Ultimate Force - Series 1

Starring: Jamie Draven, Ross Kemp Director: Diarmuid Lawrence, Mark Roper, Tim Leandro, Tom Clegg Original UK Premiere: 2002 Dvd Release: 16th June, 2003 Number Of Discs: 2 Format: Box set, PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding

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DVD Extras: Ultimate Force is presented with a near flawless anamorphically enhanced picture in the original TV broadcast ratio of 16:9, while for a modern action drama the sound is perfectly capable but less than spectacular stereo. Two DVDs contain the complete first season; a 74 minute introductory episode & five 48-minute regular shows. Other than subtitles for hard-of-hearing the only extra is a standard 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette shot on location during the making of series 2.

Focusing on the adventures of an SAS unit, Ultimate Force was conceived around the character of new-man-on-the-team Jamie Dow, but realised as a star vehicle for Ross Kemp as the clichéd tough-but-caring leader Sgt Henno Garvie. Kemp essentially plays a legitimate version of his Eastenders hardman persona, Grant Mitchell, while Jamie, Billy Elliot, Draven wins a lot of hearts as the troubled but sensitive Dow. The two are the focus of this hit ITV series which, harking back to the thick-ear undercover shenanigans of The Professionals, echoes the macho camaraderie, soap opera character development & explosive action of Londons Burning & Soldier, Soldier.

By TV standards the set-pieces are bold & bloody, but the stories are routine, from rescuing hostages in the feature-length opener, to tracking a war criminal in the finale. Despite being cowritten by ex-SAS man Chris Ryan, the show regularly stretches credulity, & sometimes, as when demonising anti-globalisation protestors as would-be assassins, displays a tabloid sensibility quite out of step with reality. Ultimate Force is essentially an updated Who Dares Wins; a far better insight into the real SAS is Bravo Two Zero starring Sean Bean, which, not coincidentally, was also directed by Tom Clegg.

Ross Kemp is a British actor. His mother, Jean, was a hairdresser & his father, John, was a policeman with the Metropolitan Police force. He has a brother named Darren who is a documentary producer for the BBC. Ross attended Shenfield High School, where he is remembered as an excellent athlete. He wanted to be an actor from a young age & went on to study drama at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He has rarely been out of work since leaving the academy in 1985, appearing on stage, in films, on television & in various advertisements. His first credited television appearance was in 1986, playing Graham Lodsworth in Emmerdale Farm. His most famous role to date was his award-winning portrayal of hardman Grant Mitchell in the popular BBC series EastEnders. In 1999 he was elected as Rector of Glasgow University as the candidate of the Labour Club. However he resigned in 2001 after the Glasgow University Students Representative Council passed a motion requesting him to do so, as many students had become dissatisfied with his performance in the role.

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