Dead Set (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dead Set is a critically acclaimed BAFTA
-nominated horror
drama created by English writer Charlie Brooker
.
The series takes place primarily on the set of a fictional season of the real television show Big Brother
. Dead Set is a production of Zeppotron
, part of the Endemol
group of production and distribution companies that produces the actual Big Brother.
Dead Set first aired on Britain's E4 channel starting on 27 October 2008, just six weeks after the end of the real Big Brother series 9
on that same channel. The five episodes, aired over five consecutive nights, chronicle a zombie outbreak
that strands the housemates and production staff inside the Big Brother House, which quickly becomes a shelter from the undead.
, Borehamwood
, the house featured in Dead Set is a purpose built set on a former military base in Virginia Water
, Surrey
, owned by QinetiQ
. This site has also housed other productions including Holby Blue, Primeval
and Echo Beach
. Filming for the series took place over the summer of 2008. Pippa's eviction was filmed outside the real Big Brother house during Belinda's eviction - in front of a real Friday night eviction audience - leading to a small continuity error as the Big Brother series 9 logo was visible instead of the fictional version.
According to the DVD, scenes featuring the undead
Davina McCall
were filmed in one day, and the bodies lying around the corridor during the scene were created with SFX dummies (besides Eugene Sully's, which McCall is seen feasting on). McCall stated that she was covered in bruises the next day, due to hammering on the door in several scenes. She based her zombie-running style on the T-1000
from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgement Day. As she was restricted to only one day's filming, a dummy of McCall was used in some scenes for which she was unavailable.
Filming of the series was found to be difficult, due to budgetary constraints. Some extras were redressed to play different zombies due to the cost of the contact lenses used as zombie eyes; and the scene in Episode 2 in which Alex and Riq's car breaks down was originally meant to be an explosive car crash. Many of the zombies featured in the crowd scenes - including the final assault on the house - were volunteers recruited through Dead Set creator Charlie Brooker's Facebook
group.
A map for the Borehamwood region, the site of the real Big Brother House, was added to the Urban Dead
MMORPG
- with a competition to win a copy of the DVD as part of the promotion of the series.
A Swedish version of the show, called "Den Sista Dokusåpan" (The Last Reality Show), is currently in production and is expected to air on TV6 (Sweden) in early 2012.
site called UnseenScreen.com.
The entire series was released on one DVD on 3 November 2008. The running time for the DVD is 141 minutes. The DVD extras included interviews with the director, writer and cast, behind-the-scenes and special effects featurettes, and a selection of deleted and extended scenes, including:
Series Omnibus: 257,000 (213,000 viewers on E4, 54,000 on E4+1.
Series Average: 844,166 (664,833 on E4, 179,333 on E4 +1).
The series was repeated on Channel 4 from the 6th to the 8th of January 2009, reformatted into three hour-long episodes.
All five episodes were broadcast consecutively as a Halloween
feature length (2.5 hours) version on E4 on 31 October 2009. This was done again on 30 October 2011.
Dead Set contains several allusions to other zombie films, most notably George A. Romero
's "Living Dead
" series. Marky taunts Grayson by calling him 'Barbara', one of the central characters in Night of the Living Dead
(1968). When Kelly takes refuge in the Big Brother house and informs the contestants of the zombie infestation, Marky directly quotes the line "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" that opened Romero's film. Later, as Marky and Veronica are clearing zombies from the compound, Joplin remarks that they keep converging on the house because of "some primitive instinct [...] This was like a church for them," paraphrasing a line from Dawn of the Dead (1978).
