Bugs | |
---|---|
Genre | Action Adventure Science fiction |
Created by | Brian Eastman |
Directed by | John Stroud |
Starring | Jaye Griffiths Craig McLachlan Jesse Birdsall Jan Harvey Paula Hunt Steven Houghton |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 4 |
No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Caroline Oulton Tony Dennis |
Producers | Brian Eastman Stuart Doughty |
Running time | 50 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 1 April 1995 – 28 August 1999 |
Bugs is a British television drama series that ran for four seasons from 1 April 1995 to 28 August 1999. The programme, a mixture of action/adventure and science fiction, involved a team of independent crime-fighting technology experts, who faced a variety of threats involving computers and other modern technology. It was originally broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One, and was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Carnival Films. In July 2014, London Live, a local digital terrestrial station in London, began airing a complete rerun from Series 1. All four series (40 episodes) were available to stream in the UK on Britbox until Britbox UK ceased operations in April 2024 with its content migrating to ITVX; however, Bugs was not a part of that migration.
The series was devised by Carnival boss Brian Eastman and producer Stuart Doughty with input from veteran writer-producer Brian Clemens, who had previously worked on ITV's The Avengers and The Professionals . Clemens described Bugs as "an Avengers for the 1990s". Other notable series writers included Colin Brake and Stephen Gallagher, who also served as a consultant on seasons two and three. Two episodes ("Bugged Wheat" and "Hollow Man"), were written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who went on to create the series Smallville and Wednesday . The theme tune was written by Gavin Greenaway. The programme was a mixture of action/adventure and science fiction, with a reliance on fast-paced plots, technical gadgetry, stunts and explosions. Much of the programme's filming took place around the London Docklands area, which had recently been redeveloped with projects such as Canary Wharf. This was intended to give a modern, and perhaps even slightly futuristic, feel to locations of the episodes. The production was originally based at two warehouses of Blackwall Basin, on the Isle of Dogs in London. After the IRA bombing of the South Quay Plaza, the crew had to travel further to find intact buildings for exterior locations. [1]
The plot of the programme involved a team of specialist independent crime-fighting technology experts, who faced a variety of threats involving computers and other modern technology. The main trio of regulars were Nick Beckett (Jesse Birdsall), Ros Henderson (Jaye Griffiths) and Ed (Craig McLachlan in series one to three, Steven Houghton in series four). Initially an independent team, they began working alongside the government agency 'Bureau of Weapons Technology' in series two. From series three, with the original Bureau decimated, they came under the authority of the newly created Bureau 2, whose head was codenamed Jan (Jan Harvey) (her real first name was revealed to be Barbara, but her surname was never given) and her secretary, Alex Jordan (Paula Hunt). The series evolved, as a result, from a series of relatively unconnected one-off episodes to an overarching 'soap opera' complete with office romances. There has been controversy over Ed's surname – because he was never called anything other than "Ed", some people have taken his surname to be Russell, simply because he was addressed as "Dr Russell" in one episode. However, that was more likely a pseudonym, as both Ros and Beckett used plenty of false names throughout the series.
The programme came close to cancellation at the conclusion of its third series, but due to an exciting cliffhanger ending deliberately included by the production team, and strong foreign sales, a fourth was commissioned. The final series suffered from being moved to an earlier timeslot on Saturday evenings, and for only having the first eight of its produced ten episodes scheduled for broadcast. [2] Coupled with the Omagh Bombing forcing the BBC to postpone the series for a week, this meant that the concluding three episodes would not be broadcast until a year later. Another attempt to save the show by giving the series a cliffhanger ending was not successful, and the ending of the final episode — where Alex has just married boyfriend Adam, only to have him killed at the wedding and Ros and Beckett are abducted by an attacker unseen by the audience but recognised by Beckett — was never resolved.
The series has something of a minor cult following in the UK. Overall 40 episodes were produced, ten in each of the four series. Virgin Publishing produced novelizations of the episodes of the first series, but these were not successful and subsequent episodes were not novelised. As of 2005, the series is available on DVD in series-by-series box set form, released by Revelation Films. A complete box set collection of all four series is also available. In 2022, the series became available on the BritBox streaming platform.
