Ultraviolet Online

I think Hollywood has forgotten how to do vampires. I grew up watching gothic, quasi-religious Hammer Horror films from good olde England. But, sadly, period pieces are no longer popular...neither are positive depictions of religion, for that matter. The days of Dracula stalking through Victorian London and being repelled by crosses are over. Nowadays, we get scantily clad teenage girls or George Clooney kicking vampire butt with kung fu and shotguns. It's been a long, long downward spiral for the lords of the Undead.

And yet, every once in a while, I ferret out a little vampire gem. The "Ultraviolet" DVD set was gathering dust on my brother's shelf when I decided to give it a whirl late one night. I didn't get hooked right away; the direction in episode one is a bit disjointed, and the first modern day vampire looks cheesy. But, ten minutes in, I found myself starting to care about the characters. They got me.

This, my friends, is how to do vampires today. Religion is acknowledged, but is not an overwhelming force. Modern technology is used to combat the vampires more effectively, but they're still formidable foes - so you won't see them overcome with holy water-filled Super Soakers. In fact, "Ultraviolet" consistently plays to the vampires' strengths. They're subtle, stealthy, and seductive...like vampires should be. In too many recent films, they've been depicted as zombie-like "shock" troops; here, they're back in best scheming form. After all, if you live forever, you have lots of time to make elaborate plans...

Not much by way of special effects here, but they're not really needed. There are some truly great suspense segments (particularly in episode five), and the acting is solid all around. I don't really think Jack Davenport ("Coupling") is miscast, as one other commentator suggested; he makes a good everyman.

The closest American counterpart to "Ultraviolet" is "The X-Files," but the investigations in that show just didn't seem realistic to me. The police and medical procedures in "Ultraviolet" are, on the surface, more authentic. They're probably still bogus, but at least they're not *as* bogus.

Sadly, the Brits only made one six-episode season, and creator Joe Ahearne says he pretty much got his message across in that short time. So, if you have six free hours to watch the best vampire entertainment in years, go to it!

The word vampire might encourage the odd yawn from prospective viewers of any fantasy series these days, but fortunately Ultraviolet never uses the word and so we can enjoy it for what it is. My own feeling while watching this excellent series was that it was first and foremost a quality drama series. It has depth, it is thought-provoking, it is gripping and brilliantly conceived. The vampire element, referred to as leeches or Code 5 in the serial, are bound to present-day earth by such topical considerations as biological warfare, AIDS, abortion and other key social issues which, far from being boring or rammed down our throats, serve as a convincing backdrop to what is essentially a battle between authorities and the church, and the parasitic underground of late twentieth century society. The supernatural element, in fact, blends so superbly with the natural that if any viewer were to chance across this series in midstream they would find themselves wondering exactly what they were watching. Six episodes scarcely seems enough to satisfy, but on the other hand, the entire adventure is wrapped up so neatly that, unless some equally clever ideas are forthcoming, this mini-classic should be laid to rest. A high quality cast, scripts and an atmosphere to rival the best of the X Files, all rooted in darkly convincing reality, Ultraviolet is a powerful combination of supernatural thriller and drama with biting social comment. This is so good it hardly seems like fantasy at all. The future of British SF should look to Ultraviolet as its mentor.

I recant, I repent, I withdraw my previous reserved review. At the time when I first reviewed Ultraviolet (which was some time after I'd actually watched it), Buffy and Angel were at their peak, and slick, quippy vampires were all the rage. But that's been taken as far as it can be. Tiring of the superficiality of the Buffyverse, I decided to give Ultraviolet another try.

Oh my. Oh MY. It's far better than I remember. Yes, the characters are miserable, but it's clearly laid out why this is so, and it all adds to the sense that this is *serious*, and that there are no quick fixes. There are nuances to the character development that I'd missed last time (I recall being distracted and only seeing half of the episodes when I first watched it), and I really, truly felt for them as people (it doesn't hurt that Susannah Harker looks like a melancholy angel, of course). It's underplayed perfectly, with only the occasionally shoddy piece of score to cheapen the tone.

And most of all, I felt for the vampires. These aren't the disposable charicatures of the Buffyverse, and they surpass even the fleshed out characters of Near Dark. They are real, rational people, with real emotions and familiar and touching desires and goals. They just happen to be immortal and drink blood. After you've seen vampires done this way, it makes you question why it should ever be otherwise. Ultraviolet tackles the question "If I was me, but a vampire, what would I do, what would I *actually* be like?" without flinching, trivialising, or slipping up.