Patrick's running away to leave his underlings to the zombies is similar to Captain Rhodes's betrayal at the climax of Day of the Dead (1985), and his fate at the hands of the undead is a homage to Rhodes' death at the end of the movie even down to his last words. As Rhodes is torn in half he commands the zombies eating his intestinal tract to "Choke on 'em!"; in Dead Set, Patrick's mortal words are "I've got fucking bowels full of shit - eat it!" Also he has his head torn off via fingers inserted into his eye sockets, identical to Private Torrez (Taso Stavrakis in Day of the Dead). In the first episode, Patrick says that Angel has a face "like a Manchester morgue", a reference to Jorge Grau
's The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974). A previous Big Brother quote was also referenced - while in Celebrity Big Brother 2006 Pete Burns said, "I've had insults thrown over me like a bucket of cum.", and the Dead Set character Patrick uses a similar line.
Advertisements for the show were aired on E4 and its parent, Channel 4
. The first episode, at its peak, received just under one and a half million viewers and 8.3% total audience share.
Simon Pegg
, a co-writer and star of the zombie comedy film Shaun of the Dead
, commented on Dead Set for The Guardian
. While generally praising the series, he expressed dismay at the move away from the traditional slow zombies of the Romero films to the modern 'fast zombie' used in Dead Set which were akin to the infected from 28 Days Later
or the zombies from the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake
. Brooker responded that this was due to a variety of reasons, including budgetary constraints, the fact that Dead Set had to differentiate itself from Shaun of the Dead, as well as the plot requiring that the infection could put the entire country out of action before the producers had time to evacuate the studios. He also cited two George Romero films in which the zombies behaved non-traditionally, including a scene in the original Dawn Of The Dead where two zombie children run.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
-nominated horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
drama created by English writer Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
.
The series takes place primarily on the set of a fictional season of the real television show Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
. Dead Set is a production of Zeppotron
Zeppotron
Zeppotron is a television and online comedy production company. It was formed in 2000 from several of the writers of Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show: Charlie Brooker, Ben Caudell, Peter Holmes, Neil Webster...
, part of the Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
group of production and distribution companies that produces the actual Big Brother.
Dead Set first aired on Britain's E4 channel starting on 27 October 2008, just six weeks after the end of the real Big Brother series 9
Big Brother 2008 (UK)
Big Brother 2008 was the ninth series of the British reality television series Big Brother, that aired on Channel 4 and E4. The series was launched on 5 June 2008, and ran for 13 weeks until 5 September 2008. The winner of Big Brother 2008 was Rachel Rice who beat bookies' favourite Michael Hughes...
on that same channel. The five episodes, aired over five consecutive nights, chronicle a zombie outbreak
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
that strands the housemates and production staff inside the Big Brother House, which quickly becomes a shelter from the undead.
Production details
Although the real Big Brother House is in Elstree StudiosElstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
, Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
, the house featured in Dead Set is a purpose built set on a former military base in Virginia Water
Virginia Water
Virginia Water is an affluent village, a lake and, originally, a stream, the village being in the Runnymede Borough Council in Surrey and the bodies of water stretching over the borders of Runnymede, Old Windsor and Sunninghill and Ascot, England....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, owned by QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
. This site has also housed other productions including Holby Blue, Primeval
Primeval
Primeval or primæval may refer to:* Primeval, a British science fiction television series.* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
and Echo Beach
Echo Beach (soap)
Echo Beach was a short-lived British teen-drama series that aired on ITV in 2008. Set in the fictional Cornish coastal town of Polnarren, it ran for twelve weekly episodes from 10 January to 21 March 2008...
. Filming for the series took place over the summer of 2008. Pippa's eviction was filmed outside the real Big Brother house during Belinda's eviction - in front of a real Friday night eviction audience - leading to a small continuity error as the Big Brother series 9 logo was visible instead of the fictional version.
According to the DVD, scenes featuring the undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
Davina McCall
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
were filmed in one day, and the bodies lying around the corridor during the scene were created with SFX dummies (besides Eugene Sully's, which McCall is seen feasting on). McCall stated that she was covered in bruises the next day, due to hammering on the door in several scenes. She based her zombie-running style on the T-1000
T-1000
The T-1000 is a fictional nanomorph mimetic poly-alloy assassin and the main antagonist in Terminator 2: Judgment Day controlled by the series main antagonist Skynet. The T-1000 is portrayed primarily by Robert Patrick; however, being a shape-shifter, the T-1000 is played by other actors in some...
from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgement Day. As she was restricted to only one day's filming, a dummy of McCall was used in some scenes for which she was unavailable.