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Out of the Hive" | Duncan Gould | Brian Farnham | 1 April 1995 | |
Helicopter pilot Ed, electronics expert Ros Henderson and government agent Nick Beckett find themselves working together in an attempt to prevent the theft of a powerful satellite device from a government agency. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "Assassins Inc." | Stephen Gallagher | Ken Grieve | 8 April 1995 | |
When Ed, Ros and Beckett set out on a mission to bring down hi-tech weapons dealer Irene Campbell, she targets the team with her latest and most lethal technology. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "All Under Control" | Duncan Gould | Brian Farnham | 15 April 1995 | |
When a passenger aircraft is hijacked by remote control, the Gizmos team is called in to investigate the plane's state-of-the-art navigation system. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "Down Among the Dead Men" | Stephen Gallagher | Andrew Grieve | 22 April 1995 | |
Hired to investigate the link between the theft of ship components and the former employee of a large city bank, the Gizmos team encounter theft, murder, and a bank heist by submarine. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Shotgun Wedding" | Colin Brake (uncredited rewrite) | Ken Grieve | 29 April 1995 | |
When the team's plan to protect Italian politician Anna Fabrizi from a lethal assassin goes horribly wrong, Ed is forced to go undercover and must make an impossible decision – kill Anna Fabrizi or die. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "Stealth" | Stephen Gallagher | Ken Grieve | 6 May 1995 | |
When Gizmos are hired to provide security for the launch of a new sports car, they instead become caught up in the theft of a prototype nuclear-powered stealth tank, which could destroy the city if not recovered. Note: The next episode would be shown two weeks later owing to the BBC's live coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 1995. [3] | ||||||
7 | 7 | "Manna from Heaven" | Gregory Evans | Brian Farnham | 20 May 1995 | |
Phodex is a revolutionary type of food which could end world famine. When an attempt is made to steal samples, Gizmos are called in to investigate – and they discover that Phodex holds a deadly secret. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "Hot Metal" | Alan Whiting | Ken Grieve | 27 May 1995 | |
When a new type of metal is discovered to have explosive properties, Gizmos are brought in to prevent its theft by a mercenary who has developed a way to silence explosions. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "A Sporting Chance" | Colin Brake | Ken Grieve | 3 June 1995 | |
Gizmos encounter the sinister plans of mercenary Colonel Easterhaus when they investigate the collapse of several athletes at a sports institution. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "Pulse" | Stephen Gallagher | Brian Farnham | 10 June 1995 | |
Whilst investigating the disappearance of several company executives, Ed, Ros and Beckett stumble on to a plan to destroy the economic centres of London and Geneva, devised by a criminal mastermind. |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "What Goes Up..." | Colin Brake | Brian Farnham | 6 April 1996 | |
Ed goes undercover on a space programme to oversee the deployment of a new satellite, but, as the seconds tick down to the launch, a saboteur prepares to strike. | ||||||
12 | 2 | "...Must Come Down" | Colin Brake | Brian Farnham | 13 April 1996 | |
Whilst Ed is stranded aboard the crippled shuttle, Ros and Beckett attempt to unmask the saboteur within Ground Control. Meanwhile, a more deadly enemy resurfaces. | ||||||
13 | 3 | "Bugged Wheat" | Sandy Johnson | Miles Millar & Alfred Gough | 20 April 1996 | |
The team comes up against a pesticide company's dastardly scheme to spread worldwide famine, using genetically engineered insects infected with a deadly viroid. | ||||||
14 | 4 | "Whirling Dervish" | Colin Brake (uncredited rewrite) | Andrew Grieve | 27 April 1996 | |
When a consortium of airlines plans to use a stealth plane to bring down a rival passenger airline, Ed goes undercover as a fighter pilot. Meanwhile, the team realise that someone is manipulating them. | ||||||
15 | 5 | "Blackout" | Frank De Palma | Andrew Grieve | 4 May 1996 | |
A guided tour of a hi-tech nuclear power station turns into a hostage crisis for Ros when the building is stormed by eco-terrorists. However, the situation is not what it seems. | ||||||
16 | 6 | "Gold Rush" | Bruno Heller & Alison Leathart | Andrew Grieve | 11 May 1996 | |
