A Psion of the Times

If you are of a certain age and have an interest in tech, the name Psion may mean something to you. Coming to prominence during the 1980's home computer boom as both a hardware and software supplier, Psion rode the wave and successfully launched a range of electronic organisers, helpfully called the Psion Organiser, that whilst clunky and very 80's looking, their job well enough to gain a dedicated following. This allowed them to progress from the calculator-like Organiser II with a pocket computer that defined the company into the 90's and still, to this day, gives certain individuals a sense of glowing nostalgia when seen in public.

Closed from the top

The underside and the speaker

Underside with the "gull-wing" card slot covers open

The Series 3 was their first clamshell design, one which nailed the brief spectacularly. What you get is a pocket-friendly device with a hunt and peck keyboard that, by good design, is pretty much capable of decent typing speeds with a bit of use. This is down to the well-spaced layout and the slightly concave keys that help guide the fingers accurately. True, like all Psion clamshell designs, there were issues - namely a slightly fragile hinge and a ribbon connecting the gubbins in the bottom half to the screen that could fray and cause display problems, but that does not take away what they got so right with the Series 3.

There is a screen in there somewhere...

It's alive!!!

The screen, however, is a compromise, fair enough really given the year of release. As you can see, the screen on the original Series 3 is a bit lost in the lid and has a relatively poor resolution of 240x80, and that is one area they improved upon with the following Series 3a, where the display was not only physically bigger but offered a resolution of 480x160. The main processor is an NEC V30 running at 4.7MHz (a reverse-engineered copy of the Intel 8088 that powered the original IBM PC), coupled with 256Kb of RAM and 1MB of ROM that held the EPOC 16 operating system. Not exactly heady stuff at the time but then it did run north of 20 hours on two AA batteries.

A bit of Word.

A World Clock, circa 1991

The aforementioned Series 3a offered the bigger screen, a faster (7.68MHz) processor and double the RAM (and later 1 and 2MB models). The 3c (one of which I carried at university and sorely wish I had never sold on afterwards) bumped the RAM up to 2Mb and had a matte exterior (whilst some US models added a back-light to the display).Finally, the 3mx all offered a back-light and faster NEC V30MX processor running at 27.648 MHz. At that point, the Series 3 was retired for the Series 5.

Now I mentioned the batteries and their expected lifetime. Time was that the AA battery was ubiquitous and if you need to, replacing them was just a shop visit away. These days, with densely packed lithium battery tech, all I can say is good luck with that. True, high resolution colour displays and multi-gigahertz-clocked processors require that kind of power supply, but sometimes it would just be handy to be able to swap out old for new (or rechargeable) ones.

Anyhoo, back to the Series 3. The batteries are kept in the hinge and are easily accessible. The hinge itself is still pretty firm and doesn't feel in anyway compromised by the years of use - not bad for something made in 1991! That same hinge, on the interior, gives access to eight soft-keys - shortcuts for the built-in applications: System, Data, Word, Agenda, Time, World, Calc and Program. Pretty self-explanatory but as memory serves, both the Agenda, Data and Word applications were bloody good for their time and proved more than useful twenty years ago! In fact, I don't think I have used a better calendar application ever. The Program soft-key is of particular note, as having a programming language baked in meant that those who wished could program their own applications for the device.

Check out those short-cut keys.

Connectivity was well catered for too, with two expansion slots for Solid State Disk memory cards and software packs, and a proprietary connection for a serial cable. Later models also offered an infra-red connection.

Using the device today, the screen is pretty easy to read in decent light and the lack of a back-light isn't an issue. The small amount of RAM isn't too much of a hurdle either given what the device was used for and if you wanted to do any serious typing, a memory card was easy (if not overly cheap) to add. The example I have was purchased off E-bay and though the battery contacts need a good clean, it's in pretty good nick. There are always quite a few Series 3 models available but be warned, the more recent 3c and 3mx models go for near £100 or more, proof that they are still in demand today. A quick Google located a UK based company advertising new and second-hand Psion devices so, without doing any advertising, if you do want a Psion of your own, you know what to do.

The biggest hurdle for anyone under the age of 30 using anything like the Psion is the lack of a touchscreen. You see, back when the Series 3 was released, touchscreens were a rarity on portable devices so navigation is purely via the keyboard. There is a menu button and the on-screen menus are very well laid out so with a bit of practice, you'll be zipping about in and between applications with ease. For pretty much any option, there is a suitable key-based shortcut. True, it is not as intuitive as a mouse pointer or a touchscreen but for the time of release, this was pretty good. Indeed, anyone with a passing knowledge of DOS would feel pretty much at home here. How many there are of you in this day and age is up for debate! But in any case, the Series 3 is very usable and with only a small amount of practice too.

