British TV Show Reviews "U"

Ultraviolet (1/99)
A policeman gets embroiled into a battle between two forces for whom the end justifies the means. He is involuntarily recruited into a secret government-sanctioned outfit whose mission is to hunt down and destroy creatures of the night who feed on blood and want to enslave humanity (the word "vampire" is never uttered). But both sides are using the latest technology in their fight, including carbon-firing machine guns (equipped with sensors), in-vitro fertilization, and ultraviolet light (hence the title) used to detect those "infected" and under the influence of the "Code 5's" (as they are known). But the ruthless efficiency of the organization leaves some unanswered questions, and everything may not be as it seems in this clever Channel 4 series starring Jack Davenport (formerly of the cult series This Life).

Undercover Heart (3/99)
Continuing on from last month’s trend of cop shows, is this BBC mini-series about undercover detectives who get too involved in their work (and each other). A prostitute is murdered and the prime suspect is a cop who was playing her pimp. Meanwhile, his best mate and his wife (who all work together on the same squad) begin having an affair with each other while the investigation goes on. David Troughton plays the head of the squad in charge of all this monkey business.

Under the Hammer (4/94)
Starring Richard Wilson, who is universally known in England as Victor Meldrew on One Foot in the Grave. In this comedy/drama series by John Mortimer, he is an art historian employed by a large auction house in London. Usually the plots revolve some painting showing up and the need to authenticate it before it goes to auction. But there is lots of character development and plot twists along the way. I really enjoyed this series--it's everything that American television can't do.

Under the Moon (1/96)
BBC comedy pilot by the writer of May to December. Francesca, an aggressive advertising executive, is going the "Murphy Brown" route and having a baby without a Significant Other around. She thinks the father was an Oxford Don she met in a pub. Imagine her surprise when it turns out to be an unemployed man named Don from Oxford -- who arrives in London to be the father to his child.

Underground (5/00)
Emma Cunniffe (The Lakes) stars in this BBC TV movie as a road protester whose group takes on a new member and is persuaded to build a tunnel to better thwart the authorities. The inevitable police raid occurs and the two of them go underground to wait them out and draw interest in their rather lost cause.

Underworld (1/98)
Six part Channel 4 drama about a middle-class brother and sister who get sucked into a seamy gangster rivalry between a more reformed-minded criminal and a complete psychopath (Kevin McNally). James Fleet, playing virtually the same hapless character concurrently in Spark (as well as in Richard Curtis's Vicar of Dibley and Four Weddings and a Funeral), shows no backbone when dealing with the women in his life, whether it's his two-timing young wife, or his grim, humorless sister. All the supporting characters (including a murderous cabbie) add a level of black humor to the proceedings where family connections ultimately mean everything.

Unfinished Business (7/98)
Rather routine, and therefore disappointing, domestic sitcom from Marks and Gran (Goodnight Sweetheart, The New Statesman) about a middle-aged woman coming to terms with her ex-husband who suddenly reenters her life after running off with a young French girl years earlier. Her problems are compounded by the fact her daughter is about to marry her former boyfriend (Art Malik) but there's nothing special to recommend here.

The Uninvited (11/97)
(With apologies to Captain Scarlet): This... is... the... voice... of... the... Mysterons.... We... know... you... can... hear... us.... We... have... replaced... the... inhabitants... of... an... entire... village... with... indestructible... replicants.... They... will... infiltrate... your... society... and... take... over... the... world... in... this... four-part... ITV... drama. Crikey, we just gave away the entire game! Forget... you... heard... that... bit.... Uh,... we're... going... to... France... this... week.... Nothing... unusual... is... happening.... That... is... all. Honestly, Stan, how "mysterious" can we be if we keep telling the earth people what our plan is going to be every week? Wait, is this thing still on? Oh, bugger!

An Unsuitable Job For A Woman (1/98)
Helen Baxendale stars in this P.D. James adaptation about a young woman who inherits her boss's detective agency and immediately is plunged into her first case, a suicide. Coming to PBS in April. SPOILER WARNING: Of course all she needed to do to solve the case was watch Return of the Jedi - one of the suspects is the Emperor himself (Ian McDiarmid)!

Unzipped (1/00)
Over-the-top comic Graham Norton hosts this series of Channel 4 documentaries on such hot topics as fashion and Hollywood. Only someone like Norton could get away with ultra catty comments he dishes out, though the subjects themselves are so outrageous that often they speak for themselves.

Up In Town (3/03)
Joanna Lumley performs monologues directly to the camera in 10 minute vignettes in this series by the creators of the similar Marion and Geoff.  Lumley plays a sad middle-aged divorcee occupying a small flat who reveals reams of evidence about her clueless existence.  No real jokes per se (unless you count the appearance of a rat after an episode where she has seemingly imagined them) but the somewhat discomforting humor comes from realizing how people lack self-awareness.