New Trailer Released For In The FleshBookmark and Share

Monday, 4 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
A new trailer for upcoming BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh was released by the BBC this evening.

The three-parter - which tells the story of zombie teenager Kieren Walker, played by Luke Newberry, and his reintegration into the local community and the heart of his family - will begin on Sunday 17th March at 10pm. It has been written by Dominic Mitchell and directed by Jonny Campbell.






FILTER: - In The Flesh

In The Flesh Start Date AnnouncedBookmark and Share

Thursday, 28 February 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The new zombie drama In The Flesh will begin on Sunday 17th March at 10pm, the BBC announced today.

The three-parter, written by Dominic Mitchell and directed by Jonny Campbell, will fill the BBC Three slot vacated by supernatural drama Being Human, which ends on Sunday 10th March after a five-series run.

In The Flesh tells the story of zombie teenager Kieren Walker, played by Luke Newberry, and his reintegration into both the local community and the heart of his family four years after a zombie uprising.

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 reanimated, and after months of rehabilitation and medication the zombies - now known as PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferers - are gradually being returned to their homes.

Since the passing of the PDS Protection Act, the government has set an agenda of acceptance and tolerance, but that agenda is at odds with the communities abandoned at the time of the rising and the bloody battle between zombies and humans that ensued.

Kieren returns to his home in the rural village of Roarton - a cauldron of brutal anti-zombie sentiment and the source of the "rotter"-hating Human Volunteer Force (HVF) - where he is forced to confront his family, the community that rejected him, and the flashbacks that continue to haunt him of what he did in his untreated state.

His parents, Steve and Sue, are undoubtedly pleased to see him but his sister, Jem, isn't so ready to pick up from where they left off.

Meanwhile, the HVF, led by violent Bill Macy and backed by local churchman Vicar Oddie, are ready to take action against any PDS sufferer reintegrated on their patch.
Steve Cooper and Marie Critchley play Kieren's parents and Harriet Cains is his sister, while Steve Evets portrays Macy and Kenneth Cranham is Oddie.

As reported earlier this week, a free preview screening of the first episode is taking place on Thursday 7th March in Salford.


UPDATE - 5pm: The first of three mock-government information videos has been released by the BBC as part of the show's pre-start publicity:





FILTER: - In The Flesh

In The Flesh Free Preview To Be HeldBookmark and Share

Monday, 25 February 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
A free preview of the first episode of new BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh is to take place in Salford next week.

The screening - to be followed by a question-and-answer session with writer Dominic Mitchell and director Jonny Campbell - has been arranged by BBC Writersroom. It was through the BBC Writersroom scheme Northern Voices that Mitchell's script was discovered then developed, commissioned, and produced by BBC Drama North.

The three-parter is set in the fictional village of Roarton, four years after a zombie uprising, and tells the story of teenager Kieren Walker, played by Luke Newberry, and his reintegration back into both the local community and the heart of his family. A BBC statement said:
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.
The screening and Q&A session - with Mitchell and Campbell in conversation with Kate Rowland, the BBC's creative director of new writing - will be held at the Digital Performance Lab, University of Salford, MediaCity UK on Thursday 7th March, starting at 6.30pm. Attendees are being encouraged to come as zombies, and although this is purely optional a prize will be given to "the best zombified audience member".

The free tickets can be booked here on a first-come, first-served basis up to the day before the screening.

A trailer for the series has also been released by the BBC (NB: Contains scenes that some people may find upsetting):


A broadcast date for the start of the drama is yet to be announced.




FILTER: - In The Flesh

In The Flesh Coming SoonBookmark and Share

Monday, 18 February 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
More details about the new BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh have been released ahead of its impending broadcast.

The three-parter, written by Dominic Mitchell and directed by Jonny Campbell, is set after a zombie uprising, with treated zombies being allowed back into society. The drama centres on zombie teenager Kieren Walker, played by Luke Newberry, and his reintegration into 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 reanimated, and now, after months of rehabilitation and medication, the zombies are gradually being returned to their homes.

Now known as PDS sufferers (Partially Deceased Syndrome) - and since the passing of the PDS Protection Act - the government has set an agenda of acceptance and tolerance, one that is at odds with the communities abandoned at the time of the rising, and the bloody battle between zombies and humans that ensued.

Kieren returns to his home in the rural village of Roarton - a cauldron of brutal anti-zombie sentiment and the source of the "rotter"-hating Human Volunteer Force (HVF) - where he is forced to confront his family, the community that rejected him, and the flashbacks that continue to haunt him over what he did in his untreated state.

Kieren's parents, Steve and Sue, are undoubtedly pleased to see him, but his sister, Jem, isn't so ready to pick up where they left off.

