Dead Set:

Charlie Brooker interview

Were you concerned with making it a realistic version of Big Brother?

Yes. And we wanted the backstage stuff to be as accurate as possible in some respects. So we went along to an eviction a long while ago now - this shows how long ago the idea began. I went along to George Galloway's eviction. I snuck along, and got to go behind the scenes. I went in the camera run, which was very instructive. It's very creepy there - it's like being in an aquarium. It's a very quiet, dark environment, and you're looking through the glass at these creatures that aren't really aware of your existence. And sometimes these people would stare directly at you, and a little frisson would go through you, and then you'd realise that they were looking at their own reflection in the mirror - which obviously, being celebrities, they did a lot. I realised that the camera run was a really creepy place, so you start to think how scary it would be if there was something in the camera run, and you didn't know it was there. So it could see you, but you couldn't see it.

You've talked of your love of zombie films. What is it about zombie films that capture the imagination?

I really don't know. I've thought about this, because I'll watch anything with a zombie in it. But I just don't know. What I like about zombies is that they are thick. I don't like watching horror films about, say, a serial killer, where the villain is a brilliant intellectual, and could also double as the controller of Radio 3. The serial killer is always one step ahead of the police, and taunting them. Whereas most serial killers, in reality, are so mentally deranged that they wouldn't be like that. And I don't really relate to vampires or ghosts. I don't find them particularly frightening.

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Showing 1 to 5 of 75 Comments

  • Comment by:
    Digidarck
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    Digidarck
    Posted on:
    Mon Nov 29, 2010 at 09:01 pm
    Comment:
    Kelly is the best !! please new season ^^ (but the part in fighting final with zombies is a dream) later she wake up in the conservatory and continue ^^ please Dead Set is the best series of the story zombie !!
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  • Comment by:
    Sepsis
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    Sepsis
    Posted on:
    Sat Oct 30, 2010 at 05:02 pm
    Comment:
    Leave well enough alone. This was a great story, that was well casted and performed. No need for sequels, prequels, or any other such nonsense. To do so would only cheapen this fantastic production. Love it, and move on.
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  • Comment by:
    darsi doo
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    darsi doo
    Posted on:
    Thu Jul 30, 2009 at 09:58 pm
    Comment:
    buzzin got dvd its fab always watch it on me portable player
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  • Comment by:
    darsi doo
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    darsi doo
    Posted on:
    Mon Apr 13, 2009 at 07:29 pm
    Comment:
    i would love to meet him he has done a great series i werent dissapointed with the ending it was great
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  • Comment by:
    brandyLAD
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    brandyLAD
    Posted on:
    Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 12:14 am
    Comment:
    This was great. From laziness or stupidity, I'd only been acutely aware of the satirical slant to the show, until the final scene, which had me laughing out loud for a while - something TV rarely manages to achieve.
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