Looking for the name of a near-future sci-fi series from mid-90s.

January 27, 2008 2:18 PM

I'm looking or the name, and possibly other information on a five or six part sci-fi series that aired in the mid nineties, I think on the BBC (not sure). It was set in London/UK and dealt with repercussions of various theorised technological advancements.

The final episode is the one I remember clearest - an virus was infecting computers and nobody could immediately see a way of stopping it, but in stead of causing damage, it was amassing a network of nodes that together started to form an artificial intelligence. It was bypassing regular security, doing thing like sharing research data between rival medical laboratories, with the result of making discoveries that wouldn't otherwise have been made.

Towards the end, the authorities started to talk about shutting down the internet to stop its progress, and the final shot before the screen goes blank is of a kind of pale CGI face addressing the audience (but not speaking) for a second, then the feed/connection being cut off.

Does this ring any bells with anybody?

Thanks!

posted by sparklejess to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

Just a guess, but was it Bugs? More than five or six episodes, but maybe you only saw one series.
posted by afx237vi at 2:25 PM on January 27, 2008

Sorry, it definitely wasn't Bugs. I remember Bugs too.
posted by sparklejess at 3:38 PM on January 27, 2008

IMDB's power search gives 38 possibilities for "TV series, country of origin: UK, genre: Sci-Fi, date, 1990-2000".

1. "Adventures of Stephen Brown, The" (2000) TV Series
2. "Astro Farm" (1992) TV Series
3. "Bugs" (1995) TV Series 7.1/10 (52 votes)
4. "Captain Star" (1997) TV Series 9.0/10 (43 votes)
5. "Cold Lazarus" (1996) (mini) TV Series 7.7/10 (258 votes)
6. "Complete Cosmos, The" (1998) TV Series 6.2/10 (18 votes)
7. "Crime Traveller" (1997) TV Series 7.9/10 (33 votes)
8. "Cyberkidz" (1996) TV Series
9. "Dark Season" (1991) TV Series 7.0/10 (30 votes)
10. "Ink Thief, The" (1994) TV Series 8.0/10 (10 votes)
11. "Invasion: Earth" (1998) (mini) TV Series 6.3/10 (191 votes)
12. "Jupiter Moon" (1990) TV Series 7.9/10 (6 votes)
13. "Kappatoo" (1990) TV Series
14. "Last Train, The" (1999) (mini) TV Series 7.2/10 (215 votes)
...aka "Cruel Earth" (1999) (mini) (Canada: English title)
15. "Lavender Castle" (1999) TV Series 9.4/10 (8 votes)
...aka "Gerry Anderson's Lavender Castle" (1999) (UK: complete title)
16. "Lexx" (1997) TV Series 7.3/10 (612 votes)
...aka "Lexx: The Series" (1997)
...aka "Tales from a Parallel Universe" (2000) (USA: first season title)
17. "Lexx: The Dark Zone" (1997) (mini) TV Series 7.7/10 (787 votes)
...aka "Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories" (1997) (mini) (USA)
...aka "Lexx: The Movies" (2001) (mini) (Europe: English title: DVD box title)
18. "Life Force" (2000) TV Series
19. "My Parents Are Aliens" (1999) TV Series 7.2/10 (97 votes)
20. "Planet Mirth" (1997) TV Series
21. "Scavengers" (1994) TV Series
22. "Sci-Fright" (1999) TV Series
23. "Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, The" (2000) TV Series 4.8/10 (55 votes)
24. "Space Island One" (1998) TV Series 5.4/10 (13 votes)
25. "Space Precinct" (1994) TV Series 6.8/10 (63 votes)
26. "Spacevets" (1992) TV Series
27. "Star Whores" (2000) TV Series 7.8/10 (12 votes)
28. "Strangerers, The" (2000) TV Series 6.0/10 (29 votes)
29. "T-Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma" (1992) TV Series
30. "Time Riders" (1991) TV Series
31. "Tomorrow People, The" (1992) TV Series 6.0/10 (64 votes)
32. "Torch, The" (1992) (mini) TV Series
33. "Tribe, The" (1999) TV Series 7.0/10 (346 votes)
34. "Ultraviolet" (1998) TV Series 8.5/10 (916 votes)
35. "Uncle Jack and Operation Green" (1990) TV Series
36. "Uncle Jack and the Dark Side of the Moon" (1992) TV Series
37. "Uncle Jack and the Loch Noch Monster" (1991) TV Series
38. "Watt on Earth" (1991) TV Series 9.0/10 (7 votes)
posted by AmbroseChapel at 4:27 PM on January 27, 2008

Dark Season?
posted by ceri richard at 4:28 PM on January 27, 2008

This was not in the 90s, but more recently, but the BBC had a series called "If...".
Episodes included "If Drugs were Legal," "If the Oil Runs Out," "If Cloning Could Cure Us."
posted by cushie at 8:23 PM on January 27, 2008

Virtual Murder

I tried to track it down recently myself.... but could not remember the title. But a bit of thinking and googling re this thread and it just popped into my brain.

I remember it as a great, Dr Who-ish series... the never seem to have put it out on DVD, a pity as I'd quite like to watch it again.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:58 AM on January 28, 2008

Thank you AmbroseChapel, that list is dead good. I'd not explored the powersearch at imdb, but I'll give it a go.

I'm still not entirely convinced it was 'Virtual Murder', it had quite a documentary style.
posted by sparklejess at 12:21 PM on January 28, 2008