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Architecture,

I visit the BT Tower for the riveting Fear The Walking Dead Season 3 pre-premiere launch - EVENT REPORT

Last week I went out for an absolutely ace evening, but first some preamble - sometime last year we were fortunate to crack an invite and go along to the Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Premiere hosted by AMC and BT at Millbank Tower and I have to say it was an absolutely stunning night and evening to remember, certainly one of our best industry nights out for that year - but that is a story for another time.

     In anticipation of the evenings events we caught up with Season 1 of Fear the Walking Dead, as well as the Walking Dead: Flight 462 mini web series - which leads into and crosses over with Season 2  and we were hooked.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 3 Poster Artwork [+]

     In case you are not familiar with Fear the Walking Dead yet #FTWD is a spin off show off AMC's wildly successful and incredibly engaging The Walking Dead, it is set in the same - post walker universe, but takes place slightly earlier as events start just before and during the zombie or rather walker apocalypse.

     Fear the Walking Dead centres on the Clark/Manawa family played by Kim Dickens (Madison Clark), Cliff Curtis (Travis Manawa), Frank Dillane (Nick Clark), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Alicia Clark) and Lorenzo James Henrie (Chris Manawa) as well as the people they band together with throughout the show including: Ruben Blades as Daniel, Mercedes Mason as Ofelia, Lorenzo James Henrie as Chris and Colman Domingo as the mysterious Victor Strand.

Fear the Walking Dead Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey [+]

     Each member of the family is fighting their own demons of modern life and are struggling to form a cohesive front either intentionally or through circumstance.

BTS, Frank Dillane as Nick Clark, Kim Dickens as Madison Clark - Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 3, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/AMC [+]

     Kim Dickens plays Madison Clark a school guidance counsellor & Cliff Curtis is Travis Manawa. Madison is mostly in wildcard - take charge - mama bear mode and often forgoes reason to protect her family at all costs, whilst Travis, an English teacher epitomises everything good in the world - kind of like a modern Atticus Finch who is slowly regressing to survive and protect his loved ones in a world full of increasing danger.

Fear the Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa going gladiator - Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 3, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/AMC [+]

     The three kids at the heart of the story Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey), Chris Manawa (Lorenzo James Henrie) and Nick Clark (Frank Dillane) have their own challenges and obstacles to overcome that they for better or worse bring into the walker apocalypse with them.

     Frank Dillane's portrayal of Nick Clark as a fearless maverick independent spirit, who seems to be redeeming himself from his character's past - has become a fan, as well as my, favourite character.

    But the Fear the Walking Dead universe being what it is, we can only hope Nick will be around for awhile.

     Fear the Walking Dead is executive produced by the core producer team of:

- Showrunner Dave Erickson (Low Winter Sun, Sons of Anarchy),
- Walking Dead comic creator and show Producer Robert Kirkman,
- legendary producer Gale Anne Hurd,
- renowned and cult fan favourite Special FX and make-up wizard Greg Nicotero whose career goes back to the father of all Zombies George A. Romero's original zombie trilogy, his 1985 Day of the Dead and includes amongst many other projects work on Evil Dead II, Pulp Fiction, In the Mouth of Madness, Splice, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky, Mulholland Drive, Unbreakable, The Green Mile, The Walking Dead, Kill Bill and the list goes on,
- and the rising star of the collective, producer David Alpert (Witchblade, Outcast, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Walking Dead, Powers, American Ultra)

     So you know the pedigree of the people behind the show runs high.

Infected - Fear the Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/AMC [+]

     Ahead of season 3's release Fear the Walking Dead was renewed for a fourth season, and it would appear things are going to be taken up a notch as additional producers are coming on board including Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (Once Upon a Time) as co-showrunners. As well as Scott M. Gimple, executive producer and showrunner of The Walking Dead will become an executive producer of Fear the Walking Dead.

     In Season 1 we followed the Clark/Manawas as they endure many trials challenging them both physically and morally - pushing, the already deeply dysfunctional family to the limits as they accept and start to learn to live in a world with walkers. They decide to leave Los Angeles and head South where most of Season 2 takes place (and definitively answering any questions about the walkers and water that anyone may have). The season ended on a cliff hanger that may see the survivors returning to the states.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 3 Invite [+]

    So when a rather eye catching invite to the Season 3 pre-premiere launch for Fear the Walking Dead arrived I was keen to visit the world of Fear the Walking Dead again and get a head start on where Season 3 would be going - also the launch was held at the always amazing BT Tower - as ubiquitous a part of daily London life as it is still an intriguing British and London landmark (since 1981 it has only occasionally open to the general public) - going up the tower is an experience that has been on my bucket list for as long as I have known about it.


