Dead Good.

As you may have guessed I am quite a fan of zombie movies, so when a new zombie flick comes out, I'll always at least give it a look. However I'm pretty sure that Dead Set is the first time that the undead have had their own TV series. Mind you, at four half-hour shows and and extended opener it's pretty much a slightly long movie cut into chunks. It's got a killer hook- zombies meet Big Brother, and is written by the hilarious Charlie Brooker, best known for his Screen Burn column in the Guardian Guide. However it's not a spoof, but a full blooded horror, albeit one with a strong satirical edge and excellent writing. It's proper scary and probably the most violent thing I've seen made for TV. The Big Brother angle is smart (the house being an ideal location for a traditional zombie siege) and being made by Channel 4 enabled it to use the actual Big Brother house, and feature cameos from the presenter and some former housemates. As a card-carrying Big Brother hater, the chance to see BB contestants eaten by Zombies was a chance not to be missed. I was even able to forgive the fact the zombies were the modern 'running' kind, so well was it pulled off. There's a cute and spunky female lead too I urge zombie and horror fans to check it out- you should be able to find it on e4's website- or it's coming out soon on DVD


Trailer here:

Spooks club 7

Spooks is one of the most exciting British TV shows or recent years. Last year's series of the spy drama was one of the year's highlights. So when the BBC announced a gritty hardedged spin-off Rouge Spooks was being developed for digital channel BBC3, my interest was piqued. Somewhere along the line they had a rethink, retitled it Spooks: Code 9, which is the form it finally hit screens in last week. The advert had me worried- it looked like it had been retooled to fit BBC3's 'yoof' demographic into a kind of 'Spooks meet Hollyoaks'. I decided to reserve judgment til I saw the finished result but now I have. How did it turn out? My God, it's horrible. Basically they've used a near future setting to give an excuse for why all the agent in MI5 are now all seeming under the age of 30 ( most of the previous agents were killed in a terrorist attack), which I suppose is a fairly interesting idea. However the show's a mess- the performances are universally awful (hollyoaks level in fact) the script's embarrassing. The attempts to make it young fresh and hip are painful. Thankfully there's only six episodes in the run, so hopefully we can just pretend it never happened, for everybody's sake.

For the sake of our international readers-who may not know what Hollyoaks is- just take comfort in the fact you're better off that way. Seriously, just trust me.

Monkey Magic

The BBC has started advertising it's coverage of the Beijing Olympics that starts in a few weeks. I know before anyone says something- sport isn't something that gets much of a mention in this blog- (quite rightly!) but I'm only mentioning the ad because of the form it takes. For anyone who hasn't seen it- it's an animation and a smart one at that- and one involving monkeys. Brilliantly it's based on the Chinese Monkey King legend (a.k.a. Journey To The West) that's best known as the inspiration for a couple of Japanese series Dragonball and the 70's cheesefest live action series aired in the UK as Monkey. It also has a visual style reminiscent of Gorillaz/Blur front man Damon Albarn's Monkey Opera. Most of this will go over the head of most of the mainstream audience, but it's cool that they've produced something that will bring a smile to the face of those in the know.

Check out the ad here

EDIT// Um ....yeah it turns out Mr Albarn and his Gorillaz cohort, comic artist and Tank girl creator Jamie Hewlett are actually the creators of this ad- which explains the similarity. I didn't know that when I originally posted but of course it seems kinda obvious with hindsight :-) There's an interview with the guys in UK Tv listings mag Radio Times, complete with four collectible covers designed by the genius Hewitt.

If you're UK based (or otherwise have access to UK channel BBC2) then I recommend making time to watch the excellent 3 part documentary Comics Britannia. Taking a look at the often overlooked history of British comics, it's a must for any fan of the art of comics. It was previously aired on BBC4, but it gets a terrestial airing starting this Saturday at 9.30pm on BBC2 (and presumably continuing for the next three weeks). If you miss is then it should be available on the iplayer for the week after each episode airs.