Meanwhile, the HVF, led by violent Bill Macy and backed by local churchman Vicar Oddie, are ready to take action against any PDS sufferer reintegrated on their patch.
The rest of the cast and main crew are as follows:
  • Steve Walker - Steve Cooper
  • Sue Walker - Marie Critchley
  • Jem Walker - Harriet Cains
  • Bill Macy - Steve Evets
  • Vicar Oddie - Kenneth Cranham
  • Rick Macy - David Walmsley
  • Amy Dyer - Emily Bevan
  • Janet Macy - Karen Henthorn
  • Ken Burton - Ricky Tomlinson
  • Shirley Wilson - Sandra Huggett
  • Philip Wilson - Stephen Thompson
  • Gary - Kevin Sutton
  • Dean - Gerard Thompson
  • Lisa Lancaster - Riann Steele
  • Dr Shepherd - Stewart Scudamore
  • Joanne - Rachel Toomes
  • Ben - Lee Toomes
  • Alex - Alex Arnold
  • Hannah - Danielle Vitalis
  • Keith - John Owen-Jones
  • Pearl Pinder - Gillian Waugh
  • Treatment Assistant - James Foster
  • Giles Weir - Oliver Birch
  • Duncan Lancaster - Steve Garti
  • The Prophet - James Nelson-Joyce
  • Maggie Burton - Sue Wallace
  • Executive producer - Hilary Martin
  • Producer - Ann Harrison-Baxter
  • Make-up design - Nadia Stacey
  • Script editor - Simon Judd
Made by BBC Drama Production North, its start date is yet to be announced, although BBC Three will be airing a trailer next Sunday - 24th February - immediately after Being Human.




FILTER: - In The Flesh

In The Flesh Filming BeginsBookmark and Share

Friday, 26 October 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Filming on BBC Three's new zombie drama In The Flesh has started.

Directed by Jonny Campbell, the three-part series has been written by TV newcomer Dominic Mitchell, pictured, with the cast led by Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker. David Walmsley plays his best friend, Rick Macy, Emily Bevan is fellow zombie Amy Dyer, and Harriet Cains is his sister, Jem Walker.

They are being joined by Ricky Tomlinson as Ken Burton, Steve Evets as Bill Macy, and Kenneth Cranham as the Rev Oddie.

In The Flesh is the story of teenager Kieren Walker and his reintegration back into the local community and the heart of his family. After his death four years ago, his friends and family thought they'd never see him again. But then, shortly after his funeral, thousands of the dead were reanimated in one freak night and now, after months of rehabilitation 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.

Filming started on Sunday 21st October, with shooting taking place around the north-west of England and the action set in the fictional village of Roarton. The cast also includes Alex Arnold as Alex, Steve Cooper as Steve Walker, Marie Critchley as Sue Walker, Stephen Thompson as Philip Wilson, Sandra Hugget as Shirley Wilson, Gerard Thompson as Dean, Kevin Sutton as Gary, John Owen-Jones as Keith, Karen Henthorn as Janet Macy, Oliver Birch as Giles Weir, Steve Garti as Duncan Lancaster, and Juliet Ellis as Patty Lancaster.

Campbell said:
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 preconceptions about the standard zombie genre and in so doing almost certainly creates a new one.

The hour-long episodes were developed by the BBC Drama Production team in Salford after they read entries for the BBC Writersroom contest Northern Voices.

Mitchell said:
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.

Newberry stated:
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.

Made by BBC Drama Production North, it is being produced by Ann Harrison Baxter, having been commissioned by drama commissioning controller Ben Stephenson. The executive producer is Hilary Martin. BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said:
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.




FILTER: - In The Flesh

Zombie Drama On Its Way To BBC ThreeBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who director Jonny Campbell is to take the helm of newly-commissioned BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh.

The three-parter is the first TV commission for writer Dominic Mitchell, pictured, and has been developed by the BBC Drama Production team in Salford after they read entries for the BBC Writersroom contest Northern Voices.
In The Flesh is set in a small village in the north of England, post-zombie uprising, as rehabilitated zombies begin to be reintroduced back into society. Now known as PDS sufferers (Partially Deceased Syndrome), these former zombies have been caught, treated, and - armed with their flesh cover-up and special contact lenses - are now returning to their friends and families who previously thought them dead.

The hero is Kieren Walker, a 17-year-old who committed suicide four years ago when his best mate Rick died in Afghanistan. He didn't leave a note and is now returning to a village that always rejected him and a family who never got to say goodbye.

Across the three episodes, we follow Kieren as he struggles to cope with fitting back in, with the guilt of what he did in his untreated state, and the sudden reappearance of Rick, a fellow PDS sufferer. The boy that Kieren thought was dead is alive and the boy Rick thought was alive is dead. Can they be happy a second time round? Can Kieren finally make peace with both his past and his present? Can humans and PDS sufferers live side by side in this new, highly charged, and emotionally complicated world?
Each episode will be an hour long. The producer is Annie Harrison Baxter and casting is under way, with the show set to go into production this autumn.




FILTER: - In The Flesh