not really a fan of the 'Zombies with emotions' genre - I like 'em Chompy!

[bulldawgtownie]

I wish all of you on the other side of the pond the best of luck with this show. It could be good or it could be really bad.

[darkestboy]

It starts Sunday at 10pm from March 17th on BBC3, so it's inheriting Being Human's current timeslot.

[Doom]

Wow, seriously? I have to watch this at least once.

[quentin312002]

I admit I wasn't that tempted to see the show, I'm a bit sore about "Being Human" but that is a pretty good trailer.

[darkestboy]

It's running for three episodes, which is rather stingy on BBC3's part as well.

[AngelKitty]

Hmm, zombies with feelings. Somehow that just seems wrong, but of course I'll watch it when it comes to the US.

[darkestboy]

There's a good write up about it in the latest issue of SFX.

It does look pretty grim but good.

[TheLabRat]

I almost didn't watch it because I like my zombies chompy too but I'm very glad I did. Very pleasantly surprised and I agree with all of the reviewers who said that it really was more of a character piece than straight sci fi (which all sci fi show runners say even thought they're often wrong). The lead actor is very talented. Where do they find these kids?

[tain]

I was really impressed great writing and performances, looking forward to the concluding parts.

[darkestboy]

It was fantastic. A great take on the zombie genre, pretty layered characters and some good performances as well.

Possibly a worthy successor to Being Human if BBC3 allow it to go beyond the three episodes it's got so far.

[TheLabRat]

I was thinking about the promo for the next episode and the girl who says to Kieran "I know you." I wonder if that's the other zombie that he was hunting with in the opening of the pilot. He mentioned in group therapy that he was with another zombie who he also hunted with and it kind of implied to me that they must have hunted together frequently. Like he had a zombie girlfriend.

[darkestboy]

Actually if last night's episode is anything to go by, Kieran had a relationship with Rick and Amy is more of a friend.

Amy - loved her, a bloody breath of fresh air and delightfully fun in all of her scenes.

Jem, I like that she seems a bit conflicted in parts. Like there's a part of her that wants to protect her brother but she's disgusted by him being a zombie.

Bill's double standards over his own son being a zombie and his thoughts on rotters in general was brilliant to watch.

It's a shame this is a three part show because it really does deserve to be longer.

Edited by darkestboy, Mar 27, 2013 @ 7:09 AM.

[TheLabRat]

Yes I very much changed my mind about who Amy might be (though it did seems as though she recognized him from their rabid days) after that. I liked that Kieren and Rick were more to each other than just the best friends I was expecting.

Bill's denial; oh goodness that whole situation was a thing of beauty in terms of acting. Rick's denial was more powerful to me though.

And Amy smarting off to their old friend while blatantly in zombie face had me in tears laughing.


I sure do hope this is getting the ratings to get a second series.

[TVraisedme]

Great two episodes so far! It's such an original concept as well, you rarely ever read stories about what happens after the apocalypse when you have to go back to your daily life. Then adding the reintegration of zombies-- I'm sorry PDS sufferers-- into this new life makes for some great drama. The lead is great, you genuinely feel for Kieren and get the awkwardness of trying to transition back into your old life when you're no longer that same person, not to mention the immense guilt he feels.

I love the little sister as well, what comes off as being a petulant, bratty teen is really a cover for what I think is a hurt girl and with this latest episode, I think her anger at her brother (aside from being kinda dead) stems from the fact that he killed himself. Successful suicides don't have to worry about the aftermath but he now has to and it's embodied in his sister who's upset that the person she was closest to abandoned her and his parents who are in such denial that they're treating him as if he never actually died but instead came back from the hospital. I really hope they show the family confronting what Kieren did and it's effect on them.

Billy is the worst, hypocrite doesn't even cover it! He kills his neighbors wife spouting all zombies have to die but then as soon as he gets word that his own son is back in the same condition, he turns around and expects everyone to be on board! If I was that neighbor I would seriously go 1st testament on that jerk! P.S. your son is gay, deal with it. Though at some point I hope Bill says:"I love my dead gay son."

I also want to see more of Kieren and Rick's relationship and how deep it actually goes, especially if they were both willing to die over it. As for the mystery of the masked zombie revolutionary, I'm having trouble figuring out the end game because it doesn't make much sense but the writing has been really top notch thus far, so I'm sure it will be cleared up next episode.

[liliaeth]

I utterly love this show. Great acting, awesome writing and it's a premise that's rarely if ever seen. Even Warm Bodies which I love, is still set during the apocalypse. It's just so rare to find a zombie story that's set after the apocalypse is over and how people deal then. I think the News Feed trilogy comes closest.

Is it weird that I think the masked revolutionary isn't a PDS sufferer. Really, the only ones who benefit from PDS sufferers going off their meds and going rabid again, are the HVF. And I have no spoilers on this one, but somehow I think that the masked guy is Philip.

[darkestboy]

It's a good theory about Philip, given that we don't know a lot about him.

I am hoping this gets a second run because BBC3 really do have a gem on their hands here.

[liliaeth]

I hope so too, this show deserves to have a long run.

I just feel that we've been told so little about Philip, yet he's one of the characters who get a profile on the official website. That tells me that there's more about the character that we don't know yet.