The two-part series finale of Doctor Who is always a guaranteed televisual treat, but this year they certainly seem to have outdone themselves. Some people have felt the current run took a while to pick up, but the last five or so shows have been steadily increasing in quality, culminating with episode 11, Turn Left, one of the smartest, best episodes ever (despite hardly featuring The Doctor himself). Last night's* episode 12 though was on a whole another level, ranking as about the best 45 minutes of TV I've seen so far this year. Brilliantly for fans it featured pretty much every contemporary character from the show's recent history (including characters from adult spin-off Torchwood) and showed a scale and ambition unheard of in British TV. Somewhere along the line the effects in Doctor Who have got good, and the effects shown last night rivalled a Hollywood blockbuster (and I never thought I'd say that). I'm still in shock however from the cliffhanger ending (which I won't spoil for anyone who wants to watch it but hasn't yet) which is either the best kept secret in sci-fi or possibly a spectacular cheat. I actually hope it's the latter, but i can't say why without going into spoiler territory. I can't wait for the resolution, but sadly I won't be around to watch it live next Saturday, so I'm going to have to wait even longer, dammit!

*this was the transmission date for UK only. It should be on the Sci-Fi Channel in the USA within the next few weeks I believe.

Strangely there's a campaign online to save Joss Whedon's new TV series Dollhouse. Nothing unusual there you might think, except that the show hasn't even aired yet. So the idea the show has fans in the first place might seem a little daft- how do they know if they like it? Basically to explain- Joss Whedon's last few shows- Buffy, Angel and the under appreciated Firefly got axed (as have many decent cult shows) by ratings-obsessed US network bosses, so some of Whedon's fans have assumed the worse and that the same thing will happen to his new show- and that it'll be worth saving- so some bright spark came up with the idea of starting the campaign preemptively- before a single episode has even aired. Now that's what you call a dedicated cult following!

Check out the trailer here (and it does look pretty awesome!)

I've never been keen on the practice of remaking British shows for the US market (it's not like there's a language issue, well not much of one anyway). It might be fine to export formats like Pop Idol (yeah, sorry American Idol is kind of our fault) Who wants to be a millionaire?, or The Weakest Link, but remaking comedies of dramas rather than just showing the originals always seems as insult. Not only to the original show, but in the assumption American audiences can't accept something not homegrown- blatantly not true if you consider how many of the recent hit movie franchises- Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Pirates etc- have largely British casts and a distinctly Anglo flavour. The remake of The Office is the only success so far. Despite that, I'd remained curious about the US version of the wondrous Life On Mars, thinking that it might be enjoyable on it's own terms. Now I've seen the trailer though, and this has gone out the window. It looks quite frankly rubbish. Colm Meany as gene Hunt will never live up to the iconic performance of the original. And the guy playing Sam Tyler just looks bland. In the interest of fairness, I should wait til I've seen a full episode, but can't say I'm looking forward to it now.

In case you haven't heard Gremlins are back! Not in the long-awaited (but non existant) Gremlins 3, but in a UK tv commercial for British Telecom. What's more they're the original rubbery 80's/early 90's version not some rubbishy CG update. Even features the original theme music. Just makes me pine for what could have been- surely a third movie would have made mucho moolah! For those who haven't seen the ad you can check it out here. And if you think that's odd, the legendary Jackie Chan has cropped up on British TV's in adverts for Woolworths.

This week, some 7 million viewers tuned into the Life on Mars follow up , Ashes to Ashes, and quite likely over the next week, thousands more will tune in via the BBC iPlayer. But in case you missed it, is it worth a watch? Can it ever live up to it's ace predecessor? Well... yes and possibly respectively. Although there's perhaps unavoidably a slightly forced feel to the concept itself- sending a female detective back to the 80's, rather than a male one to the 70's- it's a price worth paying to see the return of the iconic character Gene Hunt. Whatever the more snotty critics may say, I recommend it heartily! You're nicked, you slaaaaaaags!!

