Generation Z: Sue Johnston and Johnny Vegas in cast of Channel 4 show

Johnny Vegas and Sue Johnston OBE are in the cast of new TV show that will premiere at 9pm.

Generation Z, which has been written and directed by Ben Wheatley, is set in the fictional town of Dambury and follows a group of pensioners through the apocalypse.

Johnston, The Royale Family and Downton Abbey star, leads the cast in her role as Cecily alongside Paul Bentall as they try to escape the seemingly unassuming town after a gas leak.

The leak, which occurs after an army convey overturns outside a care home, starts to have an adverse effect on the residents, as they try to escape the army and try and contain their new hunger for raw flesh.

On the night of the outbreak, a group of four teenagers are living normal lives but soon find themselves at the centre of the virus.

Exploring intergeneration justice and community breakdown, the series touches on political fault lines and the very real issues facing teenagers today.

Also joining the cast alongside Sue is Thatto Heath comedian Vegas, Chris Reilly and Rebecca Humphries.

Johnny Vegas The series, which filmed in Wales last year, will consist of six 60-minute episodes and was part produced by The Forge.

“We are so excited that Ben Wheatley has chosen C4 as the place to make his first original TV drama,” said Rebecca Holdsworth, commissioning editor at Channel 4.

“Generation Z promises to have all the unique visual flair and mischievous spirit that characterises Ben’s film work; it is in turn wickedly funny, deftly political, and delivers on the kind of eye-popping shocks and thrills that mean this is shaping up to be a zombie drama like no other.”