IMDb user comments for
"Eleventh Hour" (2006)

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11 comments in total

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18 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
This is going to be very good...., 19 January 2006
Author: LoveGoodFlicks from United Kingdom

Watched the first episode tonight.

Patrick Stewart brings the gravitas and presence that he brings to all his roles (on stage and screen). The first storyline is interesting and well developed, as well as asking some interesting questions about the morality issues involved (many Americans will hate part of this programme).

I think this show will run well, as long as it keeps interesting story lines and brings forward one or two strong support characters.

I suspect this show will even get picked up in the States (which means the Yanks will get to see the British version of White Trash...we have them too!!).

Good job to the production team, and you'll be pleased to know this is the first original show I've watched on ITV in about 4-5 years, keep em coming.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Very interesting and thought-provoking, 27 July 2006

Author: GeneralGrievous from Peru

I've just seen a couple of Episodes of "Eleventh Hour", but I must say that they were enough to impress me. This series is just so impressive and interesting... I'm definitely going to follow it.

First of all, I must say that the acting is top-notch. Patrick Stewart plays his character - Ian the scientist - believably and coolly, and he makes the audience believe in the character. Other characters, such as Rachel, are also believable, and, although they sometimes are a little cold - due to the way the series is filmed - they're interesting.

The stories told by this series are also interesting. For example, one of the episodes I saw was about cloning, and a man who was trying to clone humans. The way the Episode was developed, and how Ian - Stewart - kept following clues and saving people was amazing. In addition, it made you think about ethics and how good or bad could this be.

Anyway, I think this is one good TV shows. I just hope it keeps going on like this - interesting, thought-provoking and with good acting. Even though it's filmed in a kind of cold way - little lightning, cold photography, lots of close-ups - it never stops being interesting. Highly recommendable.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Eleventh Hour, 8 October 2006

Author: Stephen Lindsay-Neale from Birmingham

First of all I'd like to start by saying it's a refreshing start to see a British Drama that finally looks and feels believable.

Patrick Stewart does the role justice as (Ian Hood), the government Science adviser, with his constant and unwavering views on authority and thoughts about the future of "real world" science and how he feels It's either being used or abused by others.

Not only is the casting thoroughly maintained all the way throughout the Series, but it makes it's characters seem more believable than most other British Drama's.

Ashley Jensen also delivers a first rate performance as Dr. Hood's Appointed bodyguard (Rachael Young), she brings a refreshing take on the unscientific, Uninterested everyday views of science, and her constant battling with Hood makes for some very funny and memorable moments between them.

The way the series keeps all the scientific elements more realistic I Find positive and more engaging than the psychobabble we are so used to in other Fiction or Science Fiction TV shows.

There are however notable disappointments with the series, every time an Episode ends I find myself disappointed that they didn't seem to cover all aspects of the plot and sometimes leaving open-ended stories unclosed.

Although bearing in mind that this is still the first series, I hope that we see a return to form in the near future where these open ended stories can finally be given a significant conclusion they so rightly deserve.

For those who enjoy more slow paced science related plot lines, this is the ideal show to watch as it always manages to stay believable and more Importantly to the point.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Good fun for those who like to use their brain and debate the morality of science in the public domain, 14 February 2006
Author: davideo-2 from Birmingham,England

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Patrick Stewart plays Ian Hood, a government scientist and top man who really gets a good glimpse at what those with power and knowledge get up to behind our backs. Each week, an episode deals with a scenario (e.g. cloning, miracle cures, virus outbreaks) where he must battle against the odds to give the public the protection they deserve.

Although he never really broke through the ranks as a top Hollywood star, Stewart does indeed remain one of the most notable actors we've ever produced and it is good to see him back on our screens. And indeed, he's well cast in this series, in fact it's almost as if the role was especially written for him.

Basically, this is one of those shows which will enthrall some and really put some others off. It's one for those who like to sit down, pay attention to everything that's going on and really enjoy the rewards that pay off from using your brain. It's one of those roles Stewart likes to accept, and fans of his work will easily warm to him in it. Others might find it all a bit too serious and brainy. There are attempts at humour here and there, but they're rather fluttered and not really played out that greatly.

Another problem I had with the show was the lighting and use of camera. The lighting is a little too grainy and the camera is too much of a close up shot throughout and this did detract from my enjoyment of it.

So, if you see any episodes, you should know what to expect. If you do, you'll probably enjoy it, if you don't, you probably didn't have much business seeing it to begin with. ***

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Good British Sci-Fi, 2 February 2006
Author: (j_f_burn) from Newcastle, United Kingdom

Is Ian Hood the 21st Century Professor Quatermass ?

I'm actually enjoying the series, as a sci-fi fan. After years of being subjected to British broadcasters being more concerned with producing period dramas, and endless detective shows - it's good to see some sci-fi back on the screen. And I for one think it's pretty well written, and of course the presence that Patrick Stewart brings, adds to the appeal.

