From writer Jack Thorne (This Is England ’86, Skins), BBC Three’s new fantasy horror series, The Fades, begins later this month.
The six-part series stars Iain De Caestecker (Coronation Street), Daniel Kaluuya (Skins), Tom Ellis (Merlin), Johnny Harris (This is England ’86) and Natalie Dormer (The Tudors).
Episode 1
Wednesday 21st September 2011, 9pm
Paul is haunted by apocalyptic dreams that neither his therapist nor best friend and fellow geeky social outcast Mac can provide answers for. Worse still, Paul is starting to see the Fades – the spirits of the dead – all around him.
They’re everywhere but they just can’t be seen, smelt, heard or touched by living beings. But now an embittered and vengeful Fade has found a way to break the barrier between the dead and the living and Paul, Mac and their friends and family are all right in the eye of the storm.
But the most terrifying twist is yet to come – the fate of humanity rests in the hands of the two friends who already have enough trouble getting through a day in one piece, let alone saving the world.
Episode 2
Wednesday 28th September 2011, 10.30pm
Paul is asked to make a difficult choice as the threat of the Fades escalates dramatically.
Paul’s still having terrifying visions – this time involving the death of his family. Neil takes Paul to meet Eric, an ancient Fade and ex-Angelic who foresees Paul’s importance in the fight to save mankind. Neil then challenges Paul to say goodbye to his family and friends – he can’t be an Angelic and live a normal life.
Mac convinces Paul they need to join Anna’s ball committee so they can meet girls. At the dance, Paul manages to pull Jay, his sister’s best friend. Meanwhile, Neil protects Paul and his friends from the aggressive Fades who have learnt to touch, but he is badly wounded in the process…
Episode 3
Wednesday 5th October 2011, 9pm
Paul’s decision to live two lives, as both a human and an Angelic, is put to the test as his powers develop and a new host of Angelics arrive to put him through a trial by fire. Is there room left for Jay and Mac..?
Mark has been digging into Sarah’s past and discovered she spent time with Neil in a psychiatric ward. Convinced Neil must be involved in her disappearance he notifies the police. Elsewhere, Paul is spotted kissing Jay by Anna and her friends, and accidently demonstrates his powers, terrifying them all.
Mac’s disappointment grows throughout the day because Paul has forgotten his birthday. Later their friendship takes a dramatic turn for the worse…
Episode 4
Wednesday 12th October 2011, 9pm
Up is down and black is white as Paul’s family and friends struggle to cope in the aftermath of his accident, as the fantasy horror series continues. Meanwhile, the Angelics are torn apart by moral compromises, and a strange new man with deadly intentions moves relentlessly through town.
Elsewhere, Mark is trapped in police custody and grilled by DC Armstrong as Sarah’s Fade looks on desperately. Neil can’t help her – he’s occupied with his fanatical quest for a weapon to use against the threat of the corporeal Fades.
As betrayals and revelations mount, Paul’s loved ones face the horrifying choice that the best thing for Paul might be to let him go…
Episode 5
Wednesday 19th October 2011, 9pm
Paul is home from hospital. Meg, Mac, Anna and Jay are thrilled – but DC Armstrong is more concerned with the escalation in missing persons and murder cases that is plaguing the town.
The police open a crisis centre at the school and Paul’s family head there hoping to find Anna’s boyfriend, Steve. Mark joins them, volunteering his services in an attempt to take his mind off Sarah.
Meanwhile, Angelics Alice and Phil attempt to convince DC Armstrong to evacuate the town. Elsewhere, attempting to find their own solution to the problem, Neil and Sarah proceed with a desperate plan to learn more about the threat posed by the Fades who are now reborn in human form.
Behind it all, John’s crusade to free his people continues apace. Each reborn Fade is immortal. But each rebirth requires the consumption of living flesh. Can a new nation emerge out of this self-destructive process?
Episode 6
Wednesday 26th October 2011, 9pm
A town left deserted. An Angelic on the edge of desperation. A Fade on the cusp of victory. And a reluctant 17-year-old boy with visions of the apocalypse – it all comes down to this final showdown.
People will die. Ash will fall. It is inevitable.