'Ultraviolet': Tube Talk Gold

The mid-to-late '90s was something of a bleak period for cult television in the UK. Doctor Who was nowhere to be seen, and the best that sci-fi fans got in its stead was the BBC's risible Crime Traveller. But there was one diamond in the rough - Channel 4's 1998 offering Ultraviolet, a six-part vampire thriller created, written and directed by Joe Ahearne.

Running for a single series, Ultraviolet was a uniquely British take on the vampire genre - a horror story dressed up as a police procedural. "It's such a bizarre concept for British television," said Ahearne in a 2000 interview. "Americans don't have a problem with this kind of material, but you don't get much of this done on British TV. And by the end of it... I thought it really worked."

Ultraviolet: Originally broadcast from September 15, 1998 to October 28, 1998

Fresh from his success in This Life, Jack Davenport played the lead role of Michael Colefield, a Detective Sergeant whose world is turned upside down when his best friend and partner Jack goes missing the night before his wedding. As he investigates Jack's disappearance, Michael is drawn deeper and deeper into a dark, secretive world and must protect his pal's fiancée Kirsty (Collette Brown) from the horrifying truths he has uncovered...

Ultraviolet is a cut above your average vampire tale - moody, innovative and stylish. Ahearne was clearly keen to avoid the traps and tropes of vampire fiction and presents a thoroughly modern take on the blood-sucking creatures. Forget the stakes and holy water used by hunters of the past - Ahearne's characters use cutting-edge scientific methods to battle the paranormal.

When Michael joins a covert, government-funded anti-vampire unit, he learns that squad leader Vaughn Rice (Idris Elba) and his men use garlic gas and carbon bullets.

And the old trope of vampires lacking a reflection is also taken to its logical, modern-day conclusion - in Ultraviolet, neither the image or voice of a vamp can be captured, making audio and video surveillance rather tricky...

But the modernisation of vampires goes beyond the scientific. At times, Ultraviolet portrays the creatures as simply part of nature - a social minority hounded by religious zealots. "Woman, black, disabled, gay - now us," rants the recently-vamped Jack in the show's opening episode. It's a neat idea and at times, the viewer wonders who the real villains are - the vampires or those hunting them down...



Despite being well over a decade old, Ultraviolet has aged remarkably well. Throughout much of the show's run, the vampires lurk off screen, using human slaves to carry out their nefarious deeds. The decision to have the creatures remain in the shadows may originally have been financially motivated - night shoots and monster make-up are expensive - but ultimately, it works to the show's benefit. Visual effects are kept to a minimum, meaning that there's relatively little to date the series.

Watching Ultraviolet now, another element that strikes the viewer is the gritty, grounded feel. Michael does not pursue vampires across a Transylvanian plain, but through the streets of London and down into the city's underground. The show boasts a dark, oppressive atmosphere - aided immensely by the gloomy cinematography and sparse use of incidental music.

The show's cast also play an important part in establishing the style and mood. Jack Davenport's dry, no-frills acting style makes him the perfect everyman and so the ideal guide for the viewer as we are exposed to fantastical elements such as vampires and secret para-military units. Idris Elba also brings an icy cool to the role of Gulf War veteran turned vampire hunter Rice - the same style and charisma that would win him international acclaim years later on HBO's The Wire.



And speaking of top US dramas, it's worth noting that Michael's friend Jack - the man who disappearance kicks off the entire series - is played by True Blood star Stephen Moyer. Sporting his natural British accent and a terrific late '90s hair-do, Moyer took his first steps as a vampire here, ten years before assuming the role of Bill Compton.

In addition to the cast's subsequent success, the clear influence that Ultraviolet has had on makers of cult television ever since its original transmission can be taken as another sign of the show's quality. In an interview given earlier this year, Being Human creator Toby Whithouse cited the show as a major influence on his own paranormal drama.

"It was terrific [and] one of the most underrated shows of the last 20 years," said the writer. "You could see its 'family tree' of influences, yet it was totally original. I wish it had run and run and run."

If you caught Ultraviolet on original transmission back in 1998 and want to refresh your memory, or are keen to check out the series for the first time, then you're in luck - a complete DVD box-set was released in 2001 and all six episodes are also available to watch free of charge on 4oD. If you're a fan of the vampire genre - or simply enjoy well-written British drama - then we throughly recommend that you check it out...

Did you watch Ultraviolet? Share your memories of the show below!