I've tried out the much publicised BBC iPlayer service. For the Uninitiated (or UnBritish) this is the online service from the BBC that allows you to view or download the programmes from the BBC'sTV channels the last 7 days (with fillm, sports and US imports- what few there are on the BBC- noticeably absent). And it's very nifty too. I was incredibly surprised by the pristine quality of the downloaded video, and was able to watch it full screen on media player. This could be very handy, if only all channels did their own version. I'm fairly sure that you'll need a UK-based IP address to access it, and videos delete after 7 days (or 30 days after the download) so you won't be able to archive programmes. Mind you I'm sure there are ways around both of those things, but obviously I would never endorse such mischief. You know that right?

2008 has started with a bit of a disappointment for anime (Japanese animation) fans on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US the first 24/7 anime channel The Anime Network has gone off the air, and it's taken the UK block with it. The signs were there before Christmas when the UK'sAnime Network block on Propeller TV suddenly lost it's on-air presenters- Stuart Claw and the rather lovely Emma Viecelli were there one week, gone the next and seemingly unable to tell their viewers why. It's now clear that it was because the block was being axed- and the order must have come form high up- the Anime Networks' owners ADV. It's not all doom and gloom though. AN will live on Stateside as an on-demand service (and is now online too), whereas in the UK we have the ace channel Anime Central to ensure we get our anime fix. Still, I'll miss Miss Viecelli. Sniff!

This week saw the end of the first season of Heroes on UK TV. And it was frickin' ace! It's been a long time since the BBC has given a US show such a prominent slot and such a large amount of publicity. It even made the front page of the Radio Times. God only knows how long we're going to have to wait to see the second season over here. The BBC have the exclusive rights to show season 2, so people without satellite won't have to wait until it's been shown on the Sci-Fi channel this time. The trouble is what with the US writers strike, it's likely to be some time before the season finishes in the States, and British broadcasters prefer to show series in one go. However, as Heroes is split into 'volumes', (and volume 2 has finished stateside) hopefully the Beeb won't make us wait too long. There's been some negative press surrounding the direction of volume 2, but personally I'm looking forward to [SPOILER WARNING, HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ] Hiro's adventures in Samurai-era Japan. I can't wait!

Regular readers will know about my feelings regarding 24 and the disappointment that was season six. For the benefit of the rest of you, basically all you need to know is- I love 24, but season six was just pants. Up until now i would have described my feelings regarding the revamped season 7 we've been promised as 'cautiously optimistic'. Well the trailer for season 7 had surfaced here in the UK (for some reason we got the exclusive) and has found it's way on to the net (for example here. just in case it's been taken down, you can do a quick search on Youtube for 24 season 7). Now having seen said preview, despite my best attempts to be cynical- I now can't wait to see it! It looks terribly exciting! Man, I hope Jack Bauer doesn't let me down! However I'll have to wait a wee bit longer still- it's been delayed due to the US writers strike. This will ensure it can run uninterrupted, so fingers crossed it'll be worth the wait!

All Children of the 80's it's time to rejoice! The single greatest cartoon series from the 1980's is to be finally released on DVD. Yep, comeFebruary 2008 (in the UK- US release, coming later), Fabulous Films will be releasing the Mysterious Cities Of Gold! Hooray!! For the unitiated MCOG was a Japanese/French Co-production about a young boy called Esteban who searched for the titular Cities in South America. Shown on the BBC in the UK (and Nickelodeon in the States) but unavailable since, the series has taken on an almost mythical quality and has become something of a Holy Grail of retro cartoons. And it had a awesomely catchy theme tune Basically It's the Citizen Kane of 80's cartoons.

Gradually over the past couple of years, most of the classic cartoons from the era such as Dogtanion, Ulysses 31 and Count Duckula have been released on DVD, but the 80's cartoon connoisseur has been asking, just when will MCOG be joining them? So you could say I'm pretty excited. Not very much is known about the release details (such as if it will be a boxset, or available separately) but it doesn't really matter, I'll be getting it anyway!

Meanwhile, those of you who like their animation a bit newer, shinier and more adult might want to check out the trailer for the feature-length return of Futurama. To quote the Professor - Good News Everyone!

I can't believe Prison Break is starting it's third series already. How time flies! Of course the third series is coming to the UK much quicker than the earlier series (Sky One are showing it just a week behind the US premier- we had to wait about six months before they were shown on Channel 5) meaning it's not long since the second series finished up over here. But more pointedly I'm quite surprised it's made it to a third series at all. If any show ever lent itself to a one series run this is it.