Filming of the series was found to be difficult, due to budgetary constraints. Some extras were redressed to play different zombies due to the cost of the contact lenses used as zombie eyes; and the scene in Episode 2 in which Alex and Riq's car breaks down was originally meant to be an explosive car crash. Many of the zombies featured in the crowd scenes - including the final assault on the house - were volunteers recruited through Dead Set creator Charlie Brooker's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group.
A map for the Borehamwood region, the site of the real Big Brother House, was added to the Urban Dead
Urban Dead
Urban Dead is a Free To Play HTML/text-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by Kevan Davis. Set in a quarantined region of the fictional city of Malton, it deals with the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. Players enter the game either as a survivor or a zombie, each with...
MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
- with a competition to win a copy of the DVD as part of the promotion of the series.
A Swedish version of the show, called "Den Sista Dokusåpan" (The Last Reality Show), is currently in production and is expected to air on TV6 (Sweden) in early 2012.
Website and DVD release
The website was launched on 17 September 2008. The website contains pictures, videos and competitions relating to the show. There is also a viral marketingViral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
site called UnseenScreen.com.
The entire series was released on one DVD on 3 November 2008. The running time for the DVD is 141 minutes. The DVD extras included interviews with the director, writer and cast, behind-the-scenes and special effects featurettes, and a selection of deleted and extended scenes, including:
- Pippa's eviction in full (featuring scenes shot from inside the actual Big Brother house staircase)
- A segment from a fictional episode of 8 Out Of 10 Cats8 Out of 10 Cats8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
- A scene featuring Patrick discussing "recycling" Grayson's body
- An extended version of Patrick mocking Veronica over her relationship with Marky
- Pippa's death in the final episode at the hands of her undead mother.
Episode list
| Episode | Original air date | Guest stars | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01 | 27 October 2008 | Marcus Bentley Marcus Bentley Marcus Bentley is a British actor, broadcaster and voice-over artist. Born in Gateshead, he was brought up in Stockton on Tees and attended East 15 Acting School in Essex.... , Krishnan Guru-Murthy Krishnan Guru-Murthy Krishnan Guru-Murthy , is a British television presenter and journalist employed by Channel 4. He presents the Channel 4 Evening News and the foreign affairs programme Unreported World.-Education:... , Davina McCall Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... , Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.... , Brian Belo Brian Belo Olawale Mohammed "Brian" Belo is a Nigerian entertainer, raised in Basildon, Essex. He first came to the public's attention by winning the eighth series of the British version of Big Brother. Since the programme, he has become an internet columnist for Heat magazine, a TV segment entertainer for... , Imogen Thomas Imogen Thomas Imogen Mary Thomas is a Welsh glamour model, beauty queen and television personality. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning Miss Wales, and achieved further note in 2006, when she lasted three months on the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.-Early life:Imogen was born to Charles... , Helen Adams Helen Adams Helen Adams rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a contestant on the second series of the reality television show Big Brother, in 2001.-Big Brother:... , Paul "Bubble" Ferguson, Kinga Karolczak, Eugene Sully, Makosi Musambasi, Ziggy Lichman Ziggy Lichman Zachary Sami P Lichman, commonly known as Ziggy and also Zac or Zach, is a former member of the boy band Northern Line and music producer from North London... |
1,465,000 317,000 (+1) |
| During eviction night on Big Brother, there are widespread riots and the live show may be bumped for related news. Producer Patrick tries to maintain control, issuing orders to his assistant, Claire, and one of the runners, Kelly. Former seasons' (actual) housemates Aisleyne Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.... , Imogen Imogen Thomas Imogen Mary Thomas is a Welsh glamour model, beauty queen and television personality. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning Miss Wales, and achieved further note in 2006, when she lasted three months on the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.-Early life:Imogen was born to Charles... , Helen Helen Adams Helen Adams rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a contestant on the second series of the reality television show Big Brother, in 2001.