Bugs

Well, Bugs started off with all the promise in the world. Season one was about finding its feet, which it did quite nicely by season two. The end of the second season was fantastic, and we all thought nothing could better it. Wrong. Season three gave the characters personal lives and a whole new situation. It became one of the most watchable shows in the usually dead end summer holidays. But we know what comes before a fall. And season four was definitely that. Changes in actors, naff schedules led many people to switch off what once had us reaching for the 'on' button on a Saturday night.

Bugs was way ahead of its time. When it hit the screens in 1995 on the BBC, nobody had seen anything quite like it. Quirky characters and multitudes of gizmos, gadgets, weaponry, bombs, explosions and not to mention baddies! The show pivoted around its three main characters, Ros, Ed and Beckett, the gadget making one, the daredevil and the team leader. Together they stormed their way through devious plots and baddies, all trying (unsuccessfully) to kill them. The highest point of Bugs for me has always been series two (the plots with the vengeful criminal mastermind Jean-Daniel, thrown in prison by the Bugs team at the end of series one), and, of course, most people's favourite, the end of series 3 'Renegades', when the will they-won't they storyline between Ros and Becket, which had been hinted at since series 2, was finally resolved. Unfortunately, when Craig McLachlan decided not to rejoin the cast for series four, the makers of Bugs sought a replacement and found one in Steven Houghton...well, I suppose there were some similarities...they both had blonde hair. Any others? Uh...no. Steven Houghton was so far off the mark with his portrayal of a once fantastic character that viewers who loved the show turned it off (and the BBC made the unforgivable decision of airing it at 6pm), and so, when series four came to a close with a whopper of a cliffhanger (intending to carry on with the show and not leave it hanging with such an ungraceful ending), suddenly, it was decided to leave the series as it was...and so, the story will never be finished. People might be interested to learn that Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) appears (albeit briefly) in a series four episode.

the premise of this series is very good and the original cast of Jaye Griffiths,Jesse Birdsall and Craig Mclachlan are charismatic. The show has a very distinctive look and yet somehow the episodes are tepid and uninvolving.It is not just the reliance on technobabble or the poorly-staged action and stunts.The series is simply less than the sum of its parts.The problem was compounded in later years as changes to the format meant that the number of recurring characters was almost doubled and the already thin plotlines were spread pretty thinly between them. The final straw came when Craig Mclachlan left and was replaced by Steven Houghton as the same character.He was simply a dull wet piece of wood and enjoyed none of the rapport with his colleagues which had come naturally to his predecessor. The audience turned away in droves and the BBC stopped transmitting halfway through the series.

Who says only the US can come up with good action shows ?? "Bugs" is thrilling, captivating and intelligent - simply great fun... I especially enjoy the characters development - it´s not as shallow as might be seen in other shows of this kind. If you have never watched it - do so if you possibly can - it´s definitely worth it... ;-)

I used to be a devotee of this show; every Saturday night without fail was spent watching BBC 1's finest Saturday night show (admittedly there wasn't much competition). I loved it; the bangs, the fires, the fights, the hi-tec gadgetry.

And then I stopped.

What happened?

Steve Houghton. There is NO WAY he should ever have been brought into the show; Craig McLachlan was infinitely better as Ed, bringing some humour into the role and convincing viewers that he was a vaulable member of the team. Steve seems to convey the impression of being there just to make up the numbers. Sorry Steve fans out there, but he just isn't right for this show, and it was highly unsurprising that the show was axed. And a shame too, because it was once a great show.