I enjoyed the first series. It was gripping and addictive (although completely ludicrous) but I got bored part way through the second series. To be honest I think they struggled to keep things interesting after they (hope this isn't too much of a spoiler for you) BROKE out of PRISON and the show's reason d'etre kind of vanished. That said the new series promises to put them in a different prison (which presumably they will try to BREAK OUT OF) so maybe it's time I gave it another chance. Maybe....

Meanwhile latest word from the new series of 24 is that it will see the return of a major character who I was fairly sure was very dead. I won't spoil it for you (If you really want to know click here) but no matter- if it helps them avoid a repeat of the goldawful lows of series 6
then they can bring back Nina Myers as a zombie for all I care (actually, that would be awesome).

If you're in the US and have access to the channel BBC America, then apparently this weekend is your first chance to tune in to ace British sci-fi Torchwood. Knowledge of it's parent show Doctor Who is not essential (although apparently it shows Stateside on the the sci-fi channel, so check it out if you can) although fans of that show will get extra out of it. American mags TV Guide and Variety have given it the thumbs up too. Basically think of a more serious, more sweary version of Men In Black meets Buffy and you'll not be too far off. It's very silly (in a good way) but it can actually do dark and adult surprisingly well too. Which when you consider it's a spin-off of a family orientated show, is all the more remarkable. Consult your local TV guides for airtime and details!

Incidentally for those of us in the UK, coincidentally the show just started a repeat run on BBC3, so if you missed out, now's your chance!

OK, so it currently looks like the Uk's first dedicated anime channel Anime Central, will be launching on Sky channel 199 from this coming Thursday ( September13th) from 9pm. To begin with it appears the same six shows will be showing each night showing in 3 hour blocks which will then be repeated (so the same episodes will be shown between 9-12, 12-3 and 3-6am). Of the initial crop I can recommend Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (an awesome sci-fi, even if I have no idea what's going on half the time) and Full Metal Alchemist, but the other shows should all be worth a look too!

Over on 195 (Propeller TV) the Anime network is now on between 8-10pm 7 days a week. Series premiers are on Saturday and Sunday but Monday to Friday are showing catch-ups, so if you're a late comer, you might still be able to get a clue what's going on. I recommend anybody who's yet to do so to try out some anime- there's a whole lot more to it than Pokemon!

It may have finished a while back, but ace retro-pyscho-cop-show Life On Mars continues to make the entertainment news. Firstly comes the news that the David E Kelley US remake is storming ahead, but the original stars of the British version have sensibly turned down offers to reprise their roles with American accents. In fact Sam Tyler actor John Simm took the opportunity to criticise the trend for American remakes. It is particularly redundant remaking show that were already in English to begin with. Still, if it makes it past the pilot it will be interesting to see what it turns out like. Back on this side of the pond, the follow up series has begun shooting (which surprised me, as I considered it merely a rumour until a couple of weeks ago). Ashes to Ashes will feature a female cop this time sent from the present back to the 1980's but will feature many of the characters from the original including the now legendary Gene Hunt. I have no idea how it'll turn out but I'm hopeful and anyway it stars Keeley Hawes from Spooks who is gorgeous, which is always a plus!

(By the way if you have no idea what I'm talking about you should buy the series 1 boxset right away. You'll thank me for it)

Oh I don't know, you wait your whole life for a dedicated anime (Japanese animation) channel to hit the UK and then two come along at once... well sorta. The UK's version of The Anime Network (which shows in a 2 hour block on sundays on channel 195) is going 7 days a week but is still going to be a two hour block rather than a proper channel, but the UK is also getting a full blown anime channel called Anime Central that will broadcast from 9pm to 6 am 7 days a week. And both are happening within two days of each other. Mental! Brilliant, but mental. This will be a chance for me to sample loads of new anime without having to spend a fortune of DVDs. Hurrah! Fear not UK viewers, for I will at some time in the future fill you in in which shows you need to be watching. Of course I know what'll happen now- having had no anime on TV for years I'm now probably going to have incidents where two great shows are on at the same damn time! Maybe it's time I got Sky Plus..

