Downton Abbey stars reunite for outrageous new Channel 4 series worlds away from BBC period drama
DOWNTON Abbey stars have reunited for a bold new apocalyptic comedy show produced by Channel 4.
Sue Johnston and Robert James-Collier have teamed up with Anita Dobson, Robert Lindsay, and Johnny Vegas in an upcoming horror comedy series, Generation Z.
The first look pictures of the upcoming series boast an impressive ensemble cast, including BBC‘s time-period actors Sue and Robert, who played Gladys Denker and Thomas Barrow on the show.
Filmmaker Ben Wheatley created the high-octane six-part drama, described as a “coming-of-age parable” with a “heavy dose of outlandish gore”.
When asked about the brand-new show, Ben said: “It’s been amazing working on Generation Z with The Forge and Channel 4.
“It’s my first original series and a project very close to my heart. I hope everyone loves it as much as we do.”
Also featured in that cast of Generation Z are Lewis Gribben (Shetland), Jay Lycurgo (Titans), Buket Komur (Our House) and Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers), alongside many other notable names.
The series sees a group of residents living in the dull fictional town of Dambury experience a chemical leak which ignites a crazed zombie apocalypse.
Generation Z synopsis reads: “Set in the fictional town of Dambury, the kind of place with stark opportunities and not much to do. Grey, unassuming, forgotten. It’s the last place you’d expect the apocalypse to begin… But when an army convoy overturns outside a care home, a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there.
“The OAPs, led by Cecily and Frank, played by Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) and Paul Benthall (The World’s End), escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for raw flesh.
“On the night of the outbreak, teenagers – Charlie, Kelly, Steff and Finn, played respectively by Jay Lycurgo (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself), Buket Komur (Our House), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), and Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers) – are living normal teenage lives: tinnies, messy feelings, complex relationships and ignoring their A-Level prep. But the gang abruptly find themselves at the centre of the virus when Kelly’s nan Janine, played by Anita Dobson (EastEnders), becomes infected and attacks her.”
“Just because it’s the end of the world, it doesn’t mean your home life and relationship problems comes to a halt, as the gang come up against the zombie horde, battling with their parents, friendship betrayals and old family secrets rearing their ugly heads. And life is just as complicated for the zombies, with the virus fuelling single-minded desires, bringing a whole new dimension to their zombie rampage.
“Meanwhile, Finn worries for grandad-figure Morgan, played by Robert Lindsay (My Family), when she comes to the realisation that there might be more behind the chemical spill. Just what exactly was being transported?”
The series promises to ‘boldly satirise a world where truth is stranger than fiction’ by challenging social norms and current issues faced by teenagers.
Channel 4 has yet to announce a release date for Generation Z.