Is this a serious tool for 2018? Well, depends on what you want to use it for. As an organiser, the software is brilliant but there is the issue of connectivity and syncing software for the modern day PC. You can get serial to USB cables and a quick search online brought up a handful of useful articles so yeah, certainly with a later model with the higher-res screen, they are certainly usable today. Would you want to pay for one, well that is another matter...

On that note, I'll leave the blog for now, what with Salute at the weekend and then another appearance on Attention Please on Monday evening with Eddie Carter. If you fancy a listen, we're on 102.5FM in the local area or you can click on the Listen section here on the NE1FM website.

Operation Warboard - a review

Special effects, pre-CGI...

Operation Warboard could be described as "just another one of those how-to" books that wargaming seemed to breed during the 1960's and 70's. Written by Gavin Lyall (who also wrote a series of thrillers, a few of which were adapted for television by the BBC), Op W is a beginners guide to wargaming World War 2 in the 20-25 mm range of miniature figures popular at the time. However, to describe it a "just another" book of the genre would be to do it a great dis-service.

Much like Charles Grant and Battle (which I covered here), Op W is very much a relaxed, introduction to a specific period of the hobby, narrow in view but superlatively detailed in what wargaming should really be about. From the beginning, the tone is friendly and plain speaking, no condescension here. It very much has the spirit of "give it a go", "use what you can" and "you don't have to spend a fortune". It comments that money can be spent hand over fist with regards to the hobby but that should not get in the way of playing the actual game in as realistic manner permissible within the boundaries of enjoyment. 

Does what it says on the "tin" as it were.

And this is the thing. Op W states time and time again that enjoyment of your (my italics) hobby is paramount. You have the interest in the period so you get to choose what path you follow. Op W is just a handy guide. Alongside that, the book also adds that if you want to change something or add to the admittedly basic rule set contained within, then have at it Bonny Lad (I added that bit myself). Work out your own values for additional vehicles, weapons etc and give them a go. If they don't work, change them again. If there isn't a model available of a vehicle you want to put on the table, why not try scratch building (and he includes an example too - though if you look at today's market, say the 15mm Command Decision range from Old Glory, it's going to be pretty hard to pick a vehicle they don't have!). It doesn't matter if it's not 100% accurate, as long as it proves a decent representation and can be used for effect within the game.

Given that, though, it is in no way completely about the game, as historical accuracy and realism are well catered for. The rules themselves are very straight forward and I am going to suggest to the TWATS that we give them a go at a future Saturday meeting. They remind me a bit of Team Yankee in that the basic set up is quite simple and to be honest, I think Lyall's are better, being more clearly laid out and quicker to understand - and yes, this is despite the picture heavy TY rules which are effectively a catalogue for the accompanying models - this is very much a case of Games Workshop - create rules to sell plastic!. 

It may seem like I am using TY as a ball here, giving it a kicking but think about how times have changed since Op W was first published. The modern day games designer is practically packaged with a manufacturer in tow. Indeed, it's usually the same company, and they control everything about the game/rules/miniatures. I have heard that at some games, if you are playing TY, you can only use TY models. If we TWATS took that point of view, we'd never play a bloody game at all. Rules are a tool to represent the period and models are there to represent the participants. Or do I have that wrong? Yes, I'll be using TY for the demo game at this year's Durham show but with my own take on things and amendments where I consider appropriate and no-one can tell me otherwise. If it works, all well and good. If it doesn't, I am sure the feedback in the pub afterwards will be suitably brutal!

That is the joy of wargaimg, you make of it what you will for your own enjoyment, not what any corporate suit (and trust me, look past the branded t-shirts and smiling faces and pretty much every larger scale company with their own rules and miniatures is a corporate entity looking for your cash!) tells you to do. As Aussie Bill Wallace once said, "FREEDOM!!!".

In the end, there is a place in the world for books like Lyall's and it would be a shame if many of today's wargamers (and not just those interested in WW2) didn't get to read something like this to give them another view of the hobby and maybe to educate them about freedom of thought and not just accepting what they are given. This post has turned into a bit of a tub-thumper when it was never meant to but I believe this is a message that needs to be repeated. That and Operation Warboard is a good read!

March Musings

So here we are, the last day of March and with the UK Tax Year End fast approaching (which is always a joy, professionally speaking...), I thought it timely to add an update before life really gets busy.

