A forgotten show that inspired Black Mirror is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The sixth season of Netflix’s show was released last month, with the dystopian anthology series continuing to thrill viewers. Since the show began on Channel 4 in 2011, it has left fans terrified with its dark version of how technology could wreak havoc in the future.
However, it’s not the first time series creator Charlie Brooker has been behind a drama with similarly disturbing themes. The writer penned Dead Set, a 2008 zombie horror mini-drama which was set in a fictional series of Big Brother. The five episodes, broadcast on E4 over Halloween that year, was set during a nationwide zombie outbreak which spreads to the Big Brother House.
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The writer even attended a live eviction during Celebrity Big Brother 4 while planning the series. Then host Davina McCall played a fictional version of herself during the drama.
As the housemates, who are based on real-life Big Brother contestants, attempt to survive, the drama shows that the characters achieve fame and attention - precisely what they were aiming for when they entered.. Similarly to Black Mirror, there is a dark message about how entertainment and technology are viewed and consumed in modern society.
Speaking to GQ to mark the show’s 10th anniversary, Brooker said: "There’s something funny and fitting about a bunch of people who want an army of followers and that’s literally what they get. Why do people want to become famous? They want to stand out among the crowd and as one of the few people left on earth they get that."
Brooker has since said that commissioners from Channel 4 asked him to write another series after the show’s airing, which became Black Mirror. He said: “[Dead Set] was an absurd premise played straight, a piece of genre television. It could almost be a feature length Black Mirror with a more technological twist.”
He added: “It contains all of Black Mirror’s DNA." The series received critical acclaim at the time and was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award in the Best Drama Serial category in 2009.
While it may have been forgotten by many in the wake of Black Mirror, Dead Set can still be seen today. It is currently available to watch on Netflix while the full season can be bought to stream on Amazon Prime for £6.49.
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