Sleepin_Dragon

Audrey Bedford is released from prison after wrongly serving nine months for a minor theft. Desperate to rebuild her life, she's unexpectedly offered a job by the mysterious Mr Malpas - a position far too appealing to turn down.

I have to be honest, I went in expecting this one to be a bit of a clunker, yet I find myself genuinely surprised. I may even suggest it's one of the best of the entire run.

There's a slightly darker feel to it, not quite a straight mystery. Yes, it's full of suspense and intrigue, but there's also a very mild brush of horror. It sits a little awkwardly in the run: it has the branding, the formula, the name... yet something feels different. Not in a bad way. It's as though someone tried to file it neatly under the Wallace umbrella but accidentally picked up a more premium one on the way out.

It's glossy - very glossy - and it's clear the budget was nudged up a little. The music, atmosphere and visuals are all spot on.

One sequence really stood out: the mysterious Mr Malpas interviewing a source from behind a blinding light. It's a terrific, chilling moment. And there was me thinking Agatha Christie came up with the idea in 'The Dream'.

I can't fault a single performance. Maureen Swanson, Ronald Howard, Allan Cuthbertson, Sandra Dorne and Alan Tilvern are all on point.

It's taken a while for me to track it down, but I'm stunned by how good it is. It's a curiosity in the set, of course - held back from the original broadcast run and later folded into the Edgar Wallace series, which only adds to its odd little mystique.

8.5/10.

Susan and Ed are in a perilous position, still having to ensure the Katuma survey is completed and the RX44 launched, while someone continues to try and wreck the mission.

It's big and brash, wonderfully over the top, and it's definitely ventured into sci-fi territory - and I'm more than happy with that.

A bold move to kick off series two with a two-part story, but it works. The plot felt far too big to resolve in 45 minutes, and the extended run gives the story and characters room to breathe.

It's a very satisfying conclusion. Fast and tense, constantly shifting direction - just as the team seem to get ahead, the villains counter. Proper to-and-fro action.

We learn a little more about Beckett through his ex, with Birdsall great, though the focus leans more on Ed and Ros. Ros is once again racing around London like Sarah Jane Smith with sonic lipstick at the ready.

The visuals are very much of their time, but pretty decent. The space shots are a little raw, but if Doctor Who hadn't been axed in 1989, this is exactly how I imagine it would have looked. Every device bleeps and whirls with pure satisfaction.

I'm a fan of Lesley Vickerage, but she's getting money for old rope here - mostly sitting in an orange suit fawning over Craig McLachlan. Tough job.

Wonderful nostalgia and bags of fun.

8/10.

Colonel Stone is planning to launch a space program, the KC135, but someone is attempting to sabotage it. Ed is deep undercover, training as an astronaut, while forces conspire to block the mission.

Series one was a big hit, and happily it was recommissioned. This opener is a banger - a full-on Mission Control saga, leaning more into sci-fi than before.

The BBC clearly didn't cut the budget for series two; it still looks great, bigger and bolder if anything. Ros's cute Punto has been upgraded to a glorious yellow Escort cabriolet.

Ros remains a brilliant character - brave, sarcastic, and now at super-genius level.

If I had one small criticism, the Chinese island of Katuma felt a little throwback to the 70s, recalling The Champions or The Avengers, where random banana republics appeared weekly.

Craig McLachlan never misses an opportunity to show off his muscles - almost worth watching the episode for.

Perfect comfort TV: brash, over-the-top, and silly as ever. I love it.

8.5/10.