BBC World Service Australasia

The Why Factor

Documentaries

Factual

The Why Factor  logo

The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions

The Why Factor: Zombies

A man dressed up as a Zombie

31/12/2018 GMT

Zombies

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Zombies

Why are we so fascinated by Zombies? We trace their meaning and history through the centuries and continents.

We are asking why so many people are fascinated by Zombies. For many people the Zombie is a walking corpse that’s out to bite you, and turn you into a similarly mindless, flesh craving undead person. What’s not to like? And we seem to be going through a bit of a Zombie boom with TV series like The Walking Dead capturing the imagination of audiences worldwide. 

But Zombies have been around for more than a hundred years. They first came to the attention of the American public through a book called The Magic Island, about Haiti written by William Seabrook in 1929. And we will be exploring why many say there’s more to Zombies than a reliable source of Hollywood horror. Perhaps they tell us something about significant, deep divisions at large in society. We will be tracing their history through the centuries and continents – from Africa through to Central America, the US and Europe.

Photo: A man dressed up as a Zombie
Credit: Getty Images

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Why Factor

Zombies

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service