There are no tomes of ancient wisdom, no easy answers, and most of all, no black and white morality. Ultraviolet poses the question: if you're always offered the choice to become a vampire, and if you don't have to kill to feed, then where is the crime? Why is it *wrong* to be a vampire? Just because the Church says so?

Ultraviolet leaves the viewer to make up his or her own mind about who the bad guys actually are, and whether there are any good guys in this scenario. It's an interesting and respectful take on the genre.

This mini-series was a breath of fresh air. I was quite surprised to find it at my local Blockbuster video, which is renound for carrying a lot of copies of main-stream garbage. This series introduced unusual elements and had all of the signatures of a well-created 'universe.'

This is a must-see, esp. for Vampire (did I use the 'v'-word?) fans.

You might want to sit down. Ultraviolet is stylish, smart and dare I say it - British…

British science fiction has a bad reputation with the people who commission programmes for television. It has often been lumped in with children's programming, or consigned to a minority channel with a minimal budget. With no chance of filming spectacle, the writers fell back on plotting and characterisation, it may have looked cheap and nasty, but the glory always lay in the writing. However, up against an endless supply of glossy, vacuous American imports British SF was an endangered species.

Fortunately, Channel 4 were willing to take a risk when they commissioned Ultraviolet. They chose to make a series that subverted the staple police drama with vampires.

Mention vampires to people and they may think of Christopher Lee in a cloak, a Californian teenage girl's extracurricular activities or the foppish dandies of Anne Rice's novels, but the legends go back into the depths of mythology. The vampire mythos has been in and out of fashion for the last couple of centuries. It was popular in the Victorian era in a society coloured by the grim world of the newly industrialised cities, infant mortality and mass illnesses. It languished for most of the last century, only to come out of the shadows with the onset of AIDS and worries for the environment.

Ultraviolet takes the mythical vampire and gives it a twist. This is a world recognisably our own, but with a dark core. These vampires live in the shadows – not only the physical darkness of night, but they are also lurking in the gloomier parts of society. They have interests in cancer, AIDS and the outcasts of society. They manipulate society to their own ends through human servants – willing and otherwise.

The Catholic Church – in connivance with the British government has set up a team to investigate suspicious events and where necessary to destroy the vampires. This is a long way from Buffy's stakes and a spell in the library. This team comes equipped with SWAT commandos, guns, grenades and all the latest scientific equipment.

Jack Davenport plays a policeman who falls into this alternate world when one of his colleagues goes missing.

The episodes do feature an ongoing thread which reaches a conclusion in the final episode. However, most of the plot of each episode is self-contained, so even if you chance across an odd episode you will be able to pick up the story. Ultraviolet is not suitable for children as it contains discussion of such topics as paedophilia and abortion –both subjects are sensitively handled, but are bound to offend some people.

The makers chose to use actors that could do justice to the material. If you tuned in halfway through an episode without realising what you were watching you could easily believe it was a glossy detective drama. Dialogue is well handled and understated – they act and sound like government officials, not bit players in a Hammer Horror film.

Visually it looks superb, it was shot on film and the screen glows with cool colours not normally seen outside of big budget productions. The producers took advantage of the London scenery, daytime scenes are set in the leafy suburbs, whilst night shots feature the seedier side of the metropolis – amusement arcades, grim tube stations and lonely streets. Special effects are used sparingly and are competently handled to propel the story forward.

Six hour long episodes were made. Part of me would like to see more of this dark world, to see the development of the grand plot and the characters, but another part says that it would have been impossible to maintain the standard without repeating some of the plot lines.

A minor classic.

This is one of the series I can watch again and again. I love it more and more every time I watch it. It's dark, moody atmosphere pulls you in from the very beginning, and keeps you glued to your seat for the full series.

All six episodes are integral to six hour story line in which Mike Colefield (Jack Davenport) struggles to come to terms with what happened to his friend Jack Beresford (Stephen Moyer), and to choose sides in Humanity's war against Vampires which is nearing it's climax. It will keep you guessing as to who's good, and who's bad until the very end.