The Monetary Commission recruits the team when a microbe is released into their gold vault which will literally eat the gold. Whilst Ros goes after the antidote, Ed becomes trapped in the vault as lethal security countermeasures are activated. Note: The next episode would be shown two weeks later owing to the BBC's live coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. [4] | ||||||
17 | 7 | "Schrodinger's Bomb" | Stephen Gallagher | Andrew Grieve | 25 May 1996 | |
The team infiltrate a duo of arms dealers for the Bureau, but fall foul of the building's explosive security system, which arms to prevent them entering the vault; the only way to prove their guilt may be to blow up the evidence. | ||||||
18 | 8 | " Newton's Run" | Calvin Clements Jnr. | Brian Farnham | 1 June 1996 | |
Nordic terrorists steal a cybernetically-enhanced dog named Newton to place a bomb in a weapons store which will vaporise much of the city. | ||||||
19 | 9 | "The Bureau of Weapons" | Stephen Gallagher | Andrew Grieve | 8 June 1996 | |
The Gizmos team race to stop Jean-Daniel after he unleashes an artificial intelligence across the Internet – leading Ros to make a terrible sacrifice. | ||||||
20 | 10 | "A Cage for Satan" | Stephen Gallagher | Brian Farnham | 22 June 1996 | |
As Jean-Daniel puts the final stages of his master-plan into action, Ed and Beckett must prevent Ros from unwittingly activating the deadly computer virus stored within her mind. |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 1 | "Blaze of Glory" | Stephen Gallagher | John Stroud | 19 July 1997 | |
During an investigation at a construction site, the team discover a cache of unstable chemical weapons – with disastrous results. | ||||||
22 | 2 | "The Revenge Effect" | Stephen Gallagher | Gwennan Sage | 26 July 1997 | |
Ed's life is placed in danger when an old enemy returns seeking vengeance. | ||||||
23 | 3 | "The Price of Peace" | Frank De Palma | John Stroud | 2 August 1997 | |
The peace of Eastern Europe is put at risk when an experimental electromagnetic weapon is stolen during a Bureau testing exercise. | ||||||
24 | 4 | "Hollow Man" | Miles Millar & Alfred Gough | Gwennan Sage | 9 August 1997 | |
A master print disk goes missing, days before the introduction of a brand new bank note. | ||||||
25 | 5 | "Nuclear Family" | Colin Brake (uncredited) | John Stroud | 16 August 1997 | |
Bureau 2 is called upon to protect a targeted Russian politician who controls an arsenal of nuclear weapons. | ||||||
26 | 6 | "Fugitive" | Clive Hopkins | Matthew Evans | 23 August 1997 | |
The team are placed under suspicion when damning evidence reveals one has been dealing weapons. | ||||||
27 | 7 | "Happy Ever After?" | Colin Brake (uncredited with Clive Hopkins) | John Stroud | 30 August 1997 | |
When eco terrorists target a water pumping station, they find the perfect leverage. | ||||||
28 | 8 | "Buried Treasure" | Terry Borst | Matthew Evans | 13 September 1997 | |
Ed's loyalties are strained when an old flame turns up and needs his services for a special job. Note: This episode was due to broadcast on 6 September 1997, although it was postponed following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. [5] | ||||||
29 | 9 | "Identity Crisis" | Colin Brake | John Stroud | 20 September 1997 | |
A new Jan takes charge of the Bureau, but what happened to the old one? | ||||||
30 | 10 | "Renegades" | Stephen Gallagher | Matthew Evans | 27 September 1997 | |
The survivors of the Cyberax incident awake from their comas and set about completing their plan – the installation of Cyberax onto the internet. |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | 1 | "Absent Friends" | Colin Brake | Gwennan Sage | 11 July 1998 | 5.98 | |
Ros has mysteriously vanished and when her car is found in a river, Beckett is forced to resign. Elsewhere, a dormant eco-terrorist group reawakens when an enormously-powerful government minister begins dealing in bio-weapons. | |||||||
32 | 2 | "Sacrifice to Science" | Colin Brake | Brian Grant | 18 July 1998 | TBA | |
Ros is alive, but her unclear allegiances allow the minister to shut down Bureau 2, the only thing standing between him and vengeance. However, the team are never off the case for long... | |||||||
33 | 3 | "Girl Power" | Colin Brake | Gwennan Sage | 25 July 1998 | 5.57 | |
A fourteen-year-old techno-prodigy, Carly, breaks into the Hive out of boredom. She is assigned to Ros for mentoring into a tech school, but a certain duo decide to make use of the girl's technical prowess in a heist. | |||||||
34 | 4 | "The Two Becketts" | Terry Borst | Brian Grant | 1 August 1998 | 5.62 | |
Following a ten-year absence, Beckett's father comes back to him seeking help with a case against an international gangster, a man with enormous power and resources. | |||||||
35 | 5 | "Hell and High Water" | Alex Stewart | Christopher King | 8 August 1998 | TBA | |