-Big Brother:... , Bubble, season 8 Big Brother 2007 (UK) Big Brother 2007 was the eighth series of the United Kingdom reality television programme Big Brother, airing on Channel 4, with a number of closely associated programmes also airing on E4.... winner Brian Brian Belo Olawale Mohammed "Brian" Belo is a Nigerian entertainer, raised in Basildon, Essex. He first came to the public's attention by winning the eighth series of the British version of Big Brother. Since the programme, he has become an internet columnist for Heat magazine, a TV segment entertainer for... , Kinga, Eugene, Makosi and Ziggy Ziggy Lichman Zachary Sami P Lichman, commonly known as Ziggy and also Zac or Zach, is a former member of the boy band Northern Line and music producer from North London... are having a reunion party in the studio green room Green room In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage... while (actual) presenter Davina McCall Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... is preparing for the post eviction interview. The current housemates, Marky, Veronica, Grayson, Joplin, Angel, Space, and Pippa get ready for eviction. Kelly and co-worker Danny are flirting in an outer office when co-worker Chloe interrupts, making frank accusations about Kelly and Danny's activities. Meanwhile, Kelly's boyfriend, Riq, is stranded at a train station after his car is stolen. Another runner, Sophie, travels to the studio with Pippa's mother and their driver, who was bitten by a zombie earlier. They reach the studio as he dies and reanimates, killing both women and bitting a security guard. As Pippa's eviction is announced, the guard stumbles into the crowd of fans, dies and reanimates and begins to infect others. The zombies invade the studio's interiors and attack Davina, the production crew, and the former contestants. Zombie Danny kills Chloe but Kelly manages to barricade herself in an office. Patrick hides in a toilet cubicle, after sacrificing his assistant and a disabled man to save himself. In the morning, the housemates are bickering, oblivious to the situation and wondering why Big Brother seems to be ignoring them. Patrick finds Pippa hiding in the green room when he ducks inside to escape zombie Davina. Kelly kills zombie Danny and is then chased outside and attempts to escape in a van. She gets the keys but is forced back inside the closed studio, where she escapes from a zombie cameraman, lurking in the camera runs, by going into the house. The housemates believe that she is a new contestant and she tries to explain that something is behind the two-way mirrors. Marky opens a door to taunt her and the cameraman bursts into the house, biting Angel before Kelly smashes his head in with a fire extinguisher. |
|||
| 1.02 | 28 October 2008 | Davina McCall Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... |
1,038,000 336,000 (+1) |
| Riq hides from zombies in a petrol station, where he is rescued by another survivor named Alex. The two set off for the coast in her car, which eventually breaks down. Riq attempts repairs while Alex stands guard, occasionally shooting approaching zombies. The sound of them arguing attracts a large group of zombies, forcing them to leave the car and escape on foot. They take shelter in an abandoned country house. Patrick and Pippa are stuck in the green room with no means of communication; their already poor relationship deteriorates rapidly. Meanwhile, Davina Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... continues to prowl the corridor outside, making occasional attempts to get in. The housemates move Angel to the greenhouse in the garden so that she is contained if she turns. Grayson, a nurse, explains that he needs proper medical supplies to help her. Kelly, Marky, and Space plan to use the van outside to fetch supplies from the nearby supermarket. Kelly tells Grayson to stab Angel in the head if she dies. Veronica and Joplin create a diversion, buying the others time to get to the van that Kelly has the keys for. Former production assistant Claire and other zombies chase them, but they make it just in time. Marky injures his arm on a tool in the back of the van while leaping in. |
|||
| 1.03 | 29 October 2008 | Davina McCall Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... |
842,000 360,000 (+1) |
| Kelly, Marky, and Space make it to the supermarket and gather supplies. When they are chased out of the store, two policemen looking for looters shoot the zombies. One of the cops is bitten and then shot by his colleague who explains that those bitten die and turn quickly. Thinking the wound on Marky's arm is a bite, the policeman threatens to shoot him, refusing to believe that it is not a bite. Kelly picks up the dead policeman's gun and shoots his partner in the leg. More zombies appear, and Kelly, Marky, and Space escape in the van, leaving the wounded policeman to the zombies. Grayson tries to comfort Angel, but when she stops breathing he hesitates to stab her and she attacks. Veronica and Joplin, hearing the screams, run to the garden. Grayson stumbles out of the greenhouse clutching his neck, and Angel chases after Veronica. Joplin hesitates inside, watching as Angel tries to bite Veronica. Grayson pushes zombie Angel into the pool just before he dies and then reanimates. Joplin and Veronica trap zombie Grayson with a bed cover and Veronica stabs him in the head just as Kelly, Marky, and Space arrive. Seeing that Angel is unable to get out of the pool, they come to the conclusion that zombies have little intelligence, and Kelly declares that the living will win the day because they can still reason. She kills zombie Angel with a shot to the head from the policeman's gun. At the country house, Riq turns on the television, and discovers the Big Brother live feed is still broadcasting on E4. Alex hears a French radio broadcast say that a rescue boat has just left, stranding them and any other survivors. Suddenly, Riq sees Kelly and the others on screen. |
