For anyone unfamiliar with Urban Gothic, it was a half-hour British horror series that was originally shown in the UK on Channel Five. The first series of thirteen episodes was screened in 2000, while the second series consisted of nine episodes and was broadcast in 2001 (the combined total of 22 episodes - the length of a standard American season - would indicate that the producers hoped to sell the show overseas). Intended for post-watershed viewing, it contained a frequent amount of blood and gore, plus a fair smattering of sex and nudity.At first glance, Urban Gothic was an anthology series of self-contained stories, the only link between the various episodes being that they were all set in modern-day London (the show's very first episode 'Dead Meat' will be of particular interest to Hex fans - not only does it feature Jemima Rooper, but the plot centres on a ritual to raise the dead, written by John Dee).However, the last episode of the first series revealed that all the stories took place in the same shared continuity, and in the second series an ongoing storyline gradually emerged, involving a covert branch of British Intelligence called C-TEC which investigates unusual events; a centuries-old secret society known as The Institute; and 'The Heart' - an ancient and powerful supernatural entity that serves as the lifeforce of the city of London, and feeds on the pain, fear and misery of the inhabitants. Several characters - some of which had debuted in the first series - also began to make recurring appearances, including Jude Redfield, a failed journalist who had been chosen by The Heart to become The Storyteller - the chronicler of the city's secret history; Josef Severin, the leader of the Institute; inexperienced C-TEC agent Sean Bendix; Jude's snide zombie sidekick Milton; lesbian police detective Rachel Winter; teenage border-line sociopath Kali Cunningham; autistic savant Loki Brown, who had memorised the scientific formula of Creation; and Jude's missing girlfriend Cora - transformed into the conduit for The Heart.Urban Gothic was made on a low budget and shot on video, and on occasion the ideas and themes contained in the scripts are beyond the reach of the show's meagre finances to be visualized successfully. Also, once you take away the commercials each episode is just over twenty minutes in length, and many of the stories feel rushed as a result, with several clearly needing a longer running time to do themselves justice.Like most anthology series, Urban Gothic is hit and miss, with some episodes working better than others. But it scores a complete or partial bullseye more often than not. Sadly, the ongoing storyline involving The Heart ends with an unresolved cliffhanger in the final episode, but the entire series is still worth watching.

Urban Gothic is a really interesting, entertaining show. The tales of 'Urban Gothic' are strange but unique, and are very twisted, dark but usually funny as well. The episodes vary, from raising the dead, to supermarket-owning aliens. The scripts are sometimes a bit silly or dull, but most of it is tongue-in-cheek and well done. The acting is sometimes rusty or wooden, but some people give really good performance, such as Anita Dobsen as Fenella. The stories are really unpredictable though, in the sense that sometimes they are more humorous and bright, instead of dark and gory, but to be honest, this is what is so fun about them; some are really tense and gritty and you can get your teeth into them, and then some are more cheery and spoofish, and you can just sit back and relax and have a laugh, and still be quite scared at the same time. This is such a perfect balance, and makes the show more genuine and unique. Urban Gothic is really worth looking for, and the DVD's are well worth the purchase. You won't be disappointed in this inventive, low budget gem.

I really like Urban Gothic in a number of ways.It's wildly uneven and you never know what you're going to get. Half the episodes are boring, predictable or just plain funny (see the episode called 'pineapple chunks' and you'll understand.) The other half are brilliant, unusual and original.It's violent and doesn't pretend it has a moral reason to be that way. The fact is that gut wrenching violence can sometimes shock and horrify. We're not talking 'video nasty' proportions here, but you'll wince at some of the scenes. Because of this capacity for violence and its cheapness, you're always on the edge, wondering if something horrible is about to happen. This is no sanitised hollywood production and it's all the better for it. It feels grubby - the title sequence really demonstrates what the show is about.This is really cheap on DVD - I managed to get series one for about 9 quid. I'm off to order series 2!

if you have never heard of urban gothic then i cant really blame you, channel 5 isn't exactly associated with high quality entertainment, or a good picture quality for that matter. its one of those little gems that you happen to catch one late drunken night while flicking through the channels. it has some top rate performances from little known/haven't had a job in a while actors and the scrpits contain some of the darkest humour around (the frog in the blender scene comes to mind)urban gothic has filled the gap that there seems to be in true horror TV (im not counting buffy etc as true horror) it is pure student television and some of the episodes are true genius. one of its main strengths though, is that each time you see it it gets better and develops new and even more twisted hidden meanings and social comments. if only it had the money of a primetime bbc show it could have been one of the best television shows around. however maybe the reason it is so special is because it is so hidden and unrestrained by ratings and strict corporate bosses. long live urban gothic, spread the word and lets all hope that it gets a third series.