I have to say that the series is a bit subtle for a mini-series. There are countless small details that can be overlooked during the first (Or even second in my case ;) Some of the plot elements aren't explained very well either. While this gives the series a "smart" feel to it, it makes it harder to understand.

As I said before I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and I'll pounce on a second season if there ever is one.

Ultra Violet is a gritty British crime drama set in modern day London. Detective Sergeant Michael Colefield's best friend disappears on the eve of his wedding to, Kirsty, the girl Colefield secretly loves. Colefield's search to find the missing bridegroom leads him to disturbing discoveries about his friend and unearths a secret enforcement agency operating within Colefield's own police force and their mission – to obliterate the hidden society of once human creatures, human blood sucking creatures.

Leeches as they are called, look like us, act like us, and want many of the same things we do, which makes sense - they used to be us. Although the word Vampire is never applied to the heavies in this series, refreshingly, the classic tenets of vampire lore are maintained, (They can't eat food, they cast no reflection and have a perilous allergy to sunlight.) Updated to the 21st century, our secret agency uses ultra-modern day science to track, destroy and not quite dispose of these creatures.

Ultra Violet is an excellently well made combination Brit TV, Police drama and Vampire chase. If you appreciate any one of these genres, I suggest that you check out this series, but be warned, It does not seem to be available for rental in the US as yet. I took a chance and purchased the 2 disc set sight-unseen from AMAZON.com for $26.99. I loved it, and while the story arc of the series does reach a reasonable conclusion, it's clear there were years of story left to this show. I must reiterate, my only regret in Ultra Violet is that it didn't have a longer run. If this has got you at all interested – check the more detailed reviews on AMAZON.COM.

I accidentally ran into an episode of this show one evening a couple months ago while scanning the mind numbing channels of DirecTv. Seeing Jack Davenport (of the UK version of "Coupling") and already being a fan of said show I decided to tune in. It was definitely time well spent.

I am a tremendous fan of the sci fi and horror genres. While movies such as Nosferatu, Dracula, Blade and such have their interesting tales to tell they are typically embraced by only a specific audience. While Ultraviolet is a series about vampires (although the word is never uttered in any of the episodes) it has a suspense and an intrigue that is shared with the best mystery or police dramas.

Those looking for pale faced vampires, hissing with fang filled mouths at crosses and stakes are sure to be disappointed. Instead we find a world of shadows, cerebral story lines that have real depth (and some ingenious twists and surprises). Colors and backdrops are well utilized to provide a start contrast. When you see the sun begin to set in any of the shows...you feel that sense of fear that the darkness brings to the human characters. The musical score definitely adds to the emotional tension.

All the actors provide solid contributions to their roles. Jack Davenport (as mentioned above from "Coupling" and "Pirates of the Caribbean") does a capable job in the lead role as a police officer who loses his partner to the dark side. He joins a secretive church sanctioned organization whose purpose is to understand and combat the individuals who are infected with the virus which causes this vampirism.

In my opinion Susannah Harker (scientist/doctor) and Philip Quast (priest/leader) had the most tangible roles. Their scenes regarding mortality, abortion, loss of loved ones could easily be taken from any dramatic series but here they are given the twist that only a show with vampires could provide.

The mini-series is available on DVD.

vampire series or movie that I have ever seen. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of any science fiction series or film that does it better. It takes one absurd premise (that vampires are real, and that, while still apparently composed of atoms and reflecting light, they nevertheless cannot be seen in mirrors, filmed, recorded, or detected by any indirect process) and then follows it with rigorous logic. The vampires (or leeches, as they are referred to) do not age or die, and they have had centuries to form a shadowy international conspiracy. Their goals and plans are murky, although their general motive is simple--ensure their food supply. Our heroes (or perhaps 'heroes') are a beleaguered team of humans trying to uncover the truth and break the undead cabal. In this respect, Ultraviolet resembles the X-Files, with some happy improvements. The vampire conspiracy is not essentially infallible. It is not so all-encompassing that our heroes survive only at the whim of their adversaries. And, the conspiracy doesn't enjoy that great advantage of most screen villains: the writer makes sure that they get away when the plot calls for it.

A really good show. Get it on DVD and watch it.