First up, this month saw me return to Attention Please, a radio show hosted by my friend Eddie Carter on NE1FM. This time, however, was a little different as apart from one song, I chose the whole  two hour playlist. Yep, it was a random collection indeed but I had a great time and it was a laugh. So much so, I will be appearing again (but maybe only picking a single track this time) on Monday April 16th, work depending. There was some good live feedback during the show and Eddie has placed a recording of it on Mixcloud here if you fancy a listen.

I also managed a cinema trip this month, this one to see the new Tomb Raider film. Now games to film adaptations have  a rocky history and this one kind of has the same problem but in reverse to the usual complaint - it's not that it doesn't follow the style of the games, it is that it follows it too closely, more specifically, it follows the story of the 2013 re-boot of the game series, Tomb Raider. Now this may not entirely be a bad thing, that title was a tremendous re-introduction to the character of Lara Croft but as some Youtube channels have pointed out, some scenes from the film are nearly shot to shot identical to the game. The film does have a couple of other problems, namely pacing that is a little too quick but I can see why they have done that and a villain who doesn't really come off as threatening. The acting is decent to good, Alicia Vikander is a suitable Lara and Dominic West is always good value, and the action is...actiony (!) enough. On the whole though, this is a good game to film adaptation and a decent action film in its own right. True, it's not high art, but an enjoyable passing of a couple of hours and I hope it performs well enough for a follow up as there are some decent threads left dangling.

The one piece of saddening news this month was the recent closure of Grainger Games. Not overly well known outside of the north of England, Grainger Games was a 67 store strong chain of video game (and geeky merchandise) shops. Founded in the Newcastle's Grainger Market way back when, it had, until about a year ago, provided a nice alternative to GAME on the UK high street for video games, always being a couple of pounds cheaper on most releases. That, however, stopped when their pricing matched GAME's and they introduced merchandise to the stores (in some instances, nearly half the store was given to non-video game stock). These were the first signs they were not making enough off games alone and as it turned out, a slippery slope to closure. This now means that there is only one large scale high street retailer for video games, in the same way there is only one national high street retailer for books (Waterstones) and one for films and music (HMV). It does make you wonder what specialist stores will be left within a few years...

Anyhoo, I have a meeting of the TWATS to get to and hopefully not make a complete hash of it this time...

The Explorers Guild Volume One - A Book Review

Whilst checking out the local branch of Travelling Man a couple of weeks ago, I found book that interested me. The tale is about an organisation, The Explorers Guild and the search for the mythical city of Shambhala. Its approach is a tad different from most novels, mixing prose and comic book presentation, but it does work, mostly.

Written by John Baird, Kevin Costner (yes, that Kevin Costner), Stephen Meyer and illustrated by Rick Ross, the novel covers the years 1912 to 1918 and is written in the style of factual tomes of the 1920's and 30's, with a hint of Victoriana thrown in for good measure. By the way, don't think that because volume one is mentioned in the title, there is no volume two. At least, there is no sign of it yet.

So, beginning in 1912 and running several story strands concurrently, TEG weaves a complex tale with quite a few characters introduced at the beginning and more added later on. The language is quite flowery, even for the period it is supposed to ape and I did have difficulty in the switching from text to art. To be fair, most of that was down to me, but I would say that, whilst I did get used to the switches, they still jarred even towards the end. Oh, and when I say flowery, I mean downright purple. I get it that real books written around that period could, and often did have such style, but I think they overdo it here just a tad.

Mixing in a forgotten city, a loose cannon of a British Army Major and a gallivanting actress, plus a religious order and the aforementioned Guild, TEG reads like it should be adapted for the small screen. Maybe, given the background of the creators, their was an eye to that end. Who knows. It certainly ticks the boxes for serial production; foreign locations, duplicitous characters and a scope of story that takes all of its 763 pages to get through. The pace does sag in the middle third but the final two hundred pages pass by in a flash.

The artwork for the illustrated sections is clean, well drawn and easily readable. There are colour illustrations at the beginning of each "book" of the story and the format mimics the style of tomes for the period it covers.

This did take some time to get through, partly due to the high pages count, partly due to the nature of the text. However, I did enjoy it and if there were ever to be a volume two, I would pick it up.

