Bugs: Complete Box Set [DVD]

For my money series 2 was BUGS at its best though I'm excluding the first two episodes incredibly set aboard a British space shuttle which were BUGS at its worst. This two part story lacked atmosphere, had little action and absolutely no tension and was ultimately unconvincing because it was unbelievable. However from thereon it recovered and improved significantly from the first season by becoming much more sci-fi oriented and high tech in approach. It now looked darker, gritty and more futuristic set amongst some spectacular glass and steel high rise buildings. The team dynamics were much stronger, the supporting cast of villains realistic, the plots intellectual and the cheesy dialogue became mild and reduced fat. This was a more serious show with a hint of humour. The villain in the final programme of series 1, Jean Paul, returned as a regular baddie to become the nemesis of the team. However it was a move too far for some of the audience and in a dumbing down exercise series 3 had a major mainstream makeover.

The team lost their independence and found themselves integrated into a secret government establishment answerable to the enigmatic Jan. The electronics and explosions were pushed into the background whilst the producers tried to establish a new direction. The characters private lives were fleshed out so instead of focusing largely upon their professional ones, Ros and Ed found themselves with romantic interests and Beckett became jealous of Ros's suitor. Whilst it was hinted in the previous series that there was some chemistry between Ros and Beckett it went unexplored for good reason - it slowed the pace of the programme by diluting the action. Gone was the futuristic glass and steel buildings and in came suburban housing and country mansions, black cars with guys in black coats found their way into the stories and it began to resemble a regular spy programme with a hint of soap opera. The actor playing Ed, Ed McLachlan, had decided to leave at the beginning of series 3 but changed his mind. However he did leave in between series 3 and 4 to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood. The series 3 cliffhanger meant the character had to continue but in series 4 the happy go lucky Australian transformed into a stern Yorkshireman and nobody around him noticed.

Series 4 like series 2 put right the mistakes in the previous series and turned its attention back to intense action, gadgetry and explosions. It retained some of the personal storylines but put them firmly in the background. However a real life terrorist explosion three episodes from the series end saw BUGS taken off air for an incredible 18 months. Without a repeat of the 4th series episodes already broadcast and with it being shown in the summer months few people saw it probably because they didn't know it was on. The cliff hanger finale was worthy of a 5th series but it was not to be and the decision to cancel had been taken long before the last episode aired. Some say SPOOKS was the programme BUGS should have been. Thankfully it wasn't because SPOOKS is just another mainstream spy programme, which BUGS emulated with the third season, but few will remember it in 20 years. BUGS on the other hand achieved cult status and will be remembered with affection.

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The series started in the mid-90s (around 1995 I think), and so it sometimes shows it's age compared with the slick production values of many of today's programmes. That aside, the series is brilliant. It's a bit like the aforementioned Spooks in terms of using a host of electronic gadgetry to thwart the villain of each week's episode. It has the right mix of action, seriousness, and light-hearted moments- just perfect for the Saturday nights on which it was screened.

A word of warning: Don't expect a host of extras with this. All you get is a disc containing an interview with the series creator or producer or something like that, and also biographies of the characters. To be honest though, I'm never really too fussed with DVD extras, so this isn't really a negative point.

In conclusion: I got this set as soon as it was released, to remind me of being a teenager and transfixed by the gadgets and action. It's fun, exciting, and has stood the test of time. There are few more recent TV series that can match it. Enjoy!!!

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The episodes are as great as always although the quality is the same as on tv.

The menu system is average and so is navigation.

The extras are the real let down with the package. Theres an extra disk but the information on it isn't anything special and the extras on the DVDs are things like photo galleries. DO NOT JUST BUY FOR THE EXTRAS

Overall, I loved this series on TV and the DVD is good vaule for money and great to watch.

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