Ultraviolet (1998– )

Michael Colefield is unwillingly thrust into the nightmarish world of vampires when he discovers a secret government organisation operating undercover within the police when his friend Jack... See full summary »

Stars:

Jack Davenport, Susannah Harker, Idris Elba

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jack Davenport	...	Detective Sergeant Michael Colefield (6 episodes, 1998)
Susannah Harker	...	Dr. Angela March (6 episodes, 1998)
Idris Elba	...	Vaughan Rice (6 episodes, 1998)
Philip Quast	...	Father Pearse J. Harman (6 episodes, 1998)
Colette Brown	...	Kirsty (6 episodes, 1998)
Fiona Dolman	...	Frances (6 episodes, 1998)
Thomas Lockyer	...	Jacob (4 episodes, 1998)
Corin Redgrave	...	Dr. Paul Hoyle (2 episodes, 1998)
Stephen Moyer	...	Jack (2 episodes, 1998)
Elizabeth Earl	...	Angie's Daughter (2 episodes, 1998)

Storyline

Michael Colefield is unwillingly thrust into the nightmarish world of vampires when he discovers a secret government organisation operating undercover within the police when his friend Jack disappears under suspicious circumstances on the eve of his wedding.

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Plot Keywords:

undercover | secret | police | vampire | secret government organisation | 

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Taglines:

They Look Like Us. They Act Like Us.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crossing the Line

Filming Locations:

Southwark Bridge, Southwark, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

300 min 300 min (6 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

All 6 episodes in the series have Latin names.

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Quotes

Father Pearse J. Harman: Our free range days are over.

User Reviews

Mea culpa

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.