Zombies are real! Channel 4.0 prank documentary spooks TV star’s mum

This digital short companion to Ben Wheatley’s upcoming zombie series, Generation Z, Channel 4.0 has teamed up with the channel’s in-house agency 4Creative for a second time to support the launch of the new drama series with this ghoulish prank.

Cooking up this light-hearted plan with celebrated YouTube prankster, Archie Manners, Chloe Burrows has employed her mum Louisa to co-present a totally fake Channel 4 documentary about a worrying human flesh-eating trend.

With a cohort of actors in on the gag, including someone who plays a chef mastering in human flesh cookery, can Chloe convince her mum to eat what she thinks is human flesh, or will the hoax be up before then?

Chloe Burrows commented: “It was a tough act to keep the joke going, but to see the reactions and relief on my mum’s face was hilarious. Sorry Mum!”

Channel 4’s Cat White, Digital Commissioning Executive, said: “We love working with 4Creative, even more so when Zombies are involved. Archie’s mad masterplan was pulled off seamlessly by Chloe in true YouTube caper style (and both have been officially forgiven by Louisa since). It was a real treat to work with Archie the master pranker. He and Acclaimed Content pulled off something really special in an incredibly short six-week time frame.”

This 1 x 23’ digital short was produced by Acclaimed Content with executive producers Anton Inwood and Archie Manners, and commissioned for Channel 4.0 by Cat White, Digital Commissioning Executive, and Evie Buckley, Digital Commissioning Editor & Channel 4.0 Lead.

Generation Z is a darkly comic series set in the fictional town of Dambury, the kind of place with stark opportunities and not much to do, it’s the last place you’d expect the apocalypse to begin… But when an army convoy overturns outside a care home, a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there. The OAPs, led by Cecily and Frank, escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for raw flesh. The series will premiere on Channel 4 on Sunday 27th October at 9pm, with all episodes streaming from Sunday.

The one-off short premieres on Channel 4.0 on Monday 28th October at 6pm, following the launch of Generation Z. Channel 4.0 is Channel 4’s destination for the freshest new videos from the UK’s biggest creators on YouTube.