| The Fades | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Supernatural drama, horror |
| Created by | Jack Thorne |
| Starring |
|
| Composer(s) | Paul Thomson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Susan Hogg |
| Producer(s) | Caroline Skinner |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Three / BBC HD |
| Picture format | 1080i 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Original run | 21 September 2011 – 26 October 2011 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Fades is a British supernatural drama television series broadcast on BBC Three and BBC HD. The first of six episodes aired on 21 September 2011.
The programme centres on an English teenager named Paul who is haunted by apocalyptic dreams that nobody can explain and is able to see spirits of the dead, known as the Fades, all round him. The Fades cannot be seen, smelt, heard or touched by other humans – they are what is left of humans who have died but not been accepted into Heaven. As such, the Fades left on Earth have become embittered and vengeful towards the human race. It is shown in the first episode that the Fades have found a way to become partly human again and regain control of touch within the real world. However, they remain unseen in the world except to those special few like Paul – 'Angelics' – who have the ability to perceive the Fades. Paul finds himself pulled into a conflict between the Angelics and the Fades, trying to prevent the Fades from breaking back into the world and destroying the human race.
The school scenes were filmed at Queens School, Bushey. The majority of the location filming took place in South Oxhey, Oxhey, Watford and Hemel Hempstead.
Contents |
| # | Episode | Director | Writer(s) | Original air date | Viewing figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Farren Blackburn | Jack Thorne | 21 September 2011 | 870,000[1] |
| Paul and Mac are in an old, abandoned shopping centre. Paul witnesses a supernatural creature attacking a man and a woman. The man (Neil) later tracks down Paul and explains to him about the "Fades" who are the dead, trapped on earth and unable to pass on. Neil suspects that one of them has acquired the ability of touch. | |||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Farren Blackburn | Jack Thorne | 28 September 2011 | 575,000[2] |
| Neil takes Paul to see an ancient Fade, who foresees his importance in the looming battle. | |||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Farren Blackburn | Jack Thorne | 5 October 2011 | 582,000[3] |
| Paul's friendship with Mac and relationship with Jay are pushed to breaking point. | |||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Tom Shankland | Jack Thorne | 12 October 2011 | 654,000[4] |
| Paul's loved ones struggle in the aftermath of his accident. A stranger menaces the town. | |||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Tom Shankland | Jack Thorne | 19 October 2011 | TBC |
| Paul searches for meaning to his resurrection whilst more reborn Fades infiltrate the town.[5] | |||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Tom Shankland | Jack Thorne | 26 October 2011 | TBC |
| The end of the world is coming - and all that stands in its way is Paul. It is inevitable. | |||||
Audience figures for the series were 0.7 million viewers for the pilot episode.
Michael Deacon, of the Telegraph newspaper, described the pilot episode as "promisingly tense."[6]
Writing for the Guardian, Ben Dowell commented that the series proved that "It is difficult not to watch BBC3 and E4 and think channels which target the under 35s are emerging as amongst the best places for boldness and innovation in UK TV drama." [7]