Mainstream UK audiences finally get the chance to see latest US smash Heroes when in premiers on BBC 2 at 9 pm Wednesday. It's a long old time since there was a big Cult US show on the Beeb, (since they lost 24 to Sky) so the times about right. In fact so confident are the BBC in their new acquisition that they've already got the first-look rights to series 2- poaching it from the Sci-Fi Channel. The good thing is that they seem determined to treat it right and are showing it in a high-profile and appropriate slot, and are giving it a big push. Fans of US TV might not have been too keen on the way BBC2 have treated such shows in the past (Buffy put in a 6pm slot, cut to ribbons because it's y'know..for kids) but hopefully they've learnt their lesson. And of course, cause it's on the BBC it's showing without ads. Personally it gives me the chance to finally see how it turns out- my DVD recorder broke with about 5 episodes on it, scuppering my chance to catch the whole run on Sci-fi. Anyway check it out, it started off pretty well (and by all account gets even better) and it's certainly worth a look-see!

Rumours are already circulating about the next series of 24 (not airing til January). It's common knowledge that the producers are planning a 'radical overhaul' for the next series based on the less than enthusiastic reception for series six. A reception it deserved. Because it was crap. Suggestions are only two or three characters are going to be brought back from the previous series- I don't think it's too much of a Spoiler to say one is obviously Big Jack himself. The thing is it wasn't the fault of all the other characters (or actors) that the last series sucked so hard- that was down to the writers. So if anybody is deserving of the chop, perhaps they should be looking closer to home. (Besides, I'd miss Nadia, she was a total hottie!) Whatever they decide I'll still reserve judgement until I see the finished result...

And so it finally Happened. After running the site for more than 3 years I finally took my first steps into thew world of pro animation by getting an animation on TV. Not just TV, but terrestial TV to boot, on the spin-off of one of the highest-rated shows in the country too (for their shame). b So if you missed it (not being British would certainly be a valid excuse) yesterday Big Brother's little brother played out with my animation. Top TV bloke Dermot O'Leary even said my name on TV! It was very odd and I'm still in shock. I'm probably not going to shut up about this for a while. In the meantime those who were unable to watch should check out the news page.

I've resisted and resisted, trying to believe it isn't so. But having seen the whole lot I just can't deny it any more... Series 6 of 24 was rubbish. Unusually, the show's producers have basically admitted as much- OK they didn't say it was actually rubbish but they confessed they might have begun to repeat themselves and that it's been a challenge to keep up the high quality of other series. I'm not going to criticise it for some of the completely ridiculous scenes in this run (I don't mind if it's unrealistic, that's not what I watch it for) but it committed the worst sin any entertainment can commit. It became boring. All the shocks and twists seemed like a mere shadow of what's gone before. The makers have promised radical rethink before the next series- so hopefully the next series will be a return to form. We can only hope.

To be honest, those of you waiting for the DVD release are just as well to give this one a miss- just pretend it never happened. You'll thank me later...

Just a quick reminder to UK viewers- the anime network block starts 8pm tonight on Sky Channel 195. Check it out!

Sheesh, how ace was the Season 3 Finale of Lost? Pretty damn ace, that's how much! The genius of the show is how it always manages to always say just on the right side of completely maddening- just when you think they're never going to tell you anything, they throw in a revelation or a plot twist that blows you away. And the final two episodes were full of such moments- it's going to be a long old wait until the next season!

[ beware! the following paragraph contains spoilers highlight text to read ] Charlies' "shock" demise was hardly a big surprise- being signposted for weeks and weeks- but it was doubtless a great, memorable and noble exit for a popular character (albeit one I was never particularly keen on). The flash-forward was a real humdinger of an ending though, because we really have no idea how the next season will unfold!

In unrelated news, I'm working on an animation project that will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks, so the update department might be a little lacking- providing I don't get too distracted.

