ZOMBOAT! **** UK 2019 Creators/writers: William Hartley & Adam Miller. Director:Adam Miller. Duration:- Series 1: 6 episodes (approx. 23 mins per episode)
Based in Birmingham, UK as the zombie apocalypse begins, two sisters Kat (Leah Brotherhead) and Jo (Cara Theobold) flee the city for London on a canal boat. Their travel companions Sunny (Hamza Jeetooa) and Amar (Ryan McKen) find themselves in the girls debt for giving them a ride but are mostly useless in such a situation yet set out to earn their keep. Lucky for them Kat is a bit of a nerd and self confessed zombie expert and Jo just wants to get the job done as long as she doesn’t get too much blood in her hair, so they are sort of in capable hands as long as no one messes up or gets themselves bit.
This comedic take on the zombie apocalypse will appeal to fans of Shaun Of The Dead and such like but here it is even more silly. It holds your attention with short but very entertaining blasts of slapstick humour and an incredibly catchy theme tune. The zombies are the slow shambling types but not killed in the conventional way. Not so bad in small numbers but increasingly alarming in hordes, these rotters do not quit. Once they’ve clocked you they will follow you relentlessly. As the guys make their way slowly down the canals they are gaining a steady flow of undead followers. The zombies make up is well done. No CGI here just good ol’ practical effects done more in line with the 80’s style of zombie make up. Not a whole heap of gore, blood or gut munching but there is a bit to satisfy. What it loses in that aspect it makes up for in humour and great character interaction. It is well acted by all. The characters are idiots but incredibly likeable.
It wouldn’t be as entertaining if it was situated solely on the boat which to be fair doesn’t feature that much so luckily each episode concentrates on situations that brings them back into civilisation. Stand out episodes for me would be episode 1 (episodes not titled) when the outbreak first happens, episode 4 Jo and Amar go on a supply run to a seemingly deserted supermarket and the final episode of the series (6) where they all get taken to an evacuation centre that gets overrun and a large plot twist is revealed. I feel like everyone that has seen this show has thoroughly enjoyed it and are eagerly awaiting series 2. If you are a serious zombie fan you will appreciate the many references to the classics or if you’re just a casual zombie enthusiast this will make you happy either way. Very easy to watch and keep up with but has had a lot of thought put into it to keep you hooked and wondering how this will end up.
Review by Sarah Budd