West Herts College journalism student Sara Donegan, 18, from Harrow, is one of the contestants on BBC Three’s gory new reality gameshow, I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse. She tells Rosy Moorhead just how terrifying her undead co-stars really were.

What made you want to be on the programme?

I was curious to know how I would survive as I am very well pampered at home. I never have to lift a finger.

How big a zombie fan are you?

I am not a big zombie fan but I am in love with scary films involving them, such as 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead.

Which would you rather be in a zombie movie – one of the leads or one of the zombies?

I would want to be one of the leads as I love acting, however I would only do that if they weren't as scary as the ones on the show! They seemed too real. I give serious credit to the makeup team.

How much about what would happen were you told before filming started?

We were told the main information, such as you must listen to the army to survive and one touch from a zombie and you are dead, but we were not filled in on what the missions consisted of or that some of the zombies could run!

Did you have to do any kind of training or preparation?

We all had medical tests to make sure we were fit enough to go ahead with the show, and we also had a meeting with a psychologist to make sure we would be able to handle it all.

How genuinely scary was it?

I have never been so scared in my entire life, I genuinely thought I was going to die! The zombies never left character at any moment, so all I had in my head was ‘I am going to die, I am going to die!’ You will see as the show goes on how terrified I was. I think I was the most scared out of them all. It was an experience I will never forget.

What challenges did you have to do in the first episode?

In the first episode it was mainly trying to get to safety. I’m not the brightest one out of them all, so I basically just panicked the whole time. In our entrance I was suddenly put with Thom and Luke who I have never met in my life, and was told to find a key which was on a security guard. There was me looking for an actual breathing person standing there with a key, and then I see Luke and Thom run at a dead body! Then I realised ‘Oh yeah, hardly anyone is alive’. I think I am the dopey one from the group. Everyone seemed to have their head screwed on when all I kept thinking was why the hell am I here? What am I doing?

What’s going to happen in upcoming episodes? Are they going to start putting the contestants against each other?

Next episode someone dies and the rest of the contestants are left in serious shock. This death made us all realise the game isn't as simple as we thought! Day two is also when I become stressed and think I just want my dogs and a nice coffee, but we are in a zombie apocalypse, so rain water coffee it is.

Have you practised your death scene?

You have to do your death scene exactly how it happened, but with added blood and guts! I can't wait to see the death scenes. I hope you have strong stomachs.

Who did you watch the first episode with?

I watched it with my mum and best friend Serena. They are really proud of me, although they laughed at me the whole way through it!

How do you think you’d cope in a real zombie apocalypse?

Terrible! I would curl up in a corner and cry if it was real! Zombies are seriously terrifying and I hope they never become real.

Can you give us any insider tips for if the day comes?

According to films I've watched, grab anything and hit them on the head! Unfortunately in this show you can't touch them. If I could that would be the aim! So, a crow bar seems a good option to me.

  • I Survived A Zombie Apocalypse is on BBC Three on Sunday at 10pm.