Contact with a satellite monitoring rig is lost and a satellite is due to reenter the atmosphere, which would be catastrophic unless its self-destruct is activated. The team board the rig, but discover the crew are not who they claim to be. | |||||||
36 | 6 | "Pandora's Box" | Frank De Palma | Brian Grant | 15 August 1998 | TBA | |
A scholar seeks to prove his theory that a toxic waste dump was constructed over the tomb of King Arthur. In his haste to unearth the site, he releases a deadly bacterial plague that starts to kill again. | |||||||
37 | 7 | "Jewel Control" | Colin Brake | John Stroud | 29 August 1998 | TBA | |
A Colombian emerald baron plans to use an ancient Continuation of Government structure to rob an emerald exchange. Meanwhile, Jan's competence is assessed. | |||||||
38 | 8 | "Twin Geeks" | Colin Brake | Brian Grant | 14 August 1999 | TBA | |
Genius twin brothers Marcus and Michael, feeling used by their former employer and having their creations stolen, seek explosive revenge. Elsewhere, Ros finds Channing has sold her designs, and she has a matter of hours to buy them back. | |||||||
39 | 9 | "Money Spiders" | Terry Borst | John Stroud | 21 August 1999 | TBA | |
'Spiders', fragments of computer code designed to harvest secret information, dig up a government project to secure money transfers, and the owner decides to take full advantage, leading Adam to take drastic action to save Alex. | |||||||
40 | 10 | "The Enemy Within" | Frank De Palma | Brian Grant | 28 August 1999 | TBA | |
Ros's surgery is successful, if eventful, after Wyman infiltrates the hospital to run the CatFlap program. Alex and Adam make amends and their wedding goes ahead, but disaster is never far behind. |
Spooks is a British television spy drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 to 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 seasons. The title is a colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the activities of the intelligence officers of Section D in MI5, based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid. In the United States, the show is broadcast under the title MI-5. In Canada, the programme originally aired as MI-5, but later aired on BBC Canada as Spooks.
Jesse Birdsall is an English actor, known for his roles as Marcus Tandy in the BBC1 soap opera Eldorado (1992–1993), Nick Beckett in the adventure series Bugs (1995–1999), football manager Roger Webb in Footballers' Wives (2003–2006), and Fraser Black in Hollyoaks (2013–2014) as well as for villain Ron Gregory in a few episodes of The Bill.
Carnival Film & Television Limited, trading as Carnival Films, is a British production company based in London, UK, founded in 1978. It has produced television series for all the major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as international broadcasters including PBS, A&E, HBO and NBC. Productions include single dramas, long-running television dramas, feature films, and stage productions.
Holby City is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999; the show ran until 29 March 2022. It follows the lives of medical and ancillary staff at the fictional Holby City Hospital, the same hospital as Casualty, in the fictional city of Holby, and features occasional crossovers of characters and plots with both Casualty and the show's 2007 police procedural spin-off HolbyBlue. It began with eleven main characters in its first series, all of whom subsequently left the show. New main characters were then periodically written in and out, with a core of around fifteen main actors employed at any given time. In casting the first series, Young sought actors who were already well known in the television industry, something which has continued throughout its history, with cast members including Patsy Kensit, Jane Asher, Robert Powell, Ade Edmondson and John Michie.
Stephen Gallagher is an English screenwriter and novelist. Gallagher was born in Salford, Greater Manchester.
Between the Lines is a television police drama series created by J. C. Wilsher and produced by World Productions for the BBC. It was first shown on BBC1 between 4 September 1992 and 21 December 1994, running for three series.
Jaye Griffiths is a British actress. After playing Ros Henderson in the BBC series Bugs and D.I. Sally Johnson in the ITV procedural drama The Bill, she landed the role of Elizabeth Croft in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She has since portrayed roles including Janet Mander in Silent Witness, Elle Gardner in Casualty and its spin-off series Holby City, and Yavalla in The Outpost.
Diana is a British television drama series first broadcast by the BBC in 1984. It was adapted by Andrew Davies from two R. F. Delderfield novels.