It was only this week, that I realised how close I was to the end of Day Six of 24- the last episode goes out on Sky One next week! Considering I won't be able to see the final episode until the following week (due to it clashing with the Anime Network block that starts next Sunday) I am saving up the last episodes to have a double-strength hit of Jack Bauer Goodness (maybe it's triple- it might end with a double bill??). Only then will I deliver my final (spoiler-free) verdict on Series 6, so hold on to your hats (like you care). Got the final two Losts saved up already though- I'll let you know my two cents on that imminently!

Being a fan of anime (Japanese animation) in the UK involves a lot of looking at the size of the US market jealously. Over the past couple of years one of the biggest sources of this has been that the US fan base is large enough to support two 24-hour anime channels (The Anime Network and now the horribly monikered Funimation Channel). Whereas DVDs and books can be imported, there's no getting round they are out or our reach! This week the news broke that the Anime Network is going to be making it's UK debut as a two-hour branded block showing on Sky Channel 195 on Sundays from the 3rd of June. Luckily for me of the 4 shows making up the initial line-up I've only seen one of them already (Evangelion, a classic of anime that 99% of fans must have seen by now). Unluckily for me it's on at the same time as 24, meaning I'm going to have to shift my 24 viewing to it's repeat showing on Saturdays just as it enters the final few hours. Never mind, musn't grumble!

the offical site

Tomorrow is the last ever episode of the BBC's ace Life On Mars. It's always a shame when a favourite programme finishes, but it's good when writers know when to call it a day. They decided the plot had come to a natural end and decided to bow out before the novelty had worn off. This has got me thinking about how hard it must be to gauge how long to keep something going. If it's popular the fans and money-men want more, but how long before the quality dips?. In the same vein Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have also decided to finish Extras with a one-off special to avoid outstaying their welcome (or in their case, possibly due to laziness). Hopefully then the producers of Lost will be allowed to finish after another series or two (as they want to, but the network's less keen) and finish it satisfactorily, and avoid becoming another X-files.

Still, boy will I miss LOM. The last two episodes are still sitting unwatched on my HDD/DVD recorder as I can't bring myself to watch them and bring the end closer. One day I will be brave though, one day soon...

Details are finally emerging about the eagerly awaited return of Futurama. The DVD movies that have been promised, and the new episodes commissioned for Comedy Central appear to now be one and the same, creator Matt Groening has revealed. The 4 ninety minute movies will also be divided into 16 episodes for TV. We'll have to wait until 2008 to see exactly how this will work (probably even longer here in the UK!). Fortunately we've got the Simpsons Movie to look forward to in the meantime!

When Dr Who hit it big in the ratings with family and adult audiences alike, it was inevitable that the BBC's main rival ITV would take a stab at the Saturday evening sci-fi/fantasy drama. What was less expected was that the resulting concoction Primeval would be as entertaining as it is. With one show left in it's run, and a second series given the go-ahead it can be judged to be a success (even if it didn't quite maintain it's first episode audience). OK it's nothing amazing, and it's attempts to be self-consciously cool fall flat, but it's entertaining hokum none-the-less. For those outside the UK, the show features the appearance of rips in time through which prehistoric beasties begin to run amok in modern day Britain. A bunch of quirky scientists and archaeologists find themselves charged with tracking down these 'anomalies' and trying to stop the creatures chowing down on the general public. Yep it's silly, but it's exiting, fun and amusing and infinitely preferable to the endless parade of reality tv, gritty dramas and karaoke contests that otherwise clog up UK telly schedules. And with such an appealing concept, I would not be at all surprised if it gets lined up for a US remake, or even movie, sooner rather than later.

UK types, who have yet to sample the genius that is the films of Japan's Studio Ghibli, there's the chance for even you non digital types to set this right. And I suggest you set your videos/sky plus/tivo/pvr becasue they really are worth your time (and are on at a time where most of you will be at work/school/college/asleep ) the first one is Kiki's Delivery Service on tomorrow (monday) on channel for at 9.55am, and 3 other Ghilbi flicks are showing in the morning this week too- two of which are stone cold classics (My Neighbour Totoro and Laptua: Castle In the Sky) and one (the Cat Returns) still worth a watch!