Sea of Souls

You could bill it crudely as a 'Scottish X Files' and while your case would have merit, you would be missing the point entirely.

Starring fairly well known Scottish actors Bill Paterson, Dawn Steele and Iain Robertson, Sea of Souls is set almost entirely in Glasgow within a fictional university called Clyde University. The series centres on a 'parapsychology' department, and the various cases of supernatural goings on or otherwise bizarre happenings the academics there receive to investigate.

Obviously this has strong overtones of X Files but the show is a touch more believable, frankly.

The main 3 characters are Douglas (Paterson), the head of the department, Justine, the relatively new recruit and slightly Mulder-esque in her approach, and Craig, the Scully, hard grounded in science.

The stories are always rich and varied, and the acting is surprisingly decent for a Scottish-made show. The characters are pretty stereotypical though, but their originality isn't really needed for this, because it's the plots which hold the show up.

With interesting direction, fascinating narrative and a surprising amount of believability, Sea of Souls is a very well conceived show which never fails to engage for the duration.

Highly recommended.

This was a short series recently aired on UK BBC1. Three separate stories, each consisting of two , 1 hour episodes. Excellent casting and top flight acting from all concerned, particularly the ever-reliable Bill Paterson.

I won't spoil anything by giving any plot details, but suffice to say, each of the three tales are engrossing and thought-provoking, with an underlying theme of possible paranormal events. Don't be put off by that though, because the intelligent scripts leave many ideas open, and lots of questions unanswered.

Well, I seem to have used up all my cliches ! All I can say is, if you get a chance to see these episodes, don't miss it. Short, yes, but as sweet as they come.

To go into details about what this series is about may put off potential viewers, so I won't. Essentially, it focuses on the work of a small group of academics at a small department in a university in Glasgow. The stories are told as 2-part, self-contained movies, and are about the people and the mysteries that this department investigate - unexplained behaviour, such as the sharing of experiences by identical twins who have been brought up apart.

Some Scottish drama has been excellent - remember 'Takin' Over The Asylum'? - and whilst 'Sea Of Souls' may not be anywhere in this league, it is good, and it's worth tuning in. However, if you are a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic, you may find this show annoying. For me, I felt that the skeptical view was well represented, and the real absence of explanations, or neat conclusions to each story served the subject matter particularly well.

The second series of Sea of Souls is riveting entertainment for a Saturday evening. Its content has changed slightly from the first series, with each episode now self contained. The stories are also much more entertaining and gripping. The comparison with the X Files is slight though. Whereas the X Files often had bizarre and fantastical stories about extraterrestrials, weird people and very strange events, Sea of Souls has more 'believable' characters, often ordinary members of the community. The X Files were too way out and ridiculous to be remotely believable.

This series also seems to concentrate on Justine's burgeoning talent and this is an exciting theme for this series. Definitely a series to watch.

Sea of Souls, which I am only now catching up on Pay Television is a really good drama series. It goes beyond superficial content to present a multi-layered study and performance of investigations into people experiencing difficult life situations. The cast is brilliantly led by Bill Paterson and the rest of the regular cast offer excellent support. It is a joy to to watch because it offers real hope for those people it portrays, and doesn't go for easy answers. The show never gives a real hint of where each episode is going to end up. It is a refreshing show to watch, compared to too many other dramas on television that go for the quick resolution. I would recommend this show to any one who enjoys exciting and thought provoking drama.