Hyperdrive - 2nd series review

So the second series of Hyperdrive is currently showing on BBC2. I watched the first series on the grounds that it was by Nick Frost and was SF related and can't remember a thing about it. Bear in mind that you're reading the entry of someone who happily quotes Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, Buffy, etc. with ease so that's a telling statement in its own right. But hey that was the first outing and we all know that a show can take some time to bed in, the second time around is generally better.

It isn't. First off Nick Frost does not make a good lead. When he's with Simon Pegg he's great, but on his own at the front he's not so hot. This isn't a put-down consider films with Morgan Freeman as the star compared to the ones where he's the support and judge which are better; some people just make for natural supporting actors. With a crew of six (like Star Trek ignore all the others walking around in the background) you'd hope each had their own individual characteristics, but they're so wishy washy with only Teal and York getting any sort of screen-time to develop their characters.

A good plot and writing can overcome even this hurdle and it's a shame Hyperdrive doesn't have even this, the jokes are unfunny and are delivered with little sense of timing that renders them flat. Plot-wise it seems to be whatever the writers thought was good at the time, single strands with little continuity or any reason to really care about what's happening with unfunny 'in-jokes' about other programmes.

There is however one small ray of sunshine in the character of York, played by Kevin Eldon, who manages to elevate every scene he's in. With a taciturn character he doesn't get the flat monologues of the others, but sharp pithy statements that had me smiling and occasionally chucking. A fantastic supporting role left sadly with no-one worthy to support.

Worrying that a 20 year old series of Red Dwarf, which probably had half the staff and budget, is still more enjoyable to watch then this.