Wing Commander - A Film Retrospective

Ah, Wing Commander. For those of you who were PC gamers in the early to mid-90's, Wing Commander may evoke deep feelings of nostalgia for space combat games, complex story telling and full motion video acting. Whilst the first and second games used traditional animation to convey the story, games 3 and 4 brought in real, honest-to-goodness actors, notably Mark Hamill, John Rhys Davies and Malcolm McDowall. That and the increase in quality of 3D animation meant that the fourth game had a budget of $12 million, most of it for the cutscenes shot using both traditional and virtual sets using greenscreens. The was serious money for a computer game back then!

The success of the series, and the fact that by the late 90's, several of the titles had been ported to home consoles and there were spin off computer games, meant that there was much thought given about a jump to the cinema screen. When Chris Roberts, creator, director and producer of the games series decided he wanted his games production company Digital Anvil to move into film production, Wing Commander had its big screen debut.

Got to love the marketing blurb!

And remember, this is a family friendly film too...

The film version of Wing Commander was released in 1999 and Digital Anvil not only produced the film but also provided the CGI for the film. The story was removed from the existing game lore and all of the roles were either re-cast with younger actors or created from scratch for the film. The budget was a relatively modest $30 million and, prior to release, it had all of the hallmarks of a decent time filler. Then people saw the final film.

Principal photography was completed in Luxembourg and an above average number of British actors; Saffron Burrows, David Warner, David Suchet, Simon MacCorkindale, Hugh Quarshie and many lesser known names join Jurgen Prochnow, Tcheky Karyo, alongside Freddie Prinze Jr and Matthew Lillard.

That Prinze Jr and Lillard headline the film should be cause for concern. Whilst they worked very well together in Scooby Doo (hell, their casting was a minor work of genius!), their acting styles are poorly suited for this film and it's plain to see that their acting abilities were not at the top of the list of reasons why they were cast. Lillard gives his usual one note slacker performance whilst Prinze Jr lacks the acting chops to give his character any gravitas. This is evident when he is supposed to look all moody and thoughtful and ends up looking like he's forgotten is credit card pin number. Still, they don't sink the film by themselves.

Most of the rest of the cast look bored, like they know they are in a crap film but at least the cheque has cleared so they might as well make as best they can of the situation. Suchet is wasted (as in underused, not sloshed!), a sub-plot about treason is jettisoned from the film (but is a full plot point in the novelisation of the film), and he ends up getting conked on the head and carried off. I swear he has a smile on his face when that happens. Prochnow gives it his all, proving once again that whilst his (unearned) reputation as a journeyman actor is evidenced here, he is good value for money and hey, the guy's gotta earn a living! He is at least giving it some welly! Burrows has another mis-cast role, she really can't play the hard-ass (but with a soft centre) commanding officer who slowly comes to appreciate Prinze Jr's character. By the way, that characterisation continues to the group of fighter pilots under her command: one is portrayed as a bastard just because he smokes in a mean fashion, smirks at the lead and has a scar. That is the depth of his character.

It's not all bad, acting wise. Ginny Holder has a ball as the proto love interest for Lillard until an unfortunate crash landing (that's the Top Gun link on the DVD case!) and David Warner serenely occupies the screen , head held high, with the while thing beneath him. For him, he accepts the cheque has cleared and he knows he is a professional. Quarshie is shirt-changed but good value anyway, whilst Simon "Manimal" MacCorkindale is a blink and you'll miss him Deck Boss.

So, we know the cast got paid, but what about the rest of the film?

The CGI was passable at the time (think about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, much higher budget, similarly ropey visuals today!) and the sets weren't too bad. The fighter cockpits were taken from old English Electric Lightning frames and these shaped the CGI design of the complete fighter which, to be honest, look kinda naff. Iconic ship designs, they are not. The same can be said for the Kilrathi, the feline aliens bent on destroying humanity. Roberts was never happy with the look and the sets were completed before the look was locked down, leading to overly tall costumes and a cramped, stooped  appearance. Human costumes were another sign of penny pinching, looking cheap and ill-fitting and I swear that the hat and jumper combo was in a boyband music video sometime in the 90's. 

Then there is the tone of the film. It essentially wants to be a World War 2 movie, with screaming dive bombers (in space!), tense U-boat style hunts (including "pings", depth charges and ship to ship torpedoes - if you want to see how that should be done, try Prochnow's career defining role in Das Boot), and a bombastic fighter pilot story on an pseudo aircraft carrier (Top Gun again - btw, the Starship Troopers link from the DVD cover is the fighter pilot as elite combat troops doing a ship boarding set piece - yeah, like highly trained pilots would be used as grunts! - I am looking at you, Space: Above and Beyond!). Seriously though, when Ginny Holder's character, Rosie, dies after her damaged fighter hits the carrier a tad too hard, the wreckage is removed by a tractor with a plough. In space. With no gravity. Sigh.

