Hyperdrive (British TV series)
Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom broadcast by BBC Two in 2006 and 2007. Set in 2151 and 2152, it follows the crew of HMS "Camden Lock" as they stumble through their heroic mission to protect British interests in a changing galaxy. The series is written by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley, directed by John Henderson and produced by Alex Walsh-Taylor. The working title was "Full Power". The first episode was broadcast on BBC Two on 11 January 2006. A second series began on 12 July 2007 on BBC Two. The series is  available on CW Seed, iTunes and Amazon Prime Video in the US. HMS "Camden Lock". The design for HMS "Camden Lock" was based loosely upon the BT Tower in London. It is a 'Wendover' class ship and measures long by wide. The ship's registration is XH558 - the same serial number as the last flying Avro Vulcan bomber. Shuttlebay doors on the "Camden" are shown with the Union Jack embossed on them, which is part of the comic jingoism of the series. Camden Lock is the name of a lock on a canal in the real Camden in London. The  Camden Lock is powered by "P-Rods", with the P standing for "Perfectly safe", although it is rumoured to stand for "Plutonium". Her maximum speed is 170 Vs—any higher and the reactors overheat. Her maximum crush depth is The "Camden Lock" is armed with missiles and pulse weapons of some form. The laser guns wielded by her crew bear a striking resemblance to crutches. The Green Javelins (a "space-o-batics" precision flying team that appear in Series 2, Episode 1) also use 'Wendover' class ships. (The Red Arrows are the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team.) Alien races . The Glish. The Glish are repulsive-looking, slimy creatures who like to communicate by drooling and licking. Commander Henderson causes a diplomatic conflict by not allowing the Glish ambassadors to rub their genitals on his face. The Queppu. A Medieval-ish race living on a mostly desert planet. They have a pseudo-feudal society with monarchical (if not totalitarian) government. Typical dress includes jester-like bright red latex suits. The despotic and insane Supreme Ruler, played by Geoffrey McGivern, desires that everyone "marvel" at his civilization, for example, he possesses a "Doom Ray", with which he threatens Henderson, Teal, and  York and at which he expects them to marvel. The "Doom Ray" apparently takes three days to disintegrate a single person and a week to recharge. Princess Lavya, played by Montserrat Lombard, bears a remarkable resemblance to Lucrezia Borgia. As revealed in "Artifact", they gained a space-faring capability after half of the population was sold as food to an insectoid species to 'grind up in their mandibles to feed to their larval young.' The Supreme Ruler described this as a good trade. The Lallakkis. A pseudo-Medieval race. They dress in somber brown leather, appear unkempt, have the mental  capability of 10-year-olds, and are eager to play chicken and use violence at slightest irritation. Every war the race participates in, a battle song is written. One of their battle songs is "Kill the Humans", which includes a death threat for Commander Henderson in the lyrics. The race is possibly caricatures of the British Chav subculture, or the Ali G stereotype of youth. The Bulaagh. A highly advanced race, but very haughty, looking down on everyone else. Not as trigger-happy as the Lallakkis, but nevertheless ally themselves against Britain with the Lallakkis after Commander Henderson caused the  destruction of an asteroid that was the subject of a dispute between the two races. They seem able to communicate with each other, telepathically, by touching a gem-like marking on their long chins. The Red Shiny Robots of Vortis. A parody of the "" Borg. A race eager to absorb information and knowledge of various races, exterminating them in the process. They appear to be clad in red latex and they extract the minds of the lifeforms into the "data-sphere" which leaves the bodies dead, although it has the weakness of disruption if those who are having their minds  harvested think of falsehoods (allusion to the Starfleet attempt to plant an optical illusion computational worm in the Borg collective in the I, Borg episode). There is also a model of Red Shiny Robot of Vortis used for infiltration, designed to look like attractive women, though based on the episode, it's debatable whether they truly understand the concept of attractive. The Engulfers. Extradimensional beings of pure energy, they consume atoms and excrete black holes. They are able to swallow spaceships whole. The Scrane. Interstellar pirates who are interested in stealing the most lethal weapon the Space Fleet has at  its disposal. Episode list. The original pilot episode was first named ""Lepus"" and later ""Full Power"", It starred Sanjeev Bhaskar as Henderson and Mark Gatiss as York, the rest of the cast was the same as in the series. It was directed by Armando Iannucci and was never broadcast.