Sue Johnston, Robert Lindsay and more join Generation Z cast

Well, as well as being full of gore and comedy, the new series has also announced their cast which is packed full of familiar faces. The series is currently in production in Wales but will feature the likes of Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) and Paul Benthall (The World’s End), who will star as care home residents Cecily and Frank.

Other cast members include Jay Lycurgo (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself), Buket Komur (Our House), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), and Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers) who will star as Charlie, Kelly, Steff and Finn respectively, as well as EastEnders' legend Anita Dobson, who will star as Kelly's grandmother Janine.

We now also have our first look at the series, which promises to be quite unlike others and has been described as "a coming-of-age parable for our very strange times – cut with a heavy dose of outlandish gore". The new six-parter also comes from Ben Wheatley, who is known for his work on various thriller and horror films including Kill List, Rebecca and Meg 2: The Trench.

The synopsis for Generation Z states: "Generation Z is about intergeneration justice and community breakdown that boldly satirises a world where truth is stranger than fiction, exploring not just the political fault lines in our society but also the very real issues facing teenagers today."

While the group of teens will have to deal with the apocalypse ravaging their small town, they'll also have to deal with the regular home life, relationships and lest we forget, a growing group of zombies.

The synopsis continues: "Just because it’s the end of the world, it doesn’t mean your home life and relationship problems comes to a halt, as the gang come up against the zombie horde, battling with their parents, friendship betrayals and old family secrets rearing their ugly heads.

"And life is just as complicated for the zombies, with the virus fuelling single-minded desires, bringing a whole new dimension to their zombie rampage. Meanwhile, Finn worries for grandad-figure Morgan, played by Robert Lindsay (My Family), when she comes to the realisation that there might be more behind the chemical spill. Just what exactly was being transported?"

And the cast announcements don't stop there as it's also been confirmed that Ava Hinds-Jones will join in her first TV role along with comedian Johnny Vegas (Benidorm), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Suzanne Ahmet (Inside Man) and T’Nia Miller (Years and Years).

The rest of the cast also includes Sophie Stone (The Chelsea Detective), Chris Reilly (The Last Post), D’Angelou Osei Kissiedu (Rocks), Ellie-Mae Siame (His Dark Materials), Robin Hill (Kill List), Gareth Tunley (Kill List) and John Hollingworth (The Queen's Gambit).

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Maanuv Thiara (DI Ray), Rebecca Humphries (The Crown), Ellora Torchia (The Gold), Andrew Kazamia (London’s Burning), Garrick Hagon (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), and Mark Monero (EastEnders) also round out the Generation Z cast.

Speaking about the new series, Rebecca Holdsworth, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, said: “We are so excited that Ben Wheatley has chosen C4 as the place to make his first original TV drama.

"Generation Z promises to have all of the unique visual flair and mischievous spirit that characterises Ben’s film work; it is in turn wickedly funny, deftly political, and delivers on the kind of eye-popping shocks and thrills that mean this is shaping up to be a zombie drama like no other.”

Generation Z will be airing on Channel 4. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto see what's on tonight.

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