[Glitterkittens]

As someone who found The Fades and Being Human to be pretty disappointing, I'm really enjoying this show. Yes, it's slightly heavy-handed with its Silver Linings Playbook for Zombies, but the acting is well done and actually the 'things that make you an outcast' pile resting on Kieren's shoulders is working for me. And as for his sister, well, of course she's more than an angsty weirdo teen getting over the fact that her brother--whom she was obviously close to--killed himself without leaving a note. SHE SURVIVED THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. That has to harden you.

I like the guess on Phillip/speculation the leader is not PDS. Makes sense since he seems to be advocating on the behalf of reducing everyone to their raw forms and starting the whole thing over again.

I am curious about Amy saying she doesn't feel regret for what she did because 'she was just surviving'. While I know the show is basically presenting it as some zombies would rather go back to being mindless so they can forget their guilt and others are trying to justify it as a higher form of evolution or something, I want to know how cognizant they were as zombies.

I did love that Amy died from cancer and is embracing her second chance, whereas Kieren views his resurrection as a bleak hell.

[liliaeth]

I'm not sure, and I'm far from an expert on anything brain related (to put it mildly), but Kieren mentions how the drug they're given gives them a chemical that their body no longer produces. So I figure, what if they went for eating brains, because they need that specific chemical to have some form of sentience/life.

[TheLabRat]

Glial cells; I don't know enough about biology to know if it even remotely makes sense (they exist and they're in tehe brain, and that's all I've got) but I love the nod to science. Incidentally, "Kieren" has a blog. http://www.bbc.co.uk...-Flesh-My-Diary I only found it because I couldn't remember how to spell glial.

[TheLabRat]

I'm still a little speechless after the last episode. I hope this gets picked up for a second series because I see so many different directions they can go in. I hope this second rising does come into play; imagine PDS sufferers on the HVF (or similar organisation) having to fight off rabid rotters. I'm so sad about Rick. Of course it couldn't have gone down any other way but ouch that was devastating. Maybe Rick will come back in the second rising. Maybe the second rising zombies will be immune to the current PDS medication.

[Glade]

I thought this was brilliant! I love that Keiran got a happy ending, even though Rick didn't (though I was quite happy about Bill being shot through the heart.) And Gemma finally put away that gun and uniform, and decided to move on. This was so heartfelt, and used the zombie issue to explore so many other social issues. Best tv I've seen in a long time.

I would like to see a second series, focussing on Keiran trying to go to back to art school, and maybe visiting Amy in the commune for a day or two. I thought the crazed anti-PDS preacher might actually be the undead prophet, and the commune could be a big trap...but maybe not. If it was a genuine thing, it could be really interesting. And seeing Keiran get another boyfriend. But there is no second rising! That was just religious fundamentalist nonsense, an excuse for murdering stabilized PDS sufferers. The rising is over, and the show is about how people have to move on and let it go.

Edited by Glade, Apr 2, 2013 @ 3:36 PM.

[TheLabRat]

I'd be happy to have the second rising thing turn out to be nonsense (or maybe a red herring where it seems like it's coming only to be revealed as some kind of manipulation). I just latched onto the idea because it's an easy potential storyline that they provided themselves with in the writing (amongst many, many others). There are plenty of other things they can do, as well. But it seemed like the second rising idea was potentially significant beyond Bill being an utterly useless father and human being.

And as an aside, in a future series I'd love to see a flashback of Bill being the useful man he must have been to dream up the HVF and protect the village. Because I love the dichotomy implied there. I just really dig the idea that this guy was a real hardass who was probably a complete pain in the butt before he went off the rails. That stubborn streak probably helped him save a lot of lives and doomed him at the same time. Great character; fun to hate in present terms and easy to see how his poir attitude was likely helpful during the rising.

I was reading that the concept for this show was similar to the original concept for Being Human (but please don't ask where I read this because I just don't know). In BH the three main "supes" were metaphors for mental conditions (addiction, depression and I forget what the werewolf was). Apparently, the PDS folks on this show (and Kieran specifically) were intended to be a metaphor for extreme mental illness (one specifically was mentioned, I believe schizophrenia) requiring hospitalization. From what I can recall the show was actually originally pitched around his character returning home after being hospitalized for violent outburst of the more mundane and less supernatural variety. I'm so glad they changed it to zombies because I love that kind of metaphor play in my supernatural fantasy and sci-fi stuff and I probably wouldn't have watched it otherwise as I'm a big genre dork.

[darkestboy]

Loved the finale, really hoping we get a second run. This show really deserves one.

[TVraisedme]

Finally caught the last episode and I really loved it. Things really came to ahead and I'm glad they confronted the issue of his suicide but the story of his Dad finding his body nearly killed me! Really saddened by what happened to Rick, The Rising gave them both a second chance to right wrongs and at least they both got to do that, Rick standing up to his father and Kieren choosing to live this time after Rick's second death.

Also, so happy that the neighbor was able to get revenge on Bill, seriously no one had it coming more than him.

Count me in as someone who also thinks that the preacher or Philip might be involved with the Prophet because as stated previously his whole spiel doesn't make sense. You can't promote going back to your pre PDS state while still taking the meds needed to be making these grand speeches. I wouldn't be surprised if it in fact was a ploy by the preacher to manufacture the second rising he claims will happen, round all the PDS sufferers up, get them off their meds and look Rising Part II: The Deadining (side note: Does Philip sleeping with Amy count as Necrophilia?)

I do hope we get to see a second season. Maybe with longer episodes this time?

[TheLabRat]

Looks like this will be airing in the states on BBCA this summer. Awesome. I have some friends that will love this.