|||
| 1.04 | 30 October 2008 | Davina McCall Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... , Brian Belo Brian Belo Olawale Mohammed "Brian" Belo is a Nigerian entertainer, raised in Basildon, Essex. He first came to the public's attention by winning the eighth series of the British version of Big Brother. Since the programme, he has become an internet columnist for Heat magazine, a TV segment entertainer for... |
907,000 299,000 (+1) |
| Episode 4 begins to lay bare the true meaning of Kelly's episode 3 assertion that human "intelligence" will decide the outcome of the story. Riq decides he must get to Kelly, and convinces Alex to leave the safety of the country house and make their way to the studio by boat along the river. Alex is bitten by a zombie while opening a lock gate. Knowing that she will turn, Alex hands Riq her axe and he kills her with it. Patrick and Pippa manage to kill zombie Davina Davina McCall Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :... and make it to the studio control room. Using the PA System Public address A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in... they are able to communicate with the housemates and eventually join them in the Big Brother house. Patrick wants to leave the safety of the house and head for the coast, but Kelly shows him the crowd of zombies at the gates preventing them from leaving the compound. Patrick suggests that they cut up Grayson's body to use as bait to distract the zombies while they escape in the van. The housemates disagree but he starts to chop up the body. Riq makes it to the studio and approaches the Big Brother house. Marky is on the roof, picking off the zombies inside the compound with the policeman's assault rifle. Marky spots Riq and, thinking he is a zombie, aims at Riq and pulls the trigger. |
|||
| 1.05 | 31 October 2008 | Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.... , Saskia Howard-Clarke |
705,000 |
| Episode 5 completes the exposition of the shortcomings of the intelligence in a Big Brother house when pitted against the mindless zombie masses. Marky misses shooting Riq several times before Kelly recognizes him and stops Marky from shooting. Once inside, Riq warns that Patrick's plan won't work as there are too many zombies. The housemates decide to stay in the house as long as possible. When Patrick insists on going forward, they tie him up. Patrick manages to turn Joplin against the others, reminiscent of the style used to change alliances between housemates in a non-zombie season of Big Brother. Joplin unties him and carries the bowl of bait while Patrick takes Kelly hostage, heading outside. Everyone follows him but in the struggle the bait is dropped and Patrick kills Riq. Pippa runs back to the studio's offices and Space follows. Joplin panics and opens the gates. He is attacked by the zombies as they flood inside the compound. Kelly, Marky, Veronica and Patrick run for the house, but the zombies rip Patrick apart. Space makes it to the control room and communicates using the PA system. Zombies quickly fill the camera runs and Kelly realizes they will easily make it through the two-way glass and fire doors. She urges Space to open the diary room and he is bitten by the zombie of previous housemate Aisleyne Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.... . He manages to get into the innermost control booth and sees on the monitors that the zombies have forced their way into the house. Only Kelly makes it into the diary room, leaving Marky and Veronica to be eaten. Kelly congratulates Space on winning this series of Big Brother, and tells him to open the outside door so she can fight her way to the van. He refuses until he sees that Pippa is one of the zombies trying to get into the booth, alongside her undead mother. As soon as the diary room door is opened, Kelly screams and the camera cuts to black. Next morning and Joplin, Marky, Space, Pippa and Veronica are seen as zombies; Joplin roams outside the studio gates; Marky and Veronica feast on the remains of Grayson; Space stares blankly around the control room. Finally, in the closing seconds, zombie Kelly stares into a camera in the Big Brother house, before the scene switches to a zombie in front of a television in a shopping centre somewhere in the United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - a rapt "viewer" of housemate Kelly and the Big Brother live feed on E4. |
|||
Series Omnibus: 257,000 (213,000 viewers on E4, 54,000 on E4+1.
