This article was originally published in The Courier on 10th May 2014.
In The Flesh: Sunday, BBC Three
When Corden Met Barlow: Monday, BBC One
Paul Whitelaw
When In the Flesh first appeared last year, it initially looked
like just another rotting passenger on the never-ending zombie bandwagon. For
those of us suffering from undead fatigue, it didn't look promising. But a few
minutes spent in its company revealed that, far from being a standard zombie
horror show, it was in fact a surprisingly intelligent, bleak and sensitive
drama about prejudice and adolescent alienation.
The premise is simple but effective: in the aftermath of a zombie
uprising, the undead have been cured of their ailment and reintegrated into
society. Unfortunately, trying to start a new life in a world you've only
recently terrorised and chewed upon is fraught with difficulties.
First of all, you have to come to terms with the fact that you're
basically a sentient cadaver. Secondly, your sincere pleas for forgiveness
aren't readily accepted by those who regard you as an unholy menace. It wasn't
particularly subtle, but the irony of humans being as rabid in their bigotry as
zombies are in their quest for flesh was effectively delivered.
Indeed, the first series, which ran for just three episodes, seemed to
explore its premise fully. Framed through the milky eyes of Kieren, a
rehabilitated young zombie in a downtrodden northern village, it was a compact
piece that could've easily stood alone. So is a second series really necessary?
The only dangling thread from last year was the background presence of
the Undead Liberation Army, an extremist group of cured zombies who want to
militantly reclaim their rotting souls. Sure enough, they lunged to the fore as
the saga resumed.
The overall tone was as before: unlike most zombie dramas, In the
Flesh depicts a world of kitchen sink apocalypse – 28 Days Later via
Coronation Street. But it introduced a few new wrinkles in the form of a
careerist politician who arrived in Roarton – all fictional northern villages
should have faintly terrifying names – to further her vendetta against
sufferers of “Partially Deceased Syndrome”, and a charismatic disciple of the
so-called Undead Prophet who failed to attract Kieren to the cause. Meanwhile,
Kenneth Cranham's bible-thumping, zombie-hating preacher gets madder – and
closer to cardiac arrest – by the second.
At this stage it's too early to judge whether In the Flesh has anything to add to its established themes. The
first episode was mildly intriguing, but it did feel at times like an aimless,
uncertain sequel.
Similarly, what was the point of When Corden Met Barlow? An
extended puff piece in thrall to tax-avoiding millionaire Gary Barlow, it was the uncritical story of a
great survivor, the comeback kid. The narrative arc was that, having once been
considered something of a joke, the former Take That dynamo is now a beloved
national treasure. It was proof that if you repeat a falsehood often enough, it
eventually becomes true.
To be fair, this contrived road trip, in which avowed fan James Corden
took Barlow on a cheery road trip down memory lane, was affable enough in its
entirely undemanding way. Corden has calmed down a lot since his initial burst
of post-fame arrogance and ubiquity, and I can't deny that Barlow seems like a
nice guy. Of course, being a nice guy is an integral part of the Gary Barlow
package, but I doubt anyone could fake that level of amiability over such a
sustained period of time. It would be exhausting.
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