I purchased this with Xmas $$$ on my own accord, based on the promotional packaging, and I wasn't disappointed in the least OTHER THAN to learn that it was only a miniseries! An absolutely incredible production, ULTRAVIOLET has excellent acting, a dynamic story, and twists and turns that keep you interested throughout the entire journey. While I've noticed that others might've nitpicked a few of their favorite episodes, I will say that Episode 5 is one I've watched four (4) times in the scope of two weeks because it was so captivatingly well done!

Coupling meets X-Files meets Moonlight meets The Beast.

This British six episode mini-series is a slow burner, slow starter but a very slick, intelligent drama. It doesn't explicitly mention vampires - but it's called "Code 5" and it's about a church run agency that keep an eye on vampire goings on in London. Each episode is an hour length investigation into vampires attacking in a different manner, or something suspected to be them, within the story arc of the characters' own issues and history/personal experience with vampires.

Jack Davenport (Coupling) plays the lead Detective convincingly. He's a sceptic, not really impressed with his new role in the squad, or with the religious connotations and funding of it either - the leader being a Priest. A sceptic and an atheist. The main other character is Dr March (Susannah Harker) the tech-wizz who researches into the "disease" that is vampirism and how to contain it spreading to the human population. It's a medical show, with lots of science bits, witty dialogue and clever twisting plots. Idris Elba plays Vaughan Rice another Agent who is the gung-ho man on a mission and is brilliant. He is a superb actor and he and Davenport play well off each other.

It appears to be small budget with no big effects or toothiness, the vampires are human and realistic but traditional (drink blood, can't go out in daylight etc) with no silly surprises. It's a great modern take on the genre, with science and technology just as it would likely to be if it were real in modern England. It's played for drama, not comedy or action - very straight - and there is clever use of music, light and the sunset adds a real sense of dread and impending darkness. Without all the bells and whistles of "Hollywood" style action, the series could be dismissed as too slow for some viewers but there's so much to take in. It probably requires more than one viewing to fully appreciate all the nuances and catch all the dialogue as it doesn't spell everything out for you. Look out or a very 90s coiffed Stephen Moyer (TruBlood's Bill Compton) in a few eps.

clever clever clever. fans of sci-fi and the vampire genre will enjoy this "thinking persons" mini-series with many existential and philosophical questions to answer.

This is a great series, unfortunately too niche at the time that not enough watched so no series 2. Cannot believe the concept has not been taken up for a modern twist!

'Ultraviolet', which ran for only one series on UK television, was perhaps a victim of its scheduling, late at night on Channel 4, at times when a large audience would be unlikely to be watching.

It's a story about vampires and those who pursue them, without ever using the word - otherwise known as Code Five (V). Michael (Jack Davenport) finds himself sucked into the death squad when his friend disappears on the eve of his wedding. It's a stark choice - join them and do as they do, or find himself destroyed.

Each episode can almost stand alone, as they deal with specific cases which do not link together - the lawyer who desperately needs a baby, the psychotic schoolboy, the bloodsucking journalist. The eclectic cast (Susannah Harker,Idris Elba, Philip Quast, Colette Brown, Fiona Dolman ... and probably best of all, Corin Redgrave) are all on top form and extremely believable.

Until the last episode there is not a wrong note. The atmosphere is suitably dark and foggy, the characters are full of failings, and the vampires become more and more oppressive and menacing. It veers between being quite an intellectual puzzle, and a straightforward horror chiller. The ending is ambiguous, possibly deliberately so, but seems a bit of an anticlimax ... as if the series was building to deliver some other conclusion, but pulled back at the last moment.

A unique series, then, and a real shame that no second series was commissioned, leaving so many questions unanswered: what happened to Michael and Kirsty? did the priest really wish to cross over? what happened to the other resurrected Code V's in the boxes which came off the plane? would the little girl grow up to be, genetically, a killer?

If not for the 2003 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, I would say "Ultraviolet" was by far the best scifi TV show of the last 20 years. Indeed it has much in common with Battlestar, making me wonder if Battlestar creators were influenced by this great show. Foremost we are challenged with themes of moral ambiguity like never before. By that, I mean we are forced to question who are the "good guys", who are the "bad guys", and are there any limits to what injustices we commit in the name of war? For example, in one very jarring episode, we are faced with the conundrum: are the "good guys" justified in forcefully performing an abortion on an unwilling woman simply because her fetus could be a vampire hybrid?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the basic premise. It's the age old concept of vampires preying on humans and humans fighting back, except "Ultraviolet" delivers a very clear metaphor which other vampire tales only hint at. I'm speaking of the ecological metaphor of 1 species being at the top of the food chain and feeling the need to regulate & control all species below it. Sound like any species you know?