Series Average: 844,166 (664,833 on E4, 179,333 on E4 +1).
The series was repeated on Channel 4 from the 6th to the 8th of January 2009, reformatted into three hour-long episodes.
All five episodes were broadcast consecutively as a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
feature length (2.5 hours) version on E4 on 31 October 2009. This was done again on 30 October 2011.
Cultural references
Concerning the central characters of the story, Brooker has said he based some of them on actual Big Brother contestants. For example, he compared Space to Science from Big Brother 6, and also compared Marky and Veronica's relationship to that of Maxwell and Saskia's from the same series.Dead Set contains several allusions to other zombie films, most notably George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's "Living Dead
Living Dead
Living Dead is a blanket term for various films, series, and other forms of media that all originated from, and includes, the seminal 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead conceived by George A. Romero and John A. Russo...
" series. Marky taunts Grayson by calling him 'Barbara', one of the central characters in Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
(1968). When Kelly takes refuge in the Big Brother house and informs the contestants of the zombie infestation, Marky directly quotes the line "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" that opened Romero's film. Later, as Marky and Veronica are clearing zombies from the compound, Joplin remarks that they keep converging on the house because of "some primitive instinct [...] This was like a church for them," paraphrasing a line from Dawn of the Dead (1978).
Patrick's running away to leave his underlings to the zombies is similar to Captain Rhodes's betrayal at the climax of Day of the Dead (1985), and his fate at the hands of the undead is a homage to Rhodes' death at the end of the movie even down to his last words. As Rhodes is torn in half he commands the zombies eating his intestinal tract to "Choke on 'em!"; in Dead Set, Patrick's mortal words are "I've got fucking bowels full of shit - eat it!" Also he has his head torn off via fingers inserted into his eye sockets, identical to Private Torrez (Taso Stavrakis in Day of the Dead). In the first episode, Patrick says that Angel has a face "like a Manchester morgue", a reference to Jorge Grau
Jorge Grau
Jorge Grau is a Spanish director, scriptwriter, playwright and painter. In 1974 he directed Let Sleeping Corpses Lie aka The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue.-External links:...
's The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974). A previous Big Brother quote was also referenced - while in Celebrity Big Brother 2006 Pete Burns said, "I've had insults thrown over me like a bucket of cum.", and the Dead Set character Patrick uses a similar line.
Reception
Dead Set has been acclaimed by critics and the public alike. It was nominated for a BAFTA for "Best Drama Serial", but lost out to Criminal Justice.Advertisements for the show were aired on E4 and its parent, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. The first episode, at its peak, received just under one and a half million viewers and 8.3% total audience share.
