Ultraviolet

CJD. AIDS. Global Warming. For the first time in history, mankind has the ability to destroy itself. So now vampires need to take control of their food source. Against this enemy, religion is no defence but folklore has some truth. Not wooden stakes but carbon bullets. Not garlic but the chemical allicin. Not simply daylight. Ultraviolet...

This is no Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Ultraviolet came to me highly recommended by a friend, and I duly tracked down all the episodes on YouTube. I love Ultraviolet, which is basically a cop drama, only about vampires, so like normal cop dramas, it tries to stick as close to reality as it can. Ultraviolet a government-funded paramilitary organisation with connections to the Roman Catholic Church fighting a secret war against a worldwide vampire conspiracy.

Written and directed by Joe Ahearne, it stared Jack Davenport, (Pirates of the Caribbean, Coupling), it was originally broadcast on Channel 4 in 1998. Lasting only one series, Ultraviolet has since become something of a cult favourite.

What I like about the series is that there is no real black and white. The vampires are not "evil" in the traditional sense, (although they are creepy). In some ways, it is similar to the Russian film Night Watch, which contains some blurring between whether Vampires are evil bloodsuckers, or just higher up the food chain? If vampires are evil because they harm us, are we just as evil for farming chickens and sheep and cows for slaughter?

Sadly only one series of this incredible drama was ever made, however you can watch them all on YouTube, or do the right thing and buy the DVD.