Eden hosted a big cast and crew from UK-based Wildseed Studios for a week of filming away from the public eye during the national lockdown of November 2020.
In early scenes of the 10-episode eco-fable, Eden visitors will recognise the inside of the Mediterranean Biome as a key setting. The project’s vast outdoor garden, set against the backdrop of the Biomes, also figures in the fast-paced action.
A trailer for the series has been released and can be viewed here.
THE LAST BUS follows a group of mismatched students on a school trip who become unlikely heroes when a robot apocalypse zaps away the rest of humanity.
The series opens with the students travelling to the launch of the ‘genie orbs’, a new class of robot designed to clean up the environment.
When the artificial intelligence-powered orbs are introduced by tech billionaire Dalton Monkhouse (played by Robert Sheehan), they appear to vaporise everyone in the audience and thousands of identical events all over the world.
The students just manage to make it back through the carnage to their rackety old school bus and head home in search of answers, only to be met by a mysteriously empty world.
The series was filmed at Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, and at locations across the South West region including Eden, Redcliffe Caves and The Downs in Bristol, and Cheddar Gorge and Brean Leisure Park in Somerset.
Wildseed’s Creative Director and Co-Founder Jesse Cleverly said: “Although at the top level THE LAST BUS is a shamelessly entertaining sci-fi romp that will entertain the whole family, at another level it is a powerful eco-fable about how the younger generation must be empowered to make very different choices from the generation that preceded it when it comes to the two big challenges of the age - environmental breakdown and hugely sophisticated artificial intelligence.”
David Rowe, head of media relations at the Eden Project, said: “THE LAST BUS was one of the biggest productions we’ve hosted in our 21 years. It was a pleasure to welcome the cast and crew - strict COVID rules were followed for the duration of the shoot.
“We felt that an eco-fable where a group of young people bond together to fight for the future of the planet was a great fit for us and we look forward to seeing the result. Viewers will see from the trailer that this is Eden re-imagined in a way never seen before.”