Casualty@Holby City (styled as CASUAL+Y @ HOLBY CI+Y) is a series of special crossover episodes of BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. While Casualty was launched on 6 September 1986, and its spin-off Holby City was first aired on 12 January 1999, the first full crossover episode between the two programmes was not broadcast until 26 December 2004. As of 27 December 2005, four crossover specials have been aired, comprising nine episodes total. Although further crossovers of storylines and characters have since occurred, they have not been broadcast under the Casualty@Holby City title.
The twelfth series of the British medical drama television series Holby City commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 20 October 2009. The series deals with the repercussions of the death of ward sister Faye Byrne's son Archie, including the resignation of consultant Connie Beauchamp and the return of former registrar Thandie Abebe-Griffin. It also focuses on staff members' romantic and family lives. F1 Oliver Valentine becomes romantically involved with registrar Jac Naylor and ward sister Daisha Anderson, and his sister Penny embarks on a secret romance with a heart transplant patient. Consultant Linden Cullen is reunited with his estranged daughter Holly, nurse Donna Jackson decides to adopt her half-niece Mia, sister Chrissie Williams gives birth to a son, Daniel, and Faye becomes pregnant by her estranged husband Joseph. The series includes a crossover episode with sister show Casualty and it also has the highest number of episodes to date, as the series contains a small number of episodes which air during the same week.
The sixth series of the BBC espionage television series Spooks began broadcasting on 16 October 2007 and ended on 18 December 2007. The series, consisting of ten episodes, was serialised - a first for the programme. Appearing as recurring characters are CIA Agent, Bob Hogan, and Iranian Special Consul, Dariush Bakhshi, and his wife, Ana.
The eighth series of the BBC espionage television series Spooks began broadcasting on 4 November 2009 before ending on 23 December 2009. The series consists of eight episodes.
The fourth episode of series eight of the British espionage television series Spooks is the 69th episode in the overall series. It was originally broadcast on BBC Three on 20 November 2009, later repeated on BBC One on 25 November. The episode was written by David Farr, and directed by Sam Miller. In the episode one of Lucas North's former interrogators, FSB officer Oleg Darshavin, approaches Lucas regarding an upcoming terrorist attack. The episode also continues the story-arc of "Nightingale", a shadow organisation bent on a New World Order, and reveals that CIA liaison Sarah Caufield is a part of it. A little over five million people tuned in to watch the episode following its BBC One broadcast. It was met with generally positive reviews.
The series eight finale of the British espionage television series Spooks was originally broadcast on BBC One on 23 December 2009, and is the 72nd episode in the overall series. The episode was written by Ben Richards and directed by Alrick Riley. The episode continues the "Nightingale" story-arc, a shadow organisation bent on changing the geopolitical map. In the finale, Nightingale attempt to provoke a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and Section D have a week to prevent it.
"The Tip-Off" is the third episode of series seven of the British espionage television series Spooks, and the 59th episode overall. It was originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three on 28 October 2008, and repeated on frontline channel BBC One on 3 November. The episode was written by Russell Lewis; with additional writing by Ben Richards; and directed by Peter Hoar. In the episode, Ben Kaplan goes undercover to infiltrate an Al-Qaeda cell in London during a dry run before an expected attack. However, it later becomes apparent the terrorists are going to attack during the dry run.
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. The 'About Radio 2' BBC webpage says: "With a repertoire covering more than 40 years, Radio 2 plays the widest selection of music on the radio—from classic and mainstream pop to a specialist portfolio including classical, country, folk, jazz, soul, rock 'n' roll, gospel and blues."
"Hello, I Must Be Going" is the thirty-fourth episode of the thirtieth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty, and the 995th episode of the overall series. The episode was written by Jeff Povey and directed by Steve Hughes, and premiered on BBC One on 7 May 2016. The episode features the departure of established character Zoe Hanna, an ED consultant, who left the show after nine years. Sarker's departure was kept secret until transmission in order to surprise viewers. Producers were upset when Sarker announced her decision to leave, but ensured writers created a good story for the character.
BritBox, an online digital video streaming subscription service founded by BBC Studios and ITV, operates in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. In addition to original programming, it offers British television series and films, featuring current and past series as well as films supplied by Britain's major terrestrial broadcasters the BBC and ITV. BritBox is said to feature the biggest collection of British box sets available in one place, with additional original programming available from 2020.