Neverwhere

This series will both surprise and delight you...the quality isn't the greatest, like that of a British soap opera, but you'll be hooked after the first 10 minutes. The writing is great, the characters are wonderfully written, each one with it's own personality, back round, life - you tend to feel you know them by the end, and an emotional connection is unavoidable. Perfect acting by ALL involved. Highly recommended.

I was blown away back in 96 when I first watched this TV series. Not only was the story-line way out there compared with most of the rest of the TV output at the time, but also the casting and acting were both superb. I was already a fan of Peter Capaldi, which was one of the reasons I tuned in at the beginning, but I was soon swept up in the whole story and found it one of those strange stories that is completely believable although obviously fantastical. I have always been sorry that it hasn't been repeated on terrestrial TV and was thrilled last summer to find the book freely available. Reading this I found that many of the image from the original broadcast were firmly fixed in my mind and I have been searching websites for information about a DVD. To my amazement the BBC website denies all knowledge of the series at all! What's that all about? I have finally found a supplier in Australia for the DVD - but that's not much use is it? Has anyone else also watched the brilliant Gaiman recent work Mirrormask?

After being treated to the first episode of this gritty tale of another world I was left desperate for more! I am quite surprised that this passed me by in the first instance. What on earth was I doing in 1996 when this was being shown?

Neverwhere begins with the introduction of its characters in a less than conventional way. It almost puts you off by its quirky and totally off the rails introduction. Once you get over this and the low budget nature of the program you find that the storyline is quite appealing. There are many familiar faces to discover throughout each episode.

This 6 episode adventure would appeal to fans of Dr Who and general low budget science fiction. This is never going to be mainstream programming and thats where its appeal lies. Give the first 10 minutes of episode one a try, its a pretty good indicator of the general story itself, and it got me hooked pretty quickly.

8/10 LEWIS CAROL EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

Too much pressure is being heaped onto film makers these days. The filming of "Neverwhere" on video rather than onto film was an incredibly good decision, if one made by budgetry consideration rather than one of style. Video gives one a much more intimate feel on a programme as opposed to the distance and unreality in film. So London Below had a much more realistic atmosphere with its filthy corners and occasional bright patch.

"Neverwhere" is a stunning idea, stylishly filmed, confidently written and (for the most part) perfectly acted. Exquisite performances by Hywell Bennett and the Marquee - dreadful, appalling, hideous acting by Richardrichard Mayhewdick. Bad, bad, baaaaaaaaaad casting decision there. Laura Fraser's alien distance giver her performance a truly detached and often unhuman feel, whilst retaining attraction and (dare I say) cuteness with her huge shimmering eyes. If she ever needs rescuing again, I'd give up *my* credit cards.... =)

Nice ending, not a surprise as such, but a very satisfactory closing to the story.

7/10 (it would've gotten 10/10 if it hadn't been for the lead man's crap acting.......)

You probably have to know London a bit to fully enjoy the story of Neverwhere (the series or the novel for that matter). The whole story relies on knowing a bit of the city layout, above and below :) And it's understandable that US viewers can be surprised by the low budget BBC production (unless they were familiarized with it through stuff like Dr Who which seems to be popular at the moment). Most European TVs don't get to sell their productions abroad so they won't invest as heavily as the US productions.

I read the novel long before I could get my hands on the DVD (actually way before I was even aware of anything being available in filmed form, much less as a DVD). For some reason the only release seems to be for the US market.

Regarding the Neverwhere series, yes, while the cast is mostly good, some of the actors are so-so. Even with the obviously shoestring budget, the sets and costumes are quite inventive and convincingly used. The directing unfortunately is really poor and it does quite a bit of damage to the effectiveness of the whole.

If you have read and enjoyed the novel, you will find the series to be something imperfect yes but also something that you can watch with fondness. Possibly a proper adaptation by a proper director with a decent budget would be nice. But it's unlikely it will ever happen. Isn't it better to enjoy what's available even if it could theoretically be better ?