There’s a moment towards the start of Channel 4’s new survival show, Apocalypse, that sums it up nicely. 

The sun has set. The team of contestants – stuck in the middle of an abandoned town somewhere in America – are debating what to do. They have no resources except for one torch, but as one of them goes to take it, Celia (a local politician in her normal life), refuses to give it over. 

‘I don’t want to be in the dark,’ she explains. Cue incredulous looks. In the end, Celia keeps the torch, seemingly impervious to the glares being thrown her way, while the others have to make do with fumbling about in the pitch black. 

That’s only the start. This show pretty much does what it says on the tin: two separate groups of 14 ‘survivors’ are dropped into Riverside, the aforementioned abandoned town, without prior knowledge of the others’ existence. 

Apparently, this town was once used for military exercises; now, its bullet-ridden cars and empty buildings have been repurposed for reality television. With hardly any shelter and no close interpersonal relationships, the teams must try to survive in this mock-up apocalyptic scenario, as well as scrap for the limited resources the production team have sprinkled around the set.

Whether that’s what the general public really want to be watching, amid fears of a very real apocalypse (courtesy of several brewing sources of world tension), remains to be seen. However, it is a fascinating exercise in social cohesion, and what people do when that breaks down.

Apocalypse: Key details

Synopsis: Two teams of seven contestants are dropped into an abandoned town in America. Their goal: to scavenge what they need to survive, even if that means stealing resources from each other. 

Number of episodes: 7

Start date: September 13, 2026

Where to watch: Channel 4

The answer makes me slightly worried for the future of humanity. Our band of misfits, pulled together by the casting team, could not seem less well-suited to surviving the end of days – which is of course the point.

There’s Steven, a content creator who quickly clocks that nobody, including him, has any relevant survival skills. There’s Freddie, whom eagle-eyed viewers might remember from earlier seasons of Made in Chelsea. There’s Kiera, a psychologist who says she’s curious to see how she’d cope in an apocalyptic scenario, but then confesses that she has a phobia of sweat.

Even people who seem more qualified, like Australian cattle rancher Scott, quickly reveal their darker streaks. When one team finds food, it’s Scott who bizarrely refuses to let them eat any of it, telling Kiera (whom we later see weeping from hunger) that they’re going to ration it all, so ‘we’re not having f***ing rice’.

A minute later, he’s proclaiming that if the others don’t understand his decision, ‘Well, I’ll let them starve.’ Cue dismay, and then mutiny. 

Unlike other reality shows, there don’t seem to be any challenges or tasks to complete; instead, the producers seem perfectly content to let the drama unfold naturally.

It’s scary to think that people would behave far worse than this if this happened in real life.#Apocalypse

— Mace Windu (@Mayce_Windu) September 13, 2026

Suddenly it’s got a bit Mad Max. #apocalypse

— JoeEsquire (@joecrayston) September 13, 2026

‘Eurgh, there’s a bug’ – Perfect cannon fodder for that civilian version of I’m A Celebrity Ant and Dec want to do. #Apocalypse

— Sean The Mondasian Psychic (@WhoPotterVian) September 13, 2026

Verdict on Apocalypse

Channel 4’s latest survival show is more of the same. Although watching its contestants squabble is entertaining, it does also pose worrying questions about how humanity might fare come the end of days.

Which it does, even in episode one. As it turns out, 21st century citizens are not best suited to knuckling down and working together in pursuit of the greater good.

As the two teams bumble and bicker their way around the deserted town, food is pilfered. Breakdowns are had. Baseball bats are wielded – which in itself is slightly alarming, considering this is not the actual apocalypse, but light teatime entertainment. 

There is a certain voyeuristic thrill in watching them abandon all social norms. However, it’s also a deeply depressing look at how useless most of us would be if the end of the world did truly come to pass: most people here can’t even make a fire, let alone decide on when to eat a box of pancake mix.

Ultimately, Apocalypse isn’t really the grand experiment it claims to be. We already know that people dropped into nightmare scenarios can act in bizarre, and sometimes cruel, ways.

Watching the contestants descend into madness on-screen feels more like a warning than anything else – that when the actual apocalypse arrives, we may be more doomed than we think.

Apocalypse is available to stream on Channel 4.

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