Am I right in thinking that only 4 episodes have been made in this season ? I hope it's done well enough to given a shot at a 2nd season, with Stewart on board for that too.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining television series, 29 December 2006

Author: cdi2004 from United States

I found the episodes to be fascinating and well written. As a TV show, it was entertaining which is what I expect from fictional entertainment. I like the "relationship" between the Professor and his female Security Guard ... although sometimes her Scottish accent makes it a bit difficult to understand what she is saying. I was hoping that there would be more than just four episodes. I recognize that one commenter/reviewer of this series had comments relating to his opinion as a physician. I understand this gentleman's comments; however, this is a fictional television series which is meant to entertain ... not present precise facts like a documentary. Patrick Stewart performs well and makes his character believable. If you want to watch a documentary, then this is not the series for you. But if you want to watch unique scientific-based theories in an entertainment-based medium, then you will enjoy the four episodes.

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Pilot this evening...not overly impressed, 19 January 2006
Author: bubbayum from United Kingdom

I must say, I am somewhat surprised that my favourite PS has allowed such an "arty" medium to be applied to a not very apparent replacement for the highly respected Morse detective series. The characters although new, remain totally impersonal and I really do not want long shots of many more car-washes, camera moves around cars with just a few words spoken,shots of railings with darkened views of walking main cast. Make this a proper sleuth show asap! gimme clues, gimme insider info on the characters, gimme some more anger/emotion, and gimme a hard hitting next episode that brings me back for more!. I know new shows need time to develop, to mellow the characters and give them time to make them their own, but this appears stunted, strained and cold with minimal vocabulary to give me the viewer and a fan of the more intelligent detective shows, much to hold on to other than modern but not altogether interesting camera work...come on Patrick, inject some pizazz!!!!

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4 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
First episode disappointing, but I keep an open mind, 20 January 2006

Author: Gabriel from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I found the first episode less impressive than I had hoped. Patrick Stewart was nowhere near even his ST:TNG form, much less the stage presence we know he is capable of. It felt a bit weak, not quite "phoned in", but unenthusiastic.

I was really bothered though by the lack of sophistication in the thinking behind the scientific issues involved. After all this is a show about a "government scientist" (who introduces himself as "Alan Hood, Scientist"--which I find hard to imagine coming out of any scientist's mouth: is he a physicist, a bioethicist, biohazard specialist, geneticist, medical experimenter, or what? Am I too picky here? It just didn't ring true...) Episode one was a drama about illegal human cloning, with the police refusing to take an interest because "there's no murder here". (If Hood has no authority, then in what sense does he "work for the government"?) At no point was it clearly expressed what was actually wrong with the human cloning that was going on. (Stewart rolled his eyes and bellowed that it was "repugnant", "abhorrent", and such things, but at no point explained why.) OK, it was self-evident that the exploitation of young surrogate mothers was wrong, but this was not a drama about exploitation--although it handled the issue well. I would have liked to see more medical ethics covered, after all it is a serious issue and the only way to keep such matters from being judged by the "morality of repugnance" is to educate the public as to some of the issues involved.

But as I say this is only the first episode. I'll watch a few more and see if other issues are better handled. This sort of show often takes a few hours to grow into itself, so I remain hopeful.

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8 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Behind you, Doctor! A terrifying hybrid of old BBC sci-fi series!, 2 February 2006
Author: Steve Gough from Burmingem, England

This flashy po-faced hokum has clearly been built to milk the appeal of Sir Patrick Stewart to the bobble-hat brigade, and it's not as terrifyingly bad as some of writer Stephen Gallagher's other work. But why-oh-why-oh-why hasn't anybody flagged the significant debt to other and - in my nostalgia-loaded opinion - better series?

It obviously re-treads ground covered in the equally watchable but improbable perils-of-science 1970s BBC melodrama "Doomwatch" - created by Doctor Who writers and Cybermen creators Kit Peddler and Gerry Davis.

"Eleventh hour" writer Stephen Gallagher is also a former Doctor Who writer. What, then, do you think inspired the format of a slightly unworldly trouble-shooting "Government Scientific Adviser" with a younger and slightly feisty but unthreatening girl "companion"?

There's a certain amount to enjoy here, not least Jean Luc Picard trying to pretend he's not posh, as he flattens all his vowels and clearly has to be restrained from saying things like "Ay-up", "By 'eck", and "Ah grew oop round ear". That he's supposed to be a boffin is probably funnier, as in last week's episode which had him talking about quantum probability and Chaos theory to a Government accountant before charging off to put down a virus pandemic.

That girl from "Extras" as his sidekick also gets to wave a gun and run down endless stairs in Lycra tops without the benefit of a sports bra, which may offer younger male viewers some light relief.

Despite the slick presentation and casting coup, this isn't ever going to be great and memorable TV. The man who gave us budget-shy early nineties genetic engineering scare-fest "Chimera" (aka "Monkey Boy" - the clue's in the title) and international drugs corporation paranoia in "Oktober" is clearly going to carry on grinding out un-taxing soft-target science-gone-wrong potboilers. The only real social issue in the second story about a killer virus loose in England's Manchester, was the obvious question, "Well, would they really bother?"

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3 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
good and bad, 21 January 2006
Author: thong

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

yeah regarding the first episode, it was interesting to watch but was spoilt by two script flaws. Firstly after discovering the address of the lab, you would expect them to stake out the lab to catch the criminals, nooo... they just brake in to the empty lab, then the crim sees them and escapes,... sure likely !! Secondly, after the girl absconds from hospital they seem to have no way to find out where the girl lives. I mean, an ambulance just collected her from her home for goodness sake. Either the script writer is dumb :) , or he thinks the audience are. Just obvious mistakes that spoil the believability of the program.

my 2p

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