     I arrived early for the screening and after a security check in, made my way through the ground floor foyer housing the 2015 exhibition celebrating BT Tower's 50th anniversary.


     On the walls photographic prints featuring BT Tower taken by social media users, in the centre of the foyer a model of the tower, from 1967 when it was still known as the Post Office Tower by Engineering apprentices, projected onto one side of the rather large lift shaft Toby Triumph and Projection Artwork's eye-catching BT Tower '50 Years of Ingenious' projection mapping multimedia mural.


     Next to it, tucked around a corner the famous mirror tile bedazzled BT Call Box. I haven't been able to idetify it but, apparently the call box was part of the 2012 BT Artbox project - to celebrate 25 years of ChildLine BT came up with the ArtBox a public art exhibition in London commissioning artists to use the iconic Gilbert Scott designed K6 red telephone box as their canvases.


     I have been fortunate to visit the BT Tower previously (making it a twice in a lifetime experience) and if memory serves - the previously view-able Gerry Judah's Slip Artbox, Jane Morgan's Money Box and Benjamin Shine's Box Lounger a purple leather sofa box were previously housed on the ground floor but no longer there.


     All of which brought me to the Tower Lounge suitably welcoming and resplendent in it's Fear the Walking Dead dressing.


     Soon we made our way into the BT auditorium, introductions were made by Pete Oliver, BT and Kevie Dickie from AMC.


     Before the main attraction we were treated to a short sizzle reel of current and upcoming BT TV shows including the very engaging looking western The Son starring Pierce Brosnan currently being aired on BT TV. Manhattan, currently being re-run and Vince Gilligan's outstanding Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul with Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks, which starts on 27 June. If I'm correct you should also still be able to also catch up on Weeds and Into The Badlands both outstanding shows shown on BT TV AMC.

     Eye of the Beholder episode 1 of Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead is a white knuckle ride all the way through. I don't mind telling you I shifted in my seat more than once when the tension ran a little too high.


     It was absolutely riveting - maybe it was because the show was being screened on a large screen, maybe it was because I chose the right seat for the BT auditorium's sound to work it's magic with the dread filled soundtrack and bone crunching sound effects or maybe Fear the Walking Dead has hit its stride as it lives up to this seasons tagline "Fear what you become".



     The first couple of seasons have been engaging but if you are an avid fan of The Walking Dead they may be challenging as we were given a set of rules for how The Walking Dead universe works and with Fear the walking Dead the characters are still figuring out those rules and most importantly - one of the best bits of The Walking Dead is the group's unifying loyalty to each other and their cause whereas with FTWD the character's dynamics are all over the place and they still have haven't quite figured out that they are stronger together.

     But with Eye of the Beholder the group are forced to work together and gives us a glimpse of what they could be unified. It had me chomping at the bit for the rest of the Season's offering.


     Fear the Walking Dead returns exclusively to BT TV for its third season. The episodes 1 Eye of the Beholder & 2 The New Frontier were simulcast at 2am & 3am on Monday 5th June along with the US' first screening. They were then premiered Monday 5th June at 9pm on BT AMC.

     The eight episodes will run across six weeks with a mid season double bill airing for the finale on July 10th.

     The series will be available free of charge in the UK to BT customers on the AMC channel, number 332 on BT TV, and to BT Sport Pack subscribers on Sky channel 192.

     AMC is also available in HD on both BT TV and Sky with an HD subscription (Customers must opt in to receive the AMC channel).

     The first episode, was also simulcast on Freeview on the BT Showcase channel 115 for those who do not have BT TV.

Teotwawki Episode 3 Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead airs this Monday, 12th June at 9pm on AMC, exclusive to BT.


     We made our way out the screening room to be greeted with a scene of destruction as the zombie apocalypse had kicked off while we were ensconced in the auditorium. The Tower Lounge had been destroyed and a growling walker had been left chained to a railing which was a really nice touch. I really appreciated the effort of the team putting together elements of an immersive experience for the evening.


     Next up we hopped on board one of the two BT Tower high speed lifts and sky rocketed upwards, these lifts travel at 7 metres per second (15.7 mph) and can reach the top in less than 30 seconds making them some of the fastest lifts in Europe.


