Generation Z

There's a throwaway comment on the movie industry; they sometimes call extras 'moving scenery'. Here, they're the scenery that gets chewed by many of the cast.

This is such a hodge podge. Occasional scenes are ghoulishly funny, riffing on the cliches about 'older people' and the younger crowd; and, of course, the many tropes abounding after 60+ years of mainstream zombie films.

The third agers- Anita Dobson, Sue Johnston leading - have the, erm, 'meatiest' roles here; plenty to get their teeth into! Others, including Robert Lindsay and Michael Smiley, are good but initially peripheral.

There are many scenes that some might prefer to 'unsee'; there is a taste (!) of the 1960s Hammer horror classics that goes way beyond what was possible then.

Where it falls apart is the multiplicity of characters, generations and their stories. It needs three generations; school age, pensioners and that 'squeezed middle'. There ends up being such a muddle of characters, quite diverse, so that by the time you've worked out who is related to whom, they're toast; with lots of extra strawberry jam.

One final problem for the school agers; some decent acting here, but a couple are still in sixth form aged 28 and 26, and there's no acting around that fact.

With all of the horror writing and production talent in the UK I would think Channel 4 could have come up with something interesting - reasonably interesting at least.

But this is one of the most boring 'horror' TV series I have ever seen. It is the standard 'zombie' story - but tedious - so tedious I was glad when it was over.

The only thing that makes it anywhere near more watchable than a washing machine are the talented actors - who seem to be trying to do the best they can with very little to work with. After all they can only work with the story and direction they are given.

Really - don't waste your time with this nonsense.

A truck carrying a chemical load in the village of Dambury spills its load, an accident that transforms the residents of a nursing home into flesh eating zombies.

It just doesn't work overall, there are some really nice, original ideas at play, the trouble is that it's just not very good.

It's not gory enough to be a horror, not funny enough to be a comedy, it tries to make several points about present day politics, but it just ends up being irritating.

On the plus side, I love the ideas of zombies that can reason, flesh eating monsters with a conscience, and I liked the idea of a hierarchy and a power struggle.

Sadly the woes outweigh the positives, sometimes it feels like scooby doo, it's almost adolescent. The special effects could have come from 1997, the editing is horrific, and you're asked to believe that adults are school children. It does also get preachy at times.

It features an awesome cast, one that really appealed to me, Sue Johnston, Robert Lindsay, Anita Dobson and more, all you can say is that a good job was done pitching the idea of this to them.

Channel 4 I have to ask, what on Earth is going on with your drama content, what has gone so badly wrong?

Highly unlikely that series two will follow.

4/10.

Been looking forwards to this since it was announced and after the first episode I was ready to chuck in the towel. The acting was weirdly over the top, the effects were from Poundland, the script was awful and the constant graphics of the current location were really annoying. However I decided to at least watch episode 2 to give it a chance and it got so much better. The character of Flynn and her relationship with Morgan and Steff really saves the show and this is where the comedy occurs. So far we have made it to episode 4 and will carry on watching. It does have its flaws and the first episode is truly awful but if you can make it through that I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Not what I was expecting but so glad it improved.

Edit- now have watched it all and the last 2 episodes were actually quite fun and bonkers. Is the show any good? No, it's awful Would I ever watch it again? No, it's awful Why did I watch all the episodes? No idea, it's awful.

Is it so awful that's it's good? I think so, but definitely not intentionally. Hence I have changed my review from a 7 to a 6.

The first episode was ok and we thought perhaps it's building to something. Unfortunately it doesn't.

The story just gets worse, some of the acting is awful and it's such a shame as the talent available on screen are some of Britains finest, Sue Johnston, Robert Lindsay, Michael Smiley to name a few are all incredible when they have the material to work with. However they're given such unbelievable scripts that it's laughable.

This could have been a great British tv series but it just feels like they creators were given a day to write it, a day to film it and a day to put it together. Shame.