3. Dead Set (2008)
A few years back,
Big Brother was big business. Starting off as a social experiment, the show pulled in masses of viewers, desperate to observe the latest antics of a bunch of strangers and crown the most interesting the winner. Everyone was talking about it. The trouble was, after a while the strangers became more and more extreme, wannabe celebrities with no talent who's only desperate claim to fame was an appearance on the show itself. When Channel 4 announced it was coming to an end, the show was definitely past its prime but it still managed to go out with a bang. Only then it was dragged back to Channel 5 and continues to limp on whether we want it or not. And its still continuing across the globe, including the US, though I can't imagine it garners the same kind of attention it once did. Back in 2008 however, the show was still going strong and that is where this brilliant show came in, even if the housemates were descending into irritating Z listers as a result. Charlie Brooker came up with the concept of
Dead Set, a predecessor to his current show
Black Mirror with its satire of modern culture. The remaining housemates gather for eviction night, unaware that a zombie outbreak has struck Britain. You see, before
The Walking Dead the UK had this. And it was wonderfully horrifying and violent as that current big zombie show. What made this show special was that the show involved the hostess of
Big Brother herself, Davina McCall. I always found that how dire the show got (I switched on every couple of years, finally giving up when she left), she was always a very entertaining and passionate presenter who clearly loved her job. So to see her attacked by a horde of zombies as they poured onto the set was amazing and horrifying to watch. And she made a brilliant return as a zombie. The show also brought back former housemates, like Davina playing themselves, all mauled by zombies to add to that realistic touch. The housemates in
Dead Set are as ridiculous as their real life counterparts but over five terrifying nights leading up to Halloween in 2008 we were routing for them as they fought to stay alive zombie-infested Britain. The idea that the Big Brother house was the only safe haven was genius. It was a thrilling Halloween that year. But even now, many years later when
Big Brother is a wasted shadow of its former self, this is still worth a watch.