by Hayley Charlesworth
BAFTA winning zombie series In The Flesh has just concluded its second season, with the first two seasons recently released on DVD. Like supernatural hit before it Being Human, In The Flesh is gradually taking television by storm, both in the UK and on BBC America, and is one of the key programmes fuelling the “Save BBC Three” campaign. With the future of BBC Three hanging in the balance, In The Flesh may find a home for itself online for season three, or moved to BBC Two, but before all that, why should you be catching up with this show?
BAFTA winning zombie series In The Flesh has just concluded its second season, with the first two seasons recently released on DVD. Like supernatural hit before it Being Human, In The Flesh is gradually taking television by storm, both in the UK and on BBC America, and is one of the key programmes fuelling the “Save BBC Three” campaign. With the future of BBC Three hanging in the balance, In The Flesh may find a home for itself online for season three, or moved to BBC Two, but before all that, why should you be catching up with this show?
For a start, it’s unique, something that BAFTA clearly recognised when it offered the show Best Miniseries for its first season (season one was only three episodes long, season two is extended to six and therefore no longer eligible for that category) and a BAFTA Craft award to writer/creator Dominic Mitchell for what is his first TV drama. Unlike The Walking Dead, this zombie show is not about a zombie invasion, nor is it about humans struggling to survive it. In The Flesh takes place in a small Lancashire village after the “Pale War”, as living and Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers struggle to co-exist. The PDS sufferers are treated with a drug called Neurotrypteline to stop themselves turning rabid and allow them to function in society, slathering themselves in foundation and wearing contact lenses to make the living feel more comfortable, but ending up in Uncanny Valley territory instead. Still, despite PDS sufferers not being a threat, they remain persecuted, by narrow-minded villagers who can’t get past what they did in their untreated state, and the violent Human Volunteer Force, who fought the undead during the Rising and still see them as a threat.
Setting the series after the war has been fought sets it apart from other zombie fiction, but what takes it further is the protagonist, Kieren Walker, played by the phenomenal Luke Newberry. Kieren is a PDS sufferer, and while human characters like his HVF sister Jem receive a lot of focus, it means our story is from the perspective of the undead. Bisexual writer Mitchell has also given us that rare representation of sexuality, as Kieren is pansexual. Kieren’s relationships, platonic or otherwise, are a driving force for the show: his deep feeling for best friend Rick, a soldier killed in Afghanistan leading to Kieren’s own suicide before the Rising drives much of the first season, while his flirtatious friendship with Amy Dyer is a delight, and newcomer Simon bringing a whole new dynamic in season two.
Setting the series after the war has been fought sets it apart from other zombie fiction, but what takes it further is the protagonist, Kieren Walker, played by the phenomenal Luke Newberry. Kieren is a PDS sufferer, and while human characters like his HVF sister Jem receive a lot of focus, it means our story is from the perspective of the undead. Bisexual writer Mitchell has also given us that rare representation of sexuality, as Kieren is pansexual. Kieren’s relationships, platonic or otherwise, are a driving force for the show: his deep feeling for best friend Rick, a soldier killed in Afghanistan leading to Kieren’s own suicide before the Rising drives much of the first season, while his flirtatious friendship with Amy Dyer is a delight, and newcomer Simon bringing a whole new dynamic in season two.
In The Flesh is a success because of the strength of its writing and its cast. Choosing to begin his story with Kieren and then expanding it out to the wider picture, Mitchell has ensured that he has crafted characters for the audience to care about, so that when the consequences of events play out, it’s all the more shattering. Season one remains entirely with Kieren’s story, allowing us to explore the religious connotations of Mitchell’s story during the second season. In season two, we are introduced to Simon, a disciple of the Undead Prophet who wishes to instigate a Second Rising. It is because we already know and care for characters like Kieren and Amy that we become so emotionally involved in this ambitious storyline, and the pay-off is as incredible as it is heart-stopping.
Emily Bevan, as Amy Dyer, injects some much-needed humour and heart to a show that can often become very dark, very quickly. In season two, Emmett Scanlan (who some may recognise as moustachioed gay gangster Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks) gives a charismatic and effective performance as Simon Monroe, with the episode detailing his back-story one of the most stunning of the whole series. Scanlan has a screen presence that is captivating and elevates season two to a whole new level. But in terms of performance, a great deal of praise needs to be given to Harriet Cains’ Jem Walker. Cains has the most difficult job of all the leading characters, as she is the most complex. We see her do reprehensible things, killing PDS sufferers who we now know to be safe, or engaging in a relationship with the absolutely awful Gary, but Cains imbues Jem with a vulnerability and heart that makes Jem remain so likable. Jem is a young girl shattered by the suicide and return of her brother, a girl who has had to kill people she knew to survive, and who is manipulated by others because of her own fear. Cains is absolutely stunning at portraying this and will have a long career ahead of her.
So as we wait for a new season to be announced, whether on TV or online (and those BAFTA wins should go some way to convincing commissioners), the In The Flesh DVD box-set is a perfect way to tide fans over. And for people new to the show, it’s nine hours of unique, beautifully crafted and enthralling television for you to enjoy.
Emily Bevan, as Amy Dyer, injects some much-needed humour and heart to a show that can often become very dark, very quickly. In season two, Emmett Scanlan (who some may recognise as moustachioed gay gangster Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks) gives a charismatic and effective performance as Simon Monroe, with the episode detailing his back-story one of the most stunning of the whole series. Scanlan has a screen presence that is captivating and elevates season two to a whole new level. But in terms of performance, a great deal of praise needs to be given to Harriet Cains’ Jem Walker. Cains has the most difficult job of all the leading characters, as she is the most complex. We see her do reprehensible things, killing PDS sufferers who we now know to be safe, or engaging in a relationship with the absolutely awful Gary, but Cains imbues Jem with a vulnerability and heart that makes Jem remain so likable. Jem is a young girl shattered by the suicide and return of her brother, a girl who has had to kill people she knew to survive, and who is manipulated by others because of her own fear. Cains is absolutely stunning at portraying this and will have a long career ahead of her.
So as we wait for a new season to be announced, whether on TV or online (and those BAFTA wins should go some way to convincing commissioners), the In The Flesh DVD box-set is a perfect way to tide fans over. And for people new to the show, it’s nine hours of unique, beautifully crafted and enthralling television for you to enjoy.
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