"Dead Set" (2008) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Creator:

Charlie Brooker

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 October 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror

Plot:

During a fictional series of Big Brother, a zombie outbreak occurs, but the house-mates are unaware of the impending doom outside of the Big Brother House.

Plot Keywords:

Big Brother | Zombie | Show Within A Show | Satire | TV Channel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Chizzy Akudolu	...	Angel (5 episodes, 2008)
Shelley Conn	...	Claire (5 episodes, 2008)
Raj Ghatak	...	Grayson (5 episodes, 2008)
Jennifer Aries	...	Sophie (5 episodes, 2008)
Cavan Clerkin	...	Dennis (5 episodes, 2008)
Drew Edwards	...	Colin (5 episodes, 2008)
Elyes Gabel	...	Danny (5 episodes, 2008)
Krishnan Guru-Murthy	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2008)
Madra Ihegborow	...	Makeup Girl (5 episodes, 2008)
Maxi Moffatt	...	Gormless (5 episodes, 2008)
Rachel Ogilvy	...	Angela (5 episodes, 2008)
Jaime Winstone	...	Kelly (5 episodes, 2008)
Kyle Summercorn	...	Bob (5 episodes, 2008)
Andy Nyman	...	Patrick (5 episodes, 2008)
Kelly Wenham	...	Chloe (5 episodes, 2008)
Riz Ahmed	...	Riq (5 episodes, 2008)
Helen Adams	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Brian Belo	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2008)
Liz May Brice	...	Alex (5 episodes, 2008)
Warren Brown	...	Marky (5 episodes, 2008)
Paul 'Bubble' Ferguson	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2008)
Beth Cordingly	...	Veronica (5 episodes, 2008)
Adam Deacon	...	Space (5 episodes, 2008)
Kevin Eldon	...	Joplin (5 episodes, 2008)
Makosi Musambasi	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Kathleen McDermott	...	Pippa (5 episodes, 2008)
Eugene Sully	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2008)
Imogen Thomas	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Saskia Howard-Clarke	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Marcus Bentley	...	Himself / ... (5 episodes, 2008)
Kinga Karolczak	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Davina McCall	...	Herself (5 episodes, 2008)
Ziggy Lichman	...	Himself (4 episodes, 2008)
Johnny Shingleton	...	Zombie (3 episodes, 2008)

Runtime:

141 min (5 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Company:

Zeppotron

Goofs:

Plot holes: Electricity and the Big Brother live feed continue to work far after Britain is taken over by zombies. City wide electricity and television couldn't work without people to run them, which there isn't.

Movie Connections:

References "Big Brother" (2000/III)

One of the decade's best zombie flicks

Maybe it's impossible these days to make a zombie movie which doesn't feel reminiscent of others; in the case of the Charlie Brooker-scripted TV movie Dead Set, too much of the zombie carnage feels lifted from 28 Days/Weeks Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake. But to focus on that would be to overlook the brilliant angle Brooker brings to the genre, not least its premise: that some of the few survivors of the zombie holocaust are the house-mates in Big Brother. Other horror films have been had reality TV settings, but this Endemol-produced flick has the advantage of featuring actual BB stars: Davina McCall and a host of former house-mates. Of the actors, Andy Nyman stands out as the BB director whose character is clearly Brooker's stand-in for himself, and whose comedy scenes are sensibly kept separate from the horror until the final scenes. And it's so well-written that you'll actually be rooting for everyone to survive.

If you love (a) zombie movies, or (b) Big Brother, Dead Set is *unmissably* good.

However, I would recommend waiting for the 138-minute DVD on 3rd November, as I can't imagine it having half the impact when it's chopped up into five episodes, complete with ad breaks, as it will be on E4 next week.

Hopefully Dead Set won't be quickly forgotten as a quirky little TV series on a minor channel, and will be recognised internationally as one of the decade's best zombie flicks.