Why this show didn't work...

On paper it should have been a winner - an intriguing premise and the possibility for some good storylines. And indeed, the storylines were very clever. Such a shame then they were executed (and acted) in such an overblown, indulgent manner!

Where recent British sci-fi shows such as Life on Mars and Afterlife have succeeded is that they try not to be too American; they convince, and therefore involve the British viewer in their stories. Eleventh Hour's plots seemed over-dramatic and accentuated. Shifty characters and organisation exude a menace in American dramas like 24 that just doesn't come across in a British drama-thriller like Eleventh Hour.

Patrick Stewart didn't do a lot wrong it has to be said. The show was more spoiled by the awful character of his sidekick - an annoying Scottish seargent. There was simply no dynamic between the two and their characters were hopelessly mis-matched. Hood would have been better going it alone or paired up with a more mature, intellectual and sophisticated female partner... yet one still as strong-minded but not as coarse as the Scottish woman.