In the Flesh

When you see a new drama previewed on BBC Three you can be sometimes forgiven for thinking 'its on a channel for kids and student types -must be rubbish' and then forgot all about it. I remembered Id seen the trailer and decided to give it a go-not expecting much...after all its on BBC Three.

So I gave it a go and I wasn't disappointed. In the Flesh is a brilliantly written and acted, realist, British 'kitchen sink drama' take on the Zombie apocalypse that gives the viewer lots to think about on Life, Death and Love.

With standout performances from Ken Loach stalwarts Ricky Tomlinson and Steve Evets and newcomers Luke Newberry and Harriet Cains In the Flesh delivers as emotionally driven drama and a horror

\Going into this series i knew only one thing about this show and that was it had zombies in it and I needed something to tie me over until the next season of Walking Dead arrived. What i got was an emotional roller coaster which not only takes the typical zombie gore fest in a new and less mindless direction but provides an inescapable emotional roller coaster ride which i would highly recommend.

The series focuses on Kieren Walker a recovering zombie who is placed back with his family and has to deal with his new condition as well as the prejudice and hate that comes from the accepting community around him. The concept itself is very interesting and many of the subjects it touches upon has real world and often very relative implications.

In The Flesh is not a TV show to watch for mindless entertainment, it looks deeply at real world issues and can get quite dark, looking at ideas of prejudice, suicide, sexuality and extreme religious views. What ever you do don't watch In the Flesh for loads of gore or violence because you wont get much, however this I think serves the show well and its sparing use of violence and gore even more impact when situations do escalate to deadly results.

Visually the show is a treat and beautifully shot, with excellent locations and a diverse range of settings its hard to falter the production values of this show. Acting is top notch and every cast member gives memorable performances and I think this is what really brings in the flesh to life. It creates these living breathing characters that you feel for and understand, which makes their problems even more relatable and interesting.

I have to warn you though that this is not a feel good tap your heels and skip off into the sunset type of show and I often tell people that if you get into this show there will be more than a few tears shed by the end. To me this show has positioned itself quite comfort next to some of my favourite TV shows. Well worth a check out. Bring on Season 2 is all I can say!

In The Flesh did something most series or movies can't do to me: it actually caught my attention, it motivated me to stay with my eyes glued to the screen and even go back when I didn't pay attention for a minute.

The thing I like most about this series is that it doesn't portray "zombies" as other productions. They're not the cruel creatures that come to kill you, even though they can be like that in their most primitive stages. Those who have the so called PDS are as rational or emotional as anyone who hasn't died before.

The fact that the protagonist is one of the "zombies" makes it more interesting, for we see their suffering from their own point of view, we feel their struggles to overcome the prejudice that targets them and to deal with the bad they involuntarily did.

With its moral questions, innovative plot and entertaining production, In The Flesh is definitely a must see. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is that it hasn't yet answered many questions I have, but I trust that new seasons will come and bring the required information.

This show is one of the best I've seen in a very long time. The cast are amazing, the writing is complex, but not overly so, and, despite the series featuring zombies, it's very easy to relate to in real life. Issues like discrimination are tackled in an eye-opening way without being preachy. There's representation for the queer community, though again, the queer characters are not solely defined by their sexuality, nor does their characterisation hinge on it. The topics of depression, anxiety, self- worth, self-acceptance, and PTSD are explored in a meaningful and honest way. Add to that the drama of families regaining someone they'd lost and grieved for and you've got gold.

I watched the entire series in just over a day and I'm dying for a third one. I can only hope that we've not seen the last of this world as it has so much to offer.

Rarely does a drama come along which is original as In the Flesh. I fear that when most people hear it's about zombies they imagine it's a poor man's Walking Dead but actually the two shows have few things in common. The show is all about what happens when zombies are cured and brought back into society.

One of the one hand it is a good supernatural drama. "Rotters", as they tend to be known in this world, actually play a bigger part in the second series. There are rotter attacks and a mythology about a second rising. The whole concept is unique and the writers continually add the the actually pretty small mythos.

On the other hand though the "partially deceased syndrome" sufferers play a very real-world role. They are symbolic of any race or group of people have been segregated and made a prejudice by the majority due to fear and lack of understanding. The key point is that the undead only cause trouble when they are provoked. There are also lots of other issues appearing in the show, like extreme politics and the effect of religion.

A supernatural drama which brilliantly reflects on real world issues, In the Flesh is brilliant. The first series was good but the second series totally eclipses it. I really hope that it will get a third series.