     Bear with me here as my memory of the discussion is a bit sketchy, but if I remember correctly last time we used the lift we travelled at a maximum of 600 feet per minute that's just over 3 metres a second (about an average of 1 building floor per second). I can't remember the exact technical terminology the lift technician used at the time but this was because the weather was very active and the wind speed was high making the tower “sway” slightly, he further explained that there was a pendulum at the bottom of the building that moved in sync with the tower's movement and measured – this sway threshold determined the safe speed that the lift could travel at. That is from memory so may be a bit jumbled.

     However this time I am proud to report we shot up at the full 1400 feet per minute that's just over 7 meters per second, and I believe about 2 and a half average building floors/storeys a second.

     We got to the top and the doors slide open and BAM! A group of walkers jump scare us as they barrage through the doors. Which did nothing for my already uneasy state after watching the first episode of Season 3. Then a slightly amusing and awkward pause as one of the walkers is stuck in the lift with us.

     The lift glides up the remaining 2 storeys, the doors slide open and there we were - on top of the world - in the revolving pod, the 34th floor of the BT Tower touching the bottom of the sky.

The Post Office Tower symbolised 20th - century Britain.
Lean, practical and futuristic, it epitomised the technical and architectural skills of the second industrial revolution.” - Anthony Wedgwood Benn, The Postmaster General

     A Grade II listed symbol of the heights of British technological achievement, the mysterious Location 23, and at 177m the tallest building in both London and the United Kingdom, at least until 1980, currently it is the 10th tallest building in the UK and still a pinnacle of man's ingenuity in reaching up to the stars.


     The panoramic view is breathtaking, the last time I was up here it was night and slightly overcast but this time the conditions were much better and the sun was still high in the Spring sky, so I could really have a proper look over London and further identifying landmarks and even my own neighbourhood of Battersea.



     The lone walker that was trapped in the lift with us ambled off and joined the growing number of walkers and guests. The 34th floor had also been struck by the destruction of the walker apocalypse.


     Thankfully we were stuck with a catering crew serving up tasty finger food, a fully stocked bar, a team of make-up and prosthetic specialists (@sammmagnew, @shiv.ashman.makeup, @fannymkup, @goshkamuah, @official_elizabethcox) turning guests into walkers.


 I'm giving them a shout out as, well, you can see their work on the evening was top notch and outstandingly scary.

One of my zombies makeups - promotional work for 'Fear The Walking Dead' .... 🤘 Thanks so much for having me on board @sammmagnew ❤ #prosthetics #fearthewalkingdead #thewalkingdead #walkingdead #zombies #blood #sfx #film #tv #kryolan #airbrush #specialeffects #london

A post shared by Shiv Ashman Makeup (@shiv.ashman.makeup) on May 31, 2017 at 11:16pm PDT

     Newly turned walkers and guests could then get souvenir snaps from a photo both whilst DJs Freight Train made sure the room was filled with the right ambience and even got the walkers to dance.



     But the real draw for me was the view. Standing in the rotating pod as it made it's 22 minute rotation watching the greatest city in the world. As the sun made it's way down the twilight sky inviting night fall.





     Just saying.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Artwork No Safe Harbour Poster [+]

     I watched through the Blue Hour and soon London's lights started to twinkle to life and the moon arose. It was really quite marvellous and a photographic playground.










     You can view the full set of photos from the evening over on my Flickr stream  https://www.flickr.com/photos/entropy1138/albums/72157684967255086

The last time I was up there I wished I had made a video of the view during a full rotation. This time I did.



Fear the Walking Dead

Fear the Walking Dead is on AMC - BT TV channel 332/381 HD and also available to BT Sport Pack subscribers on Sky Guide channel 192.


The Son



Manhattan

The two seasons of Manhattan are currently being re-run on BT TV.

Better Call Saul


Better Call Saul starts on which starts on BT TV. 27 June.

For more information about Fear the Walking Dead UK and other shows mentioned above visit:

https://tv.bt.com/
www.AMCtv.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/AMCtvUK/
@AMCtvUK
https://www.instagram.com/amctvuk/

The Establishing Shot: ANOTHER LONDON HIGHLIGHT AS I VISIT THE BT TOWER FOR THE RIVETING FEAR THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 3 PRE-PREMIERE LAUNCH - EVENT REPORT