It’s been a while since we’ve had a half-decent zombie show – apologies to The Walking Dead’s many, many unnecessary spin-offs. But Kill List director Ben Wheatley ‘s new Channel 4 series Generation Z is finally a satirical horror-comedy worth chewing on. For the sixth-form teens in the fictional town of Dambury, life is boring.
That is, until there’s an outbreak of a lab-born virus that threatens to wipe out the entire population. No prizes for guessing Wheatley’s inspiration – but Generation Z doesn’t reflect on the Covid years. This disease has an entirely different – and more literal – bite as it targets the elderly population and turns them into ravenous, near-indestructible, zombie-like versions of themselves.
And when it comes to their tastes, the younger, the better. As the outbreak takes hold in a nursing home and Dambury gets locked down, it’s up to four central teens and their quasi-mentor Morgan to figure out what’s going on and save their families before shady government and military ops step in with radical moves to contain it. The six episodes are chock full of famous British faces, from EastEnders’ Anita Dobson to My Family’s Robert Lindsay.
At one point Sue Johnston ( The Royle Family ) bites the face of a biker clean off. But despite the interesting premise and familiar cast, Generation Z gets off to a clunky start – especially when it comes to the stilted dialogue and its precarious comedy/horror balance. Some of the acting, .
