Channel 4’s new survival experiment Apocalypse launches tonight, Sunday, 13 September, with 14 people from Britain and Australia heading into an abandoned town to see how they cope when the basics of modern life are taken away.

The contestants will spend 28 days without electricity, running water or food supplies and are divided into two separate communities, Eastside and Westside. Neither group initially knows that the other exists, although it does not take long for competition over the town’s limited resources to begin.

What Time Is Apocalypse on Tonight?

Apocalypse begins at 9pm tonight on Channel 4 and will also be available to stream through Channel 4. Tonight’s opening episode sees Eastside and Westside beginning their new lives inside the abandoned town, with one of the earliest problems centred around its only supermarket. Eastside reaches it first and takes the available supplies, creating the first major source of tension between the two groups.

How Many Episodes Are in Apocalypse?

There are seven episodes of Apocalypse in total, following the contestants across the 28-day experiment. Channel 4 has confirmed the seven-episode order, although a complete episode-by-episode transmission schedule has not yet been announced.

What Is Apocalypse on Channel 4?

The series asks how ordinary people would cope if many of the systems they rely on suddenly disappeared. The contestants have to find food, create shelter and make use of whatever has been left behind in the town, while deciding how they want their new communities to operate.

The 14 participants bring very different skills into the experiment, including experience in farming, mechanics, medicine, psychology, cooking and the military. With Eastside and Westside beginning separately and unaware of each other, the social side of the experiment could become just as important as the practical challenges once the two groups realise they are competing for the same resources.

Who Is in the Apocalypse Cast?

Eastside includes content creator Steven McKell, psychologist Kiera Madison, theatre director Bertie Watkins, student nurse Kyra Muzvaba, mechanic Louise Baker, beef farmer Scott McMinn and paramedic Laura Powell.

Westside includes farmer Ioan Humphreys, Made in Chelsea star Freddie Browne, black cab driver Brooke McCreaner, councillor Celia Hibbert, former soldier and diesel mechanic Matthew “Matty” Wilson, Paralympic gold medallist Kelly Cartwright and chef Dean Sganga.

Some contestants arrive with skills that could become useful very quickly, particularly the farmers, mechanics, paramedic and chef, while others are taking part primarily to test themselves or experience the social side of building a community from scratch.

Apocalypse or Big Brother: What Should You Watch Tonight?

Reality TV fans have a bit of a decision to make tonight, because Apocalypse is launching at the same time as Big Brother 2026, which also begins at 9pm over on ITV2 and ITVX.

Thankfully, there is no need to completely choose between them. Both programmes will be available through their respective streaming services, so you can watch one live and catch up with the other afterwards. Big Brother begins its eight-week run tonight, while Apocalypse has seven episodes to work through, meaning there is going to be plenty of reality TV keeping us busy this autumn.

You can read our full guide to tonight’s Big Brother 2026 launch, including its weekly schedule and details on Big Brother: The Group Chat, here.

For CultureCues, we are really interested to see how this one plays out. Putting 14 strangers into an abandoned town for 28 days is already a good setup, but splitting them into two camps without telling either side about the other adds another layer once those limited supplies start disappearing. We are also looking forward to seeing who adapts quickly and who starts missing home comforts first. With Eastside and Westside already clashing over the supermarket, things could get tense pretty quickly.

Apocalypse begins tonight at 9pm on Channel 4 and will also be available to stream on Channel 4.

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