"Actor: Tom Bennett"

• Lexx - Season 2 - Vol. 2 | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A "Light Universe" and a "Dark Zone" keep good and bad apart for the characters of Lexx, even though it's often hard to tell the difference between the two in this offbeat and unique sci-fi show that delights in its own nastiness. The episodes in this second collection from the second series are: "Stan's Trial", "Love Grows", "White Trash", "791" and "Wake the Dead". In "Stan's Trial", he's still desperate for some "bingo bongo yum yum time", which blinds him to a sting operation laid at the Celes Pleasure Liner. His alleged traitorous past finally catches up, and the events of "Giga Shadow" are made clear. A new, shorter title sequence opens the gender questioning "Love Grows". The Lexx accidentally eats a rubbish dumper and the toxic cargo has an adverse effect on everyone--to say the least. Their sex organs are swapped! A cliffhanger surprise leads directly into "White Trash", where we find the yokel clan family have been stowed away since before the destruction of The Cluster. On a crashed ship a cyborg pilot has been decapitated, which gives 790 an idea. While Kai and Xev find a hold full of prisoners with their hearts removed, 791 is born--with more than just a little personality re-programming. This homage to Alien ends with Xev's immortal line: "You may still only be a head 790. But you're the best head I ever had." Then we're back into spoof territory as "Wake the Dead" enjoys turning The Lexx into the stomping ground for a crazed teen killer. Still asleep from a joyride begun 287 years before, the group of "deserving" kids are dispatched with glee in a great performance by Michael McManus. There's even a shower murder with a musical nod to Psycho from composer Marty Simon. And we finally see a Lexx toilet--and its tongue! On the DVD: the most exciting extra for fans is a commentary from Brian Downey (Stan) and writer Lex Giggeroff on the episode "Wake the Dead". They have great fun discussing Xenia Seeberg's wigs and confirm that this was indeed pitched as a "teen slasher flick". Also featured is a gallery of nine stills, some hilarious text "Faxx" about all five episodes, biographies of Stan and Lyekka, and a "Story So Far" re-cap. The 10-minute "Making of Lexx the Series Part 2" documentary is the same as the VHS release. --Paul Tonks

• Lexx - Season 2 - Vol. 4 | DVD | (10/06/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In the fourth collection of episodes from the second series of Lexx the crew finally acknowledge that they're worried about Mantrid taking over the universe, and decide to test "The Uncertainty Principle" to be found at the centre of the universe. The Lexx is ensnared by "The Web", and everyone begins behaving peculiarly. Worst of all--Stanley can't find his hat. This extremely clever instalment should be watched back-to-back with the following "The Net", where all is revealed. It's the same show all over again, but with extended shots and external footage of what is happening to the Lexx. Some TV shows cobble together a "clips episode" in order to save budget. Lexx proves itself different yet again with this ingenious idea. The difference continues into "Brigadoom", which is a musical: a theatre appears from nowhere to put on a show telling the tale of the Brunnen-G. Kai and Xev take to the boards, and singalong quite oblivious to the fact TV SF usually can't pull this sort of thing off. They do. Desperate to call Mantrid's bluff, the Lexx crew are even prepared momentarily to trust his old tutor the Bio Vizier "Brizon". They know he has some treacherous agenda, but never guess what until it's almost too late. The storyline links straight into "End of the Universe", and the season finale sees every player of Mantrid's game attempting checkmate. 790 builds a counter army of drone arms, but it's Lyekker's efforts that once again save the day. The show ends with the very definition of a Big Bang, and leaves everything under one enormous question mark. On the DVD: Lexx Series 2 Vol. 4 has the most extras yet. There's one last commentary from Brian Downey (Stan) and writer Lex Giggeroff on the episode "End of the Universe". The humour remains, but it's fun to hear their awe for the CG interpretation of their original idea: putting 790's head on a Drone Arm. We also learn about the writer's arguments about the physics. Also featured is a gallery of stills, some hilarious text "FAXX" about all five episodes, four Sci-Fi Channel character spots, a fascinating interview with composer Marty Simon, biographies of 790, The Lexx, Brizon and Mantrid, and a story so far recap. Best of all, is a Sing-A-Long-a-Brunnen-G karaoke lyrics option for "Brigadoom", surely one of the greatest ideas ever had for a DVD. --Paul Tonks

• Nasty Neighbours | DVD | (24/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99