Yellowthread Street

Yellowthread Street is one of those poor man's attempt to bring the British version of "Black Rain" onto our TV screens..

Well basically it's all about these cops solving crimes in and around Hong Kong's mean streets..

It was worth the effort but I think the reason the ITV chiefs axed it because it wasn't really entertaining enough to say that it will make another series..

I remember the series quite well especially most of the stars..

Well, I don't know if Yellowthread Street will make it back to our screen as one those "classics". If it does, I'd probably see it again..

In the mean streets of Hong Kong violent and corrupt people walk freely...and that's just the police!

That's right, forget Taggert and The Bill this is what ITV's police dramas are all about. Ruthless, drug dealing, gang land crooks leave Hong Kong in fear with violent acts of criminal savagery, the only people brave and smart enough to challenge these thugs are the devoted officers of the Yellowthread Police.

Planting evidence and threatening people; the excessive Detectives open a whole new door to a much darker side to law enforcement, make no mistake its evil vs evil.

Top notch acting all the way with brilliant actors including international martial arts star Tzi Ma and the scary faced king of British actors Bruce Payne.

Having never missed an episode you can take it from me, you wouldn't want to miss a second of it.

Why there wasn't a second series I don't know. This was brilliant. It was risky, dangerous, crazy, and had all the hall marks of Hong Kong's movie industry bar the sub-titles. Highly underrated in its day but it now looks ahead of its time.

Shot like a movie. It would probably be in High Def. nowadays but in those days it was an innovation to go very art house in what was essentially just a cop show. But the plot lines were surreal and exotic. The lighting was dark and highly influenced by the neon signs that abound in Hong Kong.

Broody and strangely witty. Beneath all the hairy chested machismo was an art house sensibility and of course that Kung Fu influence long before Tarrantino got the message.

Lawrence Gray, one of the writers by the way ended up writing Chinese and Indian movies and has become something of a literary figure in Asia. He's currently producing movies.