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.