I applaud the writer for not mincing words. Direct comparisons are made toward human use (and abuse) of cattle & other livestock. At one point one of the human characters summarizes the situation very clearly by describing how the vampires could have humans all in farms within the next 50 years, punctuating it with, "our free-range days are over."

I think this is what has intrigued us for centuries about the classic vampire myth: the idea that there may be a super predator that feeds on us. Will it treat us the same way we treat the lifeforms we consume? Or will it strive for fairness, mutual benefit and true symbiosis with other lifeforms? After all, as one vampire points out, "we all share this planet." This is very progressive stuff, certainly far beyond the standard screamer flicks about bloodsucking monsters.

Another point that makes this groundbreaking for a vampire story is that it's one of the earliest versions that puts a hi-tech scientific spin on the battle. No wooden stakes and garlic cloves here; instead the humans use carbon bullets and allicin grenades, allicin being a garlic derivative. Also, the word "vampire" is never uttered (it must be a British thing, like in the 1983 vampire film "The Hunger"). But traditional elements remain, such as vampires not casting reflections, and more interestingly, a complex antagonistic relationship with the Catholic Church. The church's role is never fully explained, but that's part of the show's charm. At one point the vampire killers' justice is referred to as the new Spanish Inquisition, again making us question who the good guys & bad guys are.

I probably should've said up front that there isn't a ton of action in these episodes. So if straight up action is what you're after, you might want to look elsewhere. But suspense, tension, mystery, great character development, and above all poignant questions of morality are laid on thick. Again, I can't help bringing up Battlestar Galactica which is the only other TV show I've seen that forces us to decide for ourselves who are the good guys & bad guys.

It's a crying shame that this show never got a 2nd season. But apparently writer/director Joe Ahearne was reluctant to do even the six episodes we got. For that reason, the show does end on a decent finale that answers most questions. If you want to believe it. Me personally, I'd like to think that the season 1 finale presents just one possible side of the story, and a 2nd season could show us the other. Yeah I still have hopes that, after 15 years, we'll get a 2nd season. Then again, I'm still waiting for I Dream of Jeannie season 6.

I have to say a word about the cinematography, editing & soundtrack: magnificent. Particularly in episode 5 when one of the main characters gets locked in a warehouse with a vampire time bomb slowly counting down, the drama is presented in a classy, cinematic way we rarely get on the small screen.

If you're a fan of dark, gritty, suspenseful shows that challenge both your mind and your moral fiber, definitely check this show out. By the way, it has absolutely nothing to do with the 2006 vampire flick "Ultraviolet" with Milla Jovovich. Although there was a 2000 pilot of this series for American audiences produced by Fox (who admitted they "screwed it up"), this killer vampire story hasn't seen the light of day. Start writing in letters, people! Watch it and I'm sure you'll agree; someone needs to resurrect Ultraviolet!

A friend recommended the series to me. He said it was (sort of) a symbiosis between the X-files and a good sci-fi horror movie. Never being a fan of the X-files I decided not to see it. Luckily my girlfriend thought otherwise. She came home one day saying she bought the mini-series, so we watched it together… and watched …and watched, for 6 highly entertaining hours.

Ultraviolet offers a unique perspective on the vampire genre. It's creative and new, but still offering some of the traditional vampire characteristics (no reflection in a mirror, eternal life, the leeching of blood).

I especially liked the fact that the evil was so convincing. Of course Code 5 is bad, I knew that, but gradually I started to sympathise with the point of view of the leeches. The fact that the good guys all had some serious character flaws made the series all the more interesting.

Originally I saw Ultraviolet as a TV series, and recently again on DVD. Its compelling: it was all I could do not to watch the whole 6 episodes in one night. Other distinguishing aspects are the intelligent script, and clever plotlines.

Characterizing Ultraviolet best however, the standout reason to experience Ahearn's dark vampire mythos work, is "understatement".

There's no cut to extreme close-up as the protagonist realises what's going on, followed by a complete explanation in flashback. Dialog is sotto voce, offhand even. Sets, locations, effects are elemental, and still look good in 2003.

