Whoa, it’s been a while since I updated this … Much has happened.

Some of it was exciting,

some wasn’t. So I won’t bore you. However, one of the REALLY exciting things that happened
was that I got to play Keyboard 2 for Fame: The Musical. It was one of the best things I’ve ever
been part of. There are a couple of reviews HERE and HERE, plus a Youtube video HERE, so
go see. At some point, I may even get around to updating my ‘Pianist’ page.

Er, that is all. As you were...

In The Flesh - review

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t usually go in for zombies. Like vampires, I tend to find them
painfully cliched at best, and often badly written. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with
In The Flesh at all had it not been for a chance blog I found on the BBC’s website while
procrastinating at work. You know the sort of blog I mean - one of the ones where some BBC
hack pretends he’s living in the universe and writes as one of the characters. Quite frankly,
that’s my perfect job.

But I digress. Despite my many prejudices, it’s my solemn duty to report that In The Flesh is
actually well-acted, well-written and in general rather good. The first episode sees us thrust into
a world struggling to adapt to a post-zombie apocalypse, in which a cure has been developed
that is capable of controlling the condition. Zombies - now diagnosed ‘Partially Deceased
Syndrome sufferers’, are being let back into the world with their families, which is where we pick
up Kieran Walker’s story. Haunted by flashbacks of the last person he killed as a zombie, he is
returned to parents who are loving yet totally at loss with their changed son. Luke Newberry
does a fantastic job portraying the troubled teen, even perfecting a semi-shuffling walk that
harks back to his days spent dead.

Around him, the world is changing. And like any massive shift, it brings out the best in some and
the worst in others. There are plenty of opportunities for conflict in this story and by the end of
the episode, I’m thoroughly looking forward to see how some of the side-plots play out. There’s
cider-swigging Jem Walker, Kieran’s sister - will she ever get to grips with what her brother is?
The volunteer zombie-killing task force also provides a welcome touch of menace to
proceedings. This is in spite of - or perhaps because of - the fact that it appears to be made up
of the sort of old men who get together in my local pub every night, prejudices and all. There is
also a level of detail to this world that feels wonderfully immersive, which I suppose comes with
the territory of taking a largely non-naturalistic formulaic form and putting it into a genuine
situation. It’s supposed to feel like it’s taking place outside.

However, the flip side of this is that developments feel a bit overbearing at times and there’s
enough plot in the first hour-length episode for a feature film. I feel the piece could have
benefited from a little more of Kieran’s relationship with him, leaving some of the more dramatic
revelations until the second or third episode. Even so, it’s a solid piece of storytelling - poignant
without becoming overly-emotional - and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.