A Review by Richard Radcliffe 11/10/04
These spin-off BBV dramas have reached quite a high standard nowadays. After the very good Airzone Solution, and good Auton Trilogy they had quite an act to follow. In those dramas they had the advantage of being able to use the actual Autons from Doctor Who. This time they use Cyber types, but can't use the Cybermen. But do we get a traditional Cyber type story? - nothing like, and that makes me wonder why they used such an obvious copy from Doctor Who at all. Would it have been as a hook to snare the Doctor Who/Cybermen fans? I would have thought that they would have that hook anyway, thanks to their recent dramas. Does there have to be a connection to Doctor Who in these dramas? Clearly BBV think there should be, even though an alien that is called Cyber - something, is the only connection.
We are introduced to some very good characters - the experimental male American doctor (Tom Mordley) combining well with "Out to make a difference" English doctor (Lauren). These are the two stars, but there are some other pretty good characters too, notably Ray - Lauren's flatmate, George and Denise - two of the residents of the home. The acting is uniformly excellent, and everything is done very convincingly. Jo Castleton is very good as Lauren. I was quite impressed with her acting in the Auton series, but here it is better still. PJ Ochlan is also excellent as Mordley.
The story is a good one. Lance Parkin has never let the side down yet, and he doesn't here. It is well written throughout and is a very good science fiction thriller. The special effects are excellent, fully bringing over the mystery of the Cyberon drug, and its effects on the user. Of note too is the location work. Using familiar locations around London gives the drama a more realistic air, and the direction shows off these scenes well. There are plenty of different locations too at use here. The story moves from the Home, to Lauren's flat, to London's locations, even to a nightclub. BBV keep on improving with the presentation and production of these dramas.
The Cyberons themselves (the creature rather than the drug) are less successful, and I really think they spoil an otherwise fine production. You can't help but compare them to CyberMEN, and the comparison is poor. As part of the drug induced mystery they work, but only part of the blue misted haze around the users. As real entities they are poor. They seem to be quite small and therefore not very menacing, but maybe I am just used the other Cyber race. The masks seem too bulky, too many ridges making them seem strangely deformed.
It's a pity that this one aspect, the Cyberon appearance, lets down the production - the very connection with the show that is the hook for so many fans to these BBV dramas. Apart from them it's great, and definitely stands as a good BBV production. 7/10