Consumption

Monday 30th April brings us a television pilot by P-P newcomer, Thomas Dee, who explains:

'Civilization is skin deep.'

"In a society forged by conflict, the rot has begun. In 1959, the city has entered its seventh year under siege in a brutal civil war. Consumption tracks the slow decay of social order within a city under a vice grip. The recent renewal of the encirclement has led to further outbreaks of starvation, typhus and cholera. But while the poor of the city battle hunger and conscription into the regiments, the new elite live better than ever. The upper strata of this necropolis are now the remnants of the civil government, the military, and the new, all-encompassing, security agency; SIRIS. By day these forces work to crush communism and dissent, from within and without, but by night, they eat drink and be merry. They must, for as they all know, in their heart of hearts; one day the city will fall, and when it does they will be doomed along with the order that created them. Outside, the communist insurgency waits, while the fabric within becomes undone.
The series aims to cover as many aspects of society within the city as possible. From the travails of a young school principal trying to maintain a semblance of order for the children within the ragged military district, to the Senior SIRIS agent, utterly corrupt and desperate to get out, to the rookie mayor, who is slowly realizing his real role.
Consumption is a snapshot, taken from a wide angle lens, into a city that lives, breathes, stinks and dies throughout its final years".

7.45, back at the Phoenix.