Ultraviolet is a 1998 UK TV mini-series written and directed by Joe Ahearne and starring Jack Davenport and Susannah Harker . It was produced by World Productions for the Channel 4 network.
A modern retelling of the vampire myth, Ultraviolet revolves around an unnamed paramilitary organisation fighting a secret war against a vampire conspiracy attempting to control the destiny of mankind. The point-of-view character, played by Davenport, is a police detective who joins the organisation after his best friend is revealed as a member of the conspiracy.
A hallmark of the series is the modern and scientific methods used by the organisation, allowing them to develop up-to-date weapons against their foes - instead of stakes, automatic handguns with carbon bullets and specialised sights that use video cameras to differentiate between vampires and humans (vampires are invisible to recording devices); instead of wreaths of garlic, gas grenades containing concentrated allicin; instead of sunlight, lamps emitting ultraviolet light. The characters note that the traditional idea of religious symbols repelling the creatures is "a matter of faith... on both sides".
Another hallmark is that the word "vampire" is never spoken in the series; the members of the organisation avoid the word, perhaps because of its superstitious connotations, and substitute the term "Code V" ("Code Five") or the slang "leech".
Only six episodes were ever shot of Ultraviolet, but this was Ahearne's decision, despite the show's popularity. He felt it would lose its uniqueness if it was continued.
In 2001, the American Fox Network developed an ongoing series version of Ultraviolet, starring Mädchen Amick and Eric Thal , but it did not progress past a pilot episode. The original UK version has been screened by the Sci-Fi Channel there.
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Last updated: 05-18-2005 14:26:34
