#dead set

DEAD SET, CH4 “Mocumentary”

Aired in 2008

Overview:

While the housemates in the Big Brother house remain oblivious, fast-moving hordes of the undead decimate the studio compound. Inspired, says creator Charlie Brooker, by the classic horror film `Dawn of the Dead,' this five-episode series chronicles a nightmare scenario in which Britain is taken over by zombies. No one is spared the wrath of the undead ... except the contestants and production staff filming a season of `Big Brother.' As they're unaware of what's happening outside, the house becomes a safe haven. Then the doors open on eviction night and all hell breaks loose. Among the stars is `Big Brother' presenter Davina McCall, who plays herself.

Starring:

Jaime Winstone, Andy Nyman, Kevin Eldon

Creators:

Charlie Brooker

British,

Horror Series

This series is...

Gory, Scary, Horror, Zombies, British, Suspenseful, Survival, Miniseries

Cast:

Jaime Winstone, Andy Nyman, Kevin Eldon, Davina McCall, Warren Brown, Riz Ahmed, Beth Cordingly, Kathleen McDermott, Raj Ghatak

Oops. 🧟‍♀️

And I think I've figured out the root of it.

I'm the youngest in my household, meaning my mother was rather lax with rules, and I has unrestricted access to the internet. Which included such delights as BBC iPlayer, the driving force behind my, now crippling, zombie media addiction.

I was scrolling through iPlayer one day, hoping to find something to watch. I was a big fan of game shows, regularly watching the Challenge channel on TV, so I was perusing the game shows on hand.

Then it showed itself.

I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse.

A definitely rigged (in hindsight, not to my 12 year old mind) game show in which contestants had to survive several days and challenges in a zombie infested shopping center. Think Zombieverse but British and about a decade earlier. It was due to be taken off iPlayer soon, so I watched it over and over again. It wasn't overly gorey, but gorey enough that I knew my mother wouldn't let me watch it if she knew, so I have kept it a secret for the last 9 years.

I wanted more, though. Game shows wouldn't cut it anymore, I needed zombies to scratch that little itch in my brain. Not long after ISAZA was taken off iPlayer, I began my search. That's when I found the masterpiece that would kick my zombie obsession into overdrive.

Dead Set.

A limited zombie series aired on E4 in 2008, made specially to run after episodes of Big Brother in the run up to Halloween. In the work of fiction, the zombie apocalypse breaks out during an eviction night on big brother. The housemates face tricky dilemmas and life or death situations.

If you have not watched Dead Set, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO SO. It's such a great show and holds such a special place in my heart. I've watched it countless times, and it'd utterly brilliant. There's funny bits, thrilling bits, and the overall craftsmanship of the show is just gorgeous for the time.

It also has zombie Divina Mcall. What more do you want from a zombie show?

I, again, watched that in secret for years Finding new shows along the way. That was it, two shows and my zombie mad self was changed forever.