Paradox   Starring: Tamzin Outhwaite, Mark Bonnar, Emun Elliott and Chiké Okonkwo BBC DVD RRP: £24.99 BBCDVD3182 Certificate: 15 Available 22 February 2010

A series of mysterious images are transmitted from space. They appear to show an explosion, a major incident in which many are killed - but the images also suggest the incident hasn’t even happened yet - that it will take place in 18 hours. DI Rebecca Flint and her team investigate, alongside Dr Christian King, a top space scientist whose satellite picked up these rogue images. As Dr King attempts to find the source of these images in the infinite possibility of space, the rest of the team struggle with their new found responsibility. Forced to intervene in the course of destiny, never certain whether or not the future is in their control, is it really their place to change the future, to play God...?

Paradox was a five-part sci-fi series which was screened on BBC 1 between 24 November and 22 December 2009. A BBC spokesman recently (February 2010) revealed that the show won't get a second series as it failed to find its audience in the way the producers had hoped.

The first episode sets up the format and the principal players. Dr Christian King (Emun Elliott) is a scientist who enlists the help of detective inspector Rebecca Flint (Tamzin Outhwaite) when a series of bizarre images are picked up by King's Prometheus satellite. These images, which seem to have been transmitted by an intelligent being, depict an event which has yet to happen. Can the pieces of the jigsaw be put together so that the team can stop what appears to be a bomb from being detonated.

The episode follows the team as they hunt for the location, the time and what triggers the event. But it's not easy when the images they have to work from are way too cryptic, but that's all they have to work with.

There's also the fact that King seems to be a bit of an oddball - and it's starting to look like he is responsible for planting a bomb and just wants to send the police off on a wild goose chase.

As the clock ticks down to the time of the event, the team get closer and closer, but can they actually change something that has already happened in another time line?

The following four episodes all have a similar theme. However, instead of just being a "mystery of the week" affair, the writers have injected added jeopardy into each episode. I won't spoil how, and what, but as a viewer these revelations will keep you on your toes.

I was also impressed that the character of DC Callum Gada (Chiké Okonkwo) gets a much more fleshed out character as the series progresses. He starts off following orders, only to finally realise that as he's working for a secret organisation he can step outside on his own a little and take justice into his own hands.

The cast are uniformly impressive and the scripts tight and action packed. As the show ends on a cliff-hanger I'm just hoping there's a second series on the horizon.

Extras include Prometheus Bound (7 min, 10 sec which looks at the main laboratory set); and The Big Bang (6 min, 29 sec which takes a behind the scenes look at the explosion sequence from the first episode. It's a shame, however, that after all the build up they don't actually show you the actual live explosion footage, but instead the cut together sequence from the episode).

8

Darren Rea