For example - warning, slight spoiler - when Davenport's character D/Sgt Coleman first discovers what he's into, we discover it with him; rather than having it pushed in our face. The clues have been there; a bizarre pistol augmented with video camera and half-silvered mirror, the comments from Pearse. But is only as he aims the weapon that Mike is forced to the realisation that something evil has taken his old friends place.

Watch it again. And again. There's more each time, and the fact that Ahearn _never_ uses the word vampire, is just one of many subtleties. In the opening captions for example the word "Ultraviolet" disappears letter by letter until "V" remains.

The effect is artfully limned outlines resulting in a foreboding sense of shadowy figures operating in the periphery of the plot. This helps to emphasise the uncertainty of who can be trusted, who is malevolent and who seeks peace.

Completely unlike superhero/schlock based vampire-mythos treatments (Buffy, Blade, Carpenters "Vampires") Ultraviolet revels in the drama of exploring the line between good and evil, faith and lies, living and undeath. Its strongly written medical and detective plotlines work through deeper darker human desires: to cheat death, to find lost loves, and to fight for ones humanity.

Also unlike cinematic renderings (eg those based on Anne Rice, and Stoker novels) Utlraviolet carves out new territory in casting the vampire not as individualistic Euro-elegant anti-hero, but as pawns, bishops and rooks of an inexorable and invisible dark power.

The characters created by Quast, Davenport, Elba and Harker are heroic in that they have given over their comfortable lives to know and fight evil, but they are vulnerable and human. Even Elba's Vaughan Rice knows he's fighting an evil too fast and powerful; and its his ingenuity that saves him, and his knowledge of his own mortality that makes us want him saved. The contribution of Davenport's Mike Coleman to the group is his cop cunning and intuition, not some lantern jawed, flinty eyed gunslinging.

There is so much more in Ultraviolet it seems a terrible shame that only 6 episodes were made. Someone, somewhere please get Ahearn and the team back for season two!

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I RECOMMEND NOT READING ANY COMMENTS HERE AT IMDB. THE LESS YOU KNOW ABOUT "ULTRAVIOLET," THE BETTER. JUST SEE IT FOR YOURSELF. THAT IS ALL.

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I won't beat around the bush: I'm a horror geek, and I love anything that deals with boogiemen, zombies, and, yes, vampires. But the "v" word is never thrown around in the series "Ultraviolet," and with good reason - the show desperately tries to separate itself from other vampire shlock (i.e., "Embrace of the Vampire," "John Carpenter's Vampires," and even the last few seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), and, for the most part, it succeeds.

"Ultraviolet," as creator Joe Ahearne says, is a cop show crossed with a vampire show. Investigators for a top secret agency unravel the sinister plans of the Code V, or "leeches" as they are called in the series. While there are quite a few logical plot holes (if the leeches can't be seen on video, why are their clothes invisible, too?), these are mostly overshadowed by the terrific atmosphere and story.

Jack Davenport is a bit of a mumbler on this one, but the whole cast turns in a good performance. The series has decent special effects, and the overarching story begins, develops, and ends. Only six episodes were ever filmed, so think of this one as a miniseries. Six hours of UV is still like three two-hour films, and it feels like that, too.

This one is a bit hard to catch on American TV. I don't know about the UK, or even the rest of the world - maybe somewhere they're airing this. You can purchase the DVD set, however, and that's probably the best way to go.

This is in my opinion the best horror series ever on TV, bar none. In its first season, at least; I hope the second season will keep it up. This is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in the style of "Prime Suspect". It's like a vampire itself, pale and chilly; it keeps up one of those nerve-wracking, semi-audible electronic musical pulses all the way through; it's heavy with fear and angst and Catholic guilt; and it convinced me that if this were the way it was this was the way it would be. It's as creepy as can be. Unlike other horror films, it treats its premise seriously and proceeds from the assumption that it's true, whether it's pleasant for us to contemplate it or not: unknown to most of us, vampires are out to take over and an undercover state police unit has the license to stop them by any means it can, including murder. The hero doesn't like to believe it, but in the end he has no choice, and we don't either. That, I think, is the series' greatest strength: it persuades us by showing this is how things "are". The actors contribute a lot to this end. The heroes aren't all that likable but are fascinating and increasingly sympathetic, especially after we start meeting the villains, who are a truly despicable lot. The series works us up to real anger over what they're trying to do--and it's all a fantasy! This is first-rate TV.