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
, a co-writer and star of the zombie comedy film Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
, commented on Dead Set for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. While generally praising the series, he expressed dismay at the move away from the traditional slow zombies of the Romero films to the modern 'fast zombie' used in Dead Set which were akin to the infected from 28 Days Later
28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an acclaimed 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland, and the film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston...
or the zombies from the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake
Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
. Brooker responded that this was due to a variety of reasons, including budgetary constraints, the fact that Dead Set had to differentiate itself from Shaun of the Dead, as well as the plot requiring that the infection could put the entire country out of action before the producers had time to evacuate the studios. He also cited two George Romero films in which the zombies behaved non-traditionally, including a scene in the original Dawn Of The Dead where two zombie children run.
Cast
- Jaime Winstone as Kelly
- Riz AhmedRiz AhmedRizwan Ahmed , also known as Riz Ahmed, the Rizmeister General, or Riz MC, is a British MC, musician and actor. He is noted for his lead performances in The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Britz, and Four Lions.-Ethnic background:Ahmed is a British Pakistani...
as Riq - Adam DeaconAdam DeaconAdam Deacon is a British actor and rapper from Hackney, North-East London who rose to prominence after starring in the film Kidulthood as well as the sequel Adulthood...
as Space - Andy NymanAndy NymanAndy Nyman is an English actor and magician.Nyman first came to note with his performance as a hard nosed director in Musical! and then as Keith Whitehead in the cult film of the Martin Amis novel, Dead Babies...
as Patrick - Warren BrownWarren Brown (actor)Warren Brown is an English actor and former professional Thaiboxer, well known for his roles as Andy Holt in teen soap opera Hollyoaks and Lee Hibbs in the three-part BBC drama series Occupation written by Peter Bowker...
as Marky - Beth CordinglyBeth CordinglyBeth Cordingly is an English actress, most famous for her role as PC Kerry Young in the ITV police drama The Bill.-Biography:...
as Veronica - Kathleen McDermottKathleen McDermott-Biography:Kathleen is an experienced vocalist, who also enjoys martial arts and snowboarding. She was working as a hairdresser when spotted by the casting director for Morvern Callar. She is best known for her appearance as Shaz in Wedding Belles and Pippa in E4's 2008 series Dead Set...
as Pippa - Kevin Eldon as Joplin
- Raj GhatakRaj GhatakRaj Ghatak is an Asian-born English actor of Hindu Bengali origin. His is best known for his role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood musical Bombay Dreams in which he played Sweetie....
as Grayson - Chizzy AkudoluChizzy AkudoluChizzy Akudolu is a British actress. In 2002, she was one of eight new comedy performers who won the BBC Talent Initiative, The Urban Sketch Showcase. All eight performed a comedy sketch show in front of BBC casting directors and producers at the Tabernacle Theatre, Notting Hill.Her first...
as Angel - Liz May BriceLiz May BriceElizabeth May Brice is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's Bad Girls. To international audiences she may be more familiar as a minor cast member of the horror films Resident Evil and AVP: Alien vs Predator.-Career:Brice was born in...
as Alex - Elyes GabelElyes GabelElyes Gabel is a British Asian actor who played Dr Gupreet "Guppy" Sandhu in the BBC medical drama, Casualty. He starred as PE teacher Rob Cleaver in BBC drama, Waterloo Road and appeared in the ITV Drama Identity...
as Danny - Shelley ConnShelley Conn-Early life and education:Conn was born in Barnet, Greater London of British and Sri Lankan descent. The great niece of actress Merle Oberon , Conn trained at Bretton Hall...
as Claire - Kelly WenhamKelly WenhamKelly Wenham is an English actress. Wenham's early career was spent in modelling, before answering a casting call for a bit part in Always and Everyone. Following this she entered drama school, but quit three months later after being cast in a regular role in Where the Heart Is, as Jess Buckley, a...
as Chloe - Jennifer Aries as Sophie
- Davina McCallDavina McCallDavina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
as herself - Charlie BrookerCharlie BrookerCharlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
as a zombie - Krishnan Guru-MurthyKrishnan Guru-MurthyKrishnan Guru-Murthy , is a British television presenter and journalist employed by Channel 4. He presents the Channel 4 Evening News and the foreign affairs programme Unreported World.-Education:...
as himself - Marcus BentleyMarcus BentleyMarcus Bentley is a British actor, broadcaster and voice-over artist. Born in Gateshead, he was brought up in Stockton on Tees and attended East 15 Acting School in Essex....
as himself/Big Brother narrator - Big Brother As Him/Herself
Cameos by former Big Brother housemates
- Aisleyne Horgan-WallaceAisleyne Horgan-WallaceAisleyne Horgan-Wallace is a British glamour model, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother....
