BCC Hyperdrive

[The Grumpy Celt]

Hyperdrive was a British television science fiction sitcom produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." Set in 2151, it follows the crew of HMS Camden Lock as they stumble through their heroic mission to protect British interests in a changing galaxy.

I saw an episode of this program on BBC America. I thought it, at leats the episode I watched, was uneven. I was simply flipping through and noticed a program with Nick Frost, who played the slob/sidekick in Shaun of the Dead. Frost plays the captain.

There were some almost howling funny parts, some sharp satire parts and just as many parts that simply were not funny.

For example, in the episode I watched (Asteroid), the crew tries to intercede with warrin races and have them reach a peaceful conclusion. The aliens do - and promptly declair war on Great Brittan. Frost makes this announcement to his crew in a matter of fact way that was funny. Then a bridge officer tells the captain, in morose tones, that the "death swarms" will get to them soon, only to be admonished to call them "fleets." After that another bridge officer downloads the aliens newest war anthem, "Kill the humans." Apparently the aliens make up a new war anthem for every single war and they have already written one for this war. It came in an MP90 file. All of this happens in the space of about two minutes.

Later, the crew member who down loaded the war anthem, "Kill the humans," is placed in a torture-chamber/mind control room, where he will be subjected to intense words and images intended to condition him. These images are of kittens playing and romping around and the sound is that of a pleasant sounding woman talking about the kittens playing and romping around; "Isn't it lovely to live in world were kittens can sit in a hat."

But the character of the first officer gets old quick. He is a sadistic lunatic who talks all the time about hurting people. The joke wears thin. The ship's computer is a running gag that was first (and best) done in a very similar manner by Red Dwarf.

Still, it was entertaining.

 

[trancejeremy]

I caught a different episode of this a couple weeks ago (where this tall woman built like a linebacker tries to have dinner with guy with a really weak beard, almost one like a teenager would have, barely there) and I spent 30 minutes trying to figure out if it was supposed to be a comedy or what.

 

[Mistwell]

I saw an episode of this program on BBC America. I thought it, at leats the episode I watched, was uneven. I was simply flipping through and noticed a program with Nick Frost, who played the slob/sidekick in Shaun of the Dead. Frost plays the captain.

There were some almost howling funny parts, some sharp satire parts and just as many parts that simply were not funny.

For example, in the episode I watched (Asteroid), the crew tries to intercede with warrin races and have them reach a peaceful conclusion. The aliens do - and promptly declair war on Great Brittan. Frost makes this announcement to his crew in a matter of fact way that was funny. Then a bridge officer tells the captain, in morose tones, that the "death swarms" will get to them soon, only to be admonished to call them "fleets." After that another bridge officer downloads the aliens newest war anthem, "Kill the humans." Apparently the aliens make up a new war anthem for every single war and they have already written one for this war. It came in an MP90 file. All of this happens in the space of about two minutes.

Later, the crew member who down loaded the war anthem, "Kill the humans," is placed in a torture-chamber/mind control room, where he will be subjected to intense words and images intended to condition him. These images are of kittens playing and romping around and the sound is that of a pleasant sounding woman talking about the kittens playing and romping around; "Isn't it lovely to live in world were kittens can sit in a hat."

But the character of the first officer gets old quick. He is a sadistic lunatic who talks all the time about hurting people. The joke wears thin. The ship's computer is a running gag that was first (and best) done in a very similar manner by Red Dwarf.

Still, it was entertaining.

The first officer is not always like that. They were facing what seemed to be certain death, with two armadas of ships headed their way and the entire UK disowning them as a rogue ship. So the first officer was flipping out, making up alert statuses like Cardinal alert, and new sadistic methods of control over the crew.

I've watched maybe 4 episodes now, and it's a pretty good show. And yes, it's 100% comedy.

If you want to listen to the Kill the Humans song, you can hear it here:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/comedy/hyperdrive/killthehumans.mp3

It's pretty catchy!