WATCH THE BONE-CHILLING FIRST SCENE OF IN THE FLESH,
BBC AMERICA’S GENRE-BENDING ZOMBIE SERIES RETURNING SATURDAY MAY 10 at 10:00PM
‘They’re only one missed dose away from ripping our heads apart’ is the mantra of zombie haters out to destroy the fragile peace reached between the Undead and the Living. Enter the hotbed town of Roarton when season two of the BAFTA nominated series, In The Flesh, BBC AMERICA’s genre-bending six-part zombie mini-series, returns Saturday, May 10, 10:00pm ET. What happens when the Undead re-enter society as functioning beings? Can things ever go back to normal? And more importantly, who is more dangerous, the Undead or the Living? Nine months have passed and the war to protect the town from the Undead, known as Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers has ceased. Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry, The Legend of Hercules) however, is still struggling to find self-acceptance and longs to escape to Paris to start anew. But in the wider world, the fear of an uprising is palpable. PDS terrorists linked to the Undead Liberation Army (ULA), believing they are ‘the redeemed’, are going rabid (zombie state) off the drug, Blue Oblivion, and attacking the Living at an alarming rate – causing the radical Pro-Living political party, Victus, to target the Undead with vigor and oppressive measures. And with the arrival of new and explosive characters from both factions in Roarton, Kieren is caught square in the middle of a new budding war, making his desire for a quiet life an unrealistic option.
In season one, Kieren and thousands of Roarton’s Undead had risen from their graves and attacked the town. Captured and medically rehabilitated, they were considered safe to re-enter society. It was then Kieren was forced to confront the mess he left behind. And the danger brought on by the ‘rotter’ hating Human Volunteer Force (HVF), who murdered the Undead ruthlessly in the streets, left Kieren’s after afterlife filled with danger.
With tensions now simmered, Kieren has a restored relationship with his sister and ex-HVF solider Jem (Harriet Cains, Doctors), a job at the local pub, and loving parents. But the bigotry and discrimination he witnesses against his kind leaves him longing to escape the narrow minded town. The arrival of Member of Parliament (MP), Maxine Martin (Wunmi Mosaku, Philomena), effectively derails his plans and triggers unrest amongst PDS sufferers when she enacts measures to oppress them. Kieren’s only saving grace is the return of his happy-go-lucky, ‘best dead friend forever’, Amy (Emily Bevan, The Thick of It). But Amy’s new found beliefs, coupled with her new beau, the charismatic ULA disciple, Simon (Emmett J Scanlan, The Fall) only make matters worse when it appears their return to Roarton was deliberately designed to create an insurrection. And with the Victus party spreading anti-zombie sentiment in the wider world, and the ULA spreading extremism and carrying out terroristic acts, a second war is inevitable and Kieran is caught in the cross hairs.
Seen through the eyes of the Undead, In the Flesh shines a light on what humanity and community really mean in a post-zombie world. Does fear excuse bigotry, hatred and discrimination against others? How do you thrive as a citizen in the face of oppression? And can you ever find love, if you don’t love yourself for who and more importantly what you really are. These themes and more are raised in this thought-provoking drama, that isn’t afraid to humanize the zombie experience.
Reprising their roles are Stephen Thompson (Doctors) as Philip Wilson, a Parish counselor set on moving up the ranks, Kenneth Cranham (Maleficent) as Vicar Oddie, creator of the Human Volunteer Force and Roarton Parish leader, Kevin Sutton (Shameless) as Gary, and ex-HVF soldier looking for a new way to matter, Steve Cooper as Steve Walker, Kieren’s loving dad, Marie Critchley as Sue Walker, Kieren’s understanding mother.
In The Flesh is a BBC Drama Production, co-produced by BBC AMERICA. The series, created by Dominic Mitchell, is directed by Jim O’Hanlon, Damon Thomas and Alice Troughton, produced by John Rushton and executive produced by Hilary Martin and Katie McAleese.