The problem here is that Roberts wants an old fashioned war movie, dark and gritty, but as it's in space, there are a few, in no way minor, practical differences that can't be glossed over. That and the low budget, poor cinematography and PG rating means that it comes off looking amateurish and crap.

And yet, Wing Commander remains a guilty pleasure. Sure, it's cheesy, loud and brash, lacking subtlety, but you can see that some people were putting the effort in (as mentioned above), Karyo in particular attacks each scene like he's in a totally different film and mention must be made of David Arnold's score, which is typically good for that period of his career. 

I know, I have panned this film, but that doesn't mean to say it does not have its place in the world as a dumb, mindless sci-fi film. Indeed, the so-bad-it's-good card comes into play here and I have found myself laughing at so called serious moments where reality is well and truly put to one side. If you haven't seen this film yet, grab a few cans of lager/bottle of wine/whatever your favourite tipple is, and sit back and enjoy. As a Friday night chillout film, this one is hard to beat.

So, what are your thought? Have you seen Wing Commander? Played the games? Let me know in the comments.

Clue

I don't know about you, but there are times when I see a film and it grabs me. Be it the story, the cast or the style, there is something about the film that captivates me and it ends up being one that I can watch again and again. Clue is one of them.

Clue is a film based on the boardgame of the same name (at least for Americans, we call it Cluedo). Unlike the gameshow of the eary 90's, \clue aims mo for comedy through a mix of physical and wordplay gags. Unsuccessful during its original 1985 cinema run, the film gained a wider appreciation upon home video release and is genuinely a cult classic today. (It would have helped that all three endings were included in the home release whereas cinema-goers were shown only on of the three, selected at random for each theatre).

What makes it a continued favourite (and eminently quotable) is the combination of smart script and note prefect cast. The ensemble works fantastically well together and you get the impression they had great fun during filming.
Despite being third choice for the role (Leonard Rossiter passed away before filming and Rowan Atkinson was considered too unknown at the time), Tim Curry not only anchors the film but drives it forward with energy and zeal that would be difficult to match. From eye poppingly zany re-enactments to bouncing round the immaculately furnished set like Zebedee on speed, Curry switches from deadly seriousness to scenery chewing ravings at the drop of a hat (or chandelier), and looks ready to give a nod and a wink to the camera at every turn. Rarely was he given such roles but he nails this perfectly and it's a shame that he never got to show more of that side of his acting. That is not to say that the rest of the cast are not equally great in their own ways.

Lesley Anne Warren vamps it right up as Miss Scarlett, relishing every line she has. Martin Mull is the steady but slightly dim-witted Colonel Mustard, the great Madeline Kahn (who shall be forever remembered for Blazing Saddles - it's twue, it's twue), plays serial wife Mrs White and Eileen Brennan gives an on-edge performance as Mrs Peacock. Christopher Lloyd plays Professor Plum in a restrained performance, unlike most of his film roles, and it is to his credit that he gives this the lightest of touches. Finally, Michael McKean, as Mr Green, adds neuroses and a touch of camp to the proceedings. The supporting cast, mostly bit parts with a handful of lines each, play it mostly straight, Bill Henderson as the police officer probably getting the best of it.

The plot is straight forward enough, several strangers meet at a remote house after receiving mysterious invitations and soon discover that they are all being blackmailed by Mr Boddy. He is quickly bumped off and what follows is farcical but extremely funny, albeit with a macabre sense of humour - by the time the fourth body is dropped off into the lounge, there is an air of resignation about the group, that what should have been shocking is now just routine.

Even though I have seen this film north of a dozen times, it's an easy watch and every now and again, quotes are traded at home. It's a shame that it didn't perform well upon its original cinematic release but with the recent announcement that Ryan Reynolds is headlining a remake with the scriptwriters of Deadpool in tow, there is hope that they keep the tone of the original, even if they update the story and the setting. By no means a cinematic classic, Clue has, and continues to entertain, which means it has surely done its job.

Hard Sun - TV Review

Every once in a while, one of the mainstream UK television networks tries its hand at science fiction. Sometimes, these can be successful (I am thinking season three of Torchwood), yet many times, they fall more than a little flat (pretty much anything on ITV, they always seem to either go kiddie safe or full on mopey drama). That's not to say they shouldn't keep trying and here comes the BBC with a Hulu co-operation: Hard Sun.

