Though some might say that zombies already inhabit reality TV shows like Britain's smash hit Big Brother, a new show called Dead Set is taking that claim to the next level. Produced by the same company that makes Big Brother, the (fictional, scripted) show takes place in the Big Brother house as massive zombie attacks take place outside. At first, the inhabitants of the surveillance game show house don't realize anything is going on. But then things get bloody. Written by UK Guardian columnist and media critic Charlie Brooker, the show will be mostly zombie horror but its setting obviously gives it a satiric edge to it. According to the Guardian:
It is understood that in Dead Set, the Big Brother house becomes one of the last places where people can shelter from the zombies . . . the contestants in the Big Brother house are unaware of the massacre going on outside. [It's] described as being like cult US show 24 "but with zombies."
Big Brother has always had a bit of a science fictional feel to it — the show is named after the dictator in George Orwell's 1984, after all, and the new Doctor Who paid homage to the show during its first season. The show will be directed by Yann Demange, who recently worked on Diary of a Call Girl with Doctor Who alum Billie Piper. The show, which will span six episodes, is set to air on the E4 digital channel later this year. Hopefully, more details to come on Monday, after the creators make some announcements at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival and at the Film4 FrightFest. Charlie Brooker's E4 Zombie Thriller [UK Guardian]