The BBC Three zombie drama
In The Flesh was nominated for two TV BAFTAs today, including
Leading Actor for first-time nominee
Luke Newberry as Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer Kieren Walker.
He faces opposition from
Dominic West (
Burton and Taylor), Sean Harris (
Southcliffe) and
Jamie Dornan (
The Fall).
The show has also been nominated in the
Mini-Series category, with
Southcliffe,
The Great Train Robbery and
The Fall also vying for the gong, and follows creator
Dominic Mitchell's nomination for a BAFTA Television Craft Award for
Best Writer, which he will be hoping to win against
Chris Chibnall (
Broadchurch),
Sally Wainwright (
Last Tango In Halifax) and
Dennis Kelly (
Utopia).
The BAFTA Television Crafts awards ceremony takes place on
Sunday 27th April and the TV BAFTAs will be held on
Sunday 18th May.
Series two of
In The Flesh, comprising six episodes, is to be shown on BBC Three in the first week of May, the BBC
said today. The first series will be repeated on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on
Sunday 12th April.
Critically-acclaimed creator Dominic Mitchell reignites the world of teenager Kieren Walker, a PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferer who continues in his struggle to find acceptance in the second series of the award-nominated BBC Three drama In The Flesh.
Over six episodes, In The Flesh propels us back to the hotbed of Roarton nine months on, where the living and the undead have reached a fragile peace. Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer, Kieren (Luke Newberry) is still struggling to find self-acceptance, and is keeping his head down, squirrelling money into his "escape fund" for Paris. Only problem is, he can't escape himself.
In the wider world, fear is in the air, provoked by radical Pro-Living Party Victus and extremism linked to the Undead Liberation Army. Scarier still, there are whispers about a Second Rising.
When explosive characters from both Victus and the ULA descend on Roarton, Kieren's dreams of escape are thrown into disarray. Victus MP Maxine Martin (Wunmi Mosaku) is stirring up anti-PDS sentiment in the village, while charismatic ULA disciple Simon (Emmett J Scanlan) wants Kieren to stay for different reasons altogether.
As Kieren increasingly finds himself in Maxine and Simon's crossfire, tensions reignite within the Walker family, where schoolgirl Jem (Harriet Cains) is facing her own demons, struggling to come to terms with vivid flashbacks from her time in the HVF (Human Volunteer Force). Kieren's only saving grace is the return of his old hunting partner Amy Dyer (Emily Bevan), but has his happy-go-lucky BDFF (Best Dead Friend Forever) been radicalised by the ULA?
As the series progresses, we follow Kieren, his friends and family, as he wrestles with his identity and his own and other people's beliefs. One thing's for certain: a quiet life is no longer an option.
Video interviews with Newberry and Mitchell to promote series 2 were released by the BBC today:
The BAFTA nominations echo plaudits from other parts of the industry - the series was also shortlisted for the MIND Media Awards 2013, Best Drama Serial at RTS, Best Drama Serial at Broadcast Awards and Innovation in Multiplatform at RTS North West - while Mitchell was named one of the 17 BAFTA Breakthrough Brits last year.
BBC Three controller
Zai Bennett said:
Not only is BBC Three the most-watched digital channel in the hours it's on air, we're also the most BAFTA-nominated digital channel this year with six nominations, two of which are for the extraordinary In The Flesh which returns to BBC Three next month. I couldn't be prouder of the team, the producers, storytellers, actors and presenters who make BBC Three the ground-breaking, award-winning, incredible channel it is.