Before I go any further, beware, there are going to be spoilers so if you are watching the series on BBC One, beware. However, since it was also full released in BBC iPlayer, you can do what I did and get through all six episodes over a couple of nights.

So, the premise is pre-apocalyptic, the sun is going to kill us in five years, humanity and all life on earth. This knowledge is being tightly controlled until a hacker steals the data and promptly falls off the top of a tower block, triggering the involvement of out two protagonists: DCI Charlie Hicks (played by Jim Sturgess) and DI Elaine Renko (played by Agyness Deyn). From this point, the show becomes a standard cop show with some conspiracy theory leanings, the sci-fi angle is a macguffin that essentially exists to motivate the cast. And what a set of characters we have: Hicks is a rotten person, he steals from the underworld, is suspected of killing his former partner (who Renko has replaced), has a pregnant wife with a daughter and is also sleeping with his late partner's widow. Yep, he literally has no redeeming features - even the displays of love for his unborn child are tempered by the extra-marital activity. Renko has been secretly given another chance to prove herself by investigating Hicks on behalf of the departments head, DCS Roland Bell. She also has a teenage son, the result of a rape attack when she was a teen, who is severely mentally ill and has extreme issues with her. These two are not the best examples of modern Metropolitan Police recruitment and it's hard to think of many shows with main characters that are so completely f**ked up. Sturgess plays Hicks as if he wants to be the next strongman of Eastenders and Deyn, all vulnerable yet handy with a baton, gets to show her acting chops well. The dialogue does let them down though, all hard-boiled, over-wrought and hyperbolic.

The supporting characters are much more likeable: the standouts being sarkey DS Mishal Ali (with a decent Geordie accent) and blokey Welshman DS Keith Greener. There is a pretty much even coverage of the countries and regions of Britain in the unit and smacks too much of quota filling - even so, whilst not overly realistic, the characters themselves are pretty well rounded.

Once we get out of the info dump of episode one, setting up the premise and the characters, episode two switches from conspiracy mode to "nutter of the week" territory, neatly destroying the urgency and paranoia of the first outing. Episodes three and four cover one nutter (so "nutter of the fortnight"), Five covers Renko's son and the need to take on the almost ever present security services, and Episode Six rounds off the series by a game of cat and mouse between the duo and Security Service agent Grace Morrigan (a lovely controlled and meticulous Nikki Amuka-Bird) as well as a second plot strand about missing people - it turns out a cancer victim is taking people to be happy then forcefully lobotomising them. That particular story has a couple of stand outs - one, if you have any fear of something getting in your eye, this episode is not for you, and two, Gotham actor Anthony Carrigan plays the cancer victim, Mr Weiss who, we thought when he first appeared, had walked off the set of Fringe, pale, hairless and wearing a black suit. For one second, we thought cross-over!!! Sadly, it wasn't to be.

Most of the plots strands are tied up by the end, Hicks admits to Renko that he did kill his partner, it's hinted the the DCS was in love with the dead-partner, hence the fight to get Renko to nail Hicks to the crime, Renko and her son start the basis of a relationship that means he doesn't try to kill her and then there is the ending... (I'll get to that lower down).

As I said above, the series was released in one go on iPlayer and I am pleased it was. I don't think I would have stayed with the show for six weeks. The problem? Pacing. That familiar problem of pacing. I can see why they have six episodes, and theme wise, they work well and are well made, but each episode is 50 to 60 minutes long and there are far too many dramatic pauses, long shots, etc that act as just filler. The music is quite good, though when you get harsh sun glare shots, there is always an ominous note, and that gets a bit wearing after the fifth or sixth time in an episode. The opening credits, too, are distinct and stylish, even if they do steal a bit from the new Star Trek: Discovery show, even down to the Michelangelo hands shot.

Now, the ending - the last five minutes of Episode Six vex me. Why? Because at the very end, we realise the Powers That Be have lied, that Hard Sun wasn't five years away, and that it is starting now. A shot of the sun, a giant flare swinging out to one side, captivates everyone who sees it. And then that's it. So everything MI5 have done, the killing, the chasing, all of that was for no point. If the PTB already knew this, why the five years deadline anyway? It feels a cheat by the writer, a shock ending that finishes the story with a final exclamation mark. Much like the "one month later" note at the start of episode two, this feels like a con. This show could have continued for a coupe of years, much like Millennium, which was the vibe we got during the middle episodes, yet no, it's had its six ep run and there you go. Maybe there might be more, the series doesn't air in the US until March but I doubt it. If I were to mark this out of ten, I'd say 5 - average.