This outstanding, under-marketed mini-series delves into the tired old Vampire Lore genre, and manages to make it fresh, suspenseful, and exciting. It manages to fully modernize the storyline while maintaining the "classic" vampire traits, and does away with the "hokeyness" associated with the many decades of vampire fiction. It was believable, unpredictable, and leaves you often wondering who's side you're on. The best description I have for "UltraViolet"s effect on it's audience is: Imagine your favorite 3-part "X Files" episode, multiply it by 2, and add more good acting. It's character driven, sublime, and completely excellent.

Having watched the whole series (6 episodes) i was impressed by both the performances of the actors as well as the subject matter that i have never seen a British series use, having seen shows such as Buffy the vampire slayer and x-files i am used to the vampire and paranormal TV series but this is the first instance i have seen of a British series tackling this. my rating of 9/10 may seem a little high, i decided to give it a high rating because it combines the detective and vampire horror genres to produce an entertaining hybrid which is a new experience to me, Jack Davenport was a great choice for the role of Michael Colefield and plays the part very convincingly, the downsides to this are that only one series was made which leaves a feeling that the story isn't quite finished and also at times it seems like there's a skeleton cast and it seems the shooting locations were empty apart from the main 4 characters, this is't overly noticeable but it just bugged me.

I am an inveterate techie geek, so I looooove this new approach to vamps, with all the medical tests and high-tech gear. Yet the stories are strong and rooted in well-drawn characters. I hope there's a second series, and I hope it makes it over to the States!

What a cool show this was. I have never been a fan of British Sci-Fi or British TV at all for that matter, but after reading some of the comments on here about it, I decided to give it a shot. I sat down and watched all 6 episodes back to back. By the time I was done I wanted more. This show (knowing British TV) had an enormous budget and it shows. The quality of the show is as good as anything here in the states. The acting and characters also are a plus. I could actually relate to the feelings expressed by some of the characters out there. The hero of the show is not a typical hero. He is more like a normal ma who makes choices based on his life and not the "code of the hero". This is a great show about vampires in London and its a shame that there aren't more episodes out there. Maybe if enough people see for themselves how good this show was, there can be a big enough demand for more.

This is what American television will never be: great writing and directing; complex, smart and intellectually challenging; great cast of real actors; and, of course, vampires. Great to avoid gothic and camp. The choice for a mini-series format is understandable. However, it has been a few years and should be time for another intstallment.

DS Michael Colefield's life is changed forever on the day of his friend Jack's wedding. Jack goes missing the night before and as he tries to find him he crosses paths with officers of a secret government agency... they are vampire hunters! They are also convinced that Jack is now a vampire. Michael understandable has some difficulty believing this but by the end of the first episode he learns that it is the truth. He is then recruited into the agency and learns more about the vampires' plans to enslave humanity like cattle... and worse. Joining the organisation means cutting most ties with the past; this includes Jack's fiancée who enlists the help of a journalist to find Michael.

This is a really good reinterpretation of the vampire story; instead of the usual gothic romance or horror story it is shown in a more modern way... a police procedural/medical drama. The members of the unit study their foe, always referred to as 'Code Vs' or Leeches rather than vampires and hunt them with modified modern weapons rather than the traditional wooden stakes and holy water. This doesn't mean traditional vampire lore is ignored; they die rather than sparkle in the sunlight! The cast does a fine job with Jack Davenport impressing as Michael; Susannah Harker and Philip Quast are solid as Dr Angie Marsh and Fr Pearse Harman respectively and Idris Elda stands out as former soldier Vaughn Rice... this is a fairly early role but watching him here it is no surprise that he went onto bigger things. Overall I'd definitely recommend this even if you aren't usually a fan of vampire stories.

What would you do if you could live forever? The wonders of compound interest would make you one of the richest men in the world and the accumulated wisdom would make you one of the most powerful... or the most sadistic. In this magnificently stylish Brit sci-fi, a team of policemen and doctors battle a plague of 'leeches': urbane, erudite vampires that really make you wonder who you want to win. With a strong sexual undertone (nothing explicit) and some high quality acting, UV redefines the vampire flick. Even seven years later, the scene where the hero wakes up in a warehouse full of coffins in the fading afternoon light remains with me. Oh, and what does the leader of the vampire killers do when he finds he has terminal cancer? Watch it and find out!