Channel 4’s Apocalypse show put 14 people in an extreme survival situation. It did not go well
Channel 4’s Apocalypse show put 14 people in an extreme survival situation. It did not go well
Lauren Morris Mon, September 14, 2026 at 11:41 AM UTC
0
We’ve all wondered how we’d actually fare at the end of the world, particularly now that global warming, nuclear warfare and the threat of AI killing us all have provided ample material for our anxiety dreams. I’ve always thought that when civilisation breaks down, surely our survival instincts will kick in and humanity will endure – but if Channel 4’s Apocalypse is anything to go by, we’re ultimately doomed.
The latest “social experiment” to come from the broadcaster drops 14 strangers into an abandoned town in the US city of Indiana, challenging them to survive 28 days with limited access to water and food. Split into two groups, the contestants must forage, hunt and rummage their way across the 1,000-acre derelict site – which was formerly home to a large mental health facility before being repurposed as a military training base.
It’s not the first time that Channel 4 has put ordinary people through armageddon; illusionist Derren Brown’s 2012 special, also titled Apocalypse, hypnotised an unsuspecting teacher into thinking he was one of the few survivors after a meteorite crash wiped out most of humanity. This time, the contestants are aware they’re on camera – and boy, don’t you know it as a viewer.
Content creator Steven, 32 – yes, of course there is a content creator – spends most of the first episode delivering sassy quips to camera and being actively unhelpful while frustrated Australian cattle farmer Scott, who’s his group’s only hope at survival, barks insults at the others and angrily chops wood. “They’re as useful as tits on a bull,” Scott grumbles, as Steven declares that there’s no point ransacking the one supermarket onsite because it’s boarded up, opting instead to search the forest for berries despite having no foraging knowledge.
Reform UK councillor Celia (Channel 4)
They’re joined by the more competent theatre director Bertie, Brummie mechanic Louise (who trips and smashes her nose on the very first day), Aussie psychologist and self-defined “princess” Kiera with a phobia of sweat, and student nurse Kyra and paramedic Laura, who are yet to receive airtime but will undoubtedly have their moments later on.
Tensions immediately arise over food, when Scott – having broken into the supermarket and recovered towers of tinned goods – firmly insists that the group ration it all. “We’re not having f***ing rice,” he snaps at a worried-looking Bertie. “I don’t give a f***.” He’s ultimately overruled by Steven and the others, who storm their way through the canned tomatoes and pasta before suggesting pancakes for dessert on just day four. Try to resist the urge to tear your hair out.
Advertisement
They’re not the only group falling apart just hours into the experiment. Over on the Westside of the site, Welsh farmer Ioan takes charge of his fellow survivors – London cabbie Brooke, ex Made in Chelsea star Freddie, Reform UK councillor Celia and Paralympian Kelly among others – and they’re even less successful. After setting up camp in a freezing railway station, Celia declares that she’s “setting boundaries”, which apparently means claiming ownership of the battery powered light found by another member of the group. “It’s a clusterf***,” Australian chef Dean sighs as Celia and Brooke tussle over the only torch they have.
London cab driver Brooke (Channel 4)
The next day, Ioan shuts down Brooke’s sensible suggestion of finding food and water, deciding instead that the group should make their cold base more habitable. As a result, the other group get to the supermarket and various chicken coops first, leaving the Westsiders hungry and desperate.
Having realised that they’re not alone in the game, the group track down where the other team are staying and steal their chickens. As you can imagine, gruff Scott is not happy. “If I find out who took these chickens, I’m gonna burn their f***ing house down,” he tells the camera with the intensity of a man you don’t want to mess with. It’s a lot.
Unfortunately, he then puts Steven and Kiera in charge of guarding the rest of the food, so Ioan and Dean return to the scene of the crime to steal even more from them. “You have the baseball bat?” Kiera asks Steven, as if they would actually be able to use it against the intruders?!
Australian cattle farmer Scott urges his group to ration (Channel 4)
With the factions already fighting over food after just days in there, the rest of Apocalypse will surely be an intriguing yet very frustrating watch. And perhaps the takeaway isn’t actually that we’re all doomed. Perhaps it’s that, if we were pitted against this group of clueless content creators and Reform councillors, we might actually stand a chance of getting a decent bite to eat...
‘Apocalypse’ continues on Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