- Big Brother Series 7 (2006) - Brian BeloBrian BeloOlawale Mohammed "Brian" Belo is a Nigerian entertainer, raised in Basildon, Essex. He first came to the public's attention by winning the eighth series of the British version of Big Brother. Since the programme, he has become an internet columnist for Heat magazine, a TV segment entertainer for...
- winner, Big Brother Series 8 (2007)Big Brother 2007 (UK)Big Brother 2007 was the eighth series of the United Kingdom reality television programme Big Brother, airing on Channel 4, with a number of closely associated programmes also airing on E4.... - Imogen ThomasImogen ThomasImogen Mary Thomas is a Welsh glamour model, beauty queen and television personality. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning Miss Wales, and achieved further note in 2006, when she lasted three months on the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.-Early life:Imogen was born to Charles...
- Big Brother Series 7 (2006) - Helen AdamsHelen AdamsHelen Adams rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a contestant on the second series of the reality television show Big Brother, in 2001.-Big Brother:...
- Big Brother Series 2 (2001) - Paul "Bubble" Ferguson - Big Brother Series 2 (2001)
- Saskia Howard-Clarke - Big Brother Series 6 (2005)
- Kinga Karolczak - Big Brother Series 6 (2005)
- Eugene Sully - Big Brother Series 6 (2005)
- Makosi Musambasi - Big Brother Series 6 (2005)
- Ziggy LichmanZiggy LichmanZachary Sami P Lichman, commonly known as Ziggy and also Zac or Zach, is a former member of the boy band Northern Line and music producer from North London...
- Big Brother Series 8 (2007)
International Broadcasts
- Australia: 9 November 2009 on SBS One.
- Spain: 25 July 2009 on Canal +Canal+ SpainCanal+ 1, formerly known simply as Canal+ is a Spanish commercial television channel, launched in September 1990 on terrestrial television frequencies. The channel is operated by Sogecable. The main staples of Canal+ 1 are Spanish football, bullfighting and recent movies.In 1997 new channels using...
. - South Africa: 3 September 2009 on DstvDStvDStv is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa, launched in 1995. It operates from two satellites over Africa, broadcasting on Ku band via Eutelsat W7 and Intelsat 7 , which only requires a small satellite dish...
BBC EntertainmentBBC EntertainmentBBC Entertainment is an international television channel showcasing comedy, drama, light entertainment and children's programming from the BBC and other UK production houses...
. - France: 17 and 18 October 2009 on CinéCinéma FrissonCine+Cine+ was a digital-only terrestrial channel, provided by ERT. Cine+ was a commercial-free 24-hour free-to-air channel. It started broadcasting April 25 2006 and it was the second digital terrestrial channel which opened in Greece.-Programming:...
. - Poland: 28 October 2009 on BBC EntertainmentBBC EntertainmentBBC Entertainment is an international television channel showcasing comedy, drama, light entertainment and children's programming from the BBC and other UK production houses...
; CinemaxCinemaxCinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
, Cinemax 2Cinemax 2For the American premium movie service, see Cinemax.Cinemax 2 is a European movie channel which is broadcast in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and in first quarter of 2009., Cinemax 2 will be available in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. - Cinemax 2 HD :Cinemax 2 HD is a... - United States: 25 through 29 October 2010 on IFCIndependent Film ChannelThe Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
. - Italy: 12 November 2010 on MTV Italia.
- Sweden: 20 February 2011 on TV11.