I decided to watch Sea of Souls after a mention on someone else's journal (sorry, can't remember who). I was impressed by it

I'm not normally one for paranormal dramas, but - as was put in many of the very helpful and intelligent comments to the SF poll that I just did - I can take one 'impossible' item for the sake of the story, especially if it is sensibly handled. IN this case, it's precognition.

What sold the series to me was the Glasgow setting (yay! Local accents), the fact that the characters lived in normal houses (every American series I see, the characters all seem incredibly affluent compared to the Americans I know personally), they aren't all impossibly beautiful, they have time for a social life and swop bad jokes with their friends, they feel real.

The plot wasn't bad either. The red herring was very well played and led us to a character who'd be extrememly unlikely to appear in a US series - a trans-sexual who is quietly living a normal life (and who is neither a villian, nor over-played in any manner).

I also liked the fact that the character who got the precognitive flashes was very disconcerted by her ability.

In fact, my only real gripe was that there was no valid reason for the little boy to appear at the wedding as he belonged to the 'red herring' plot.

Sea of Souls compared very favourably to 'Invasion' which I also tried. 'Invasion' wasn't too bad, I shall watch more and see how it goes, but it wasn't as well written.

Other recommendations: Mind games - a quiz where the panellists tend to be professors and to have to answer really good locig puzzles, and 'Rough Science' (on at 5am, so you have to record it) where the teams have to do things like making a radio or a thermometer with a fairly basic kit of parts and whatever they can utilise from the surrounding woodland. (and there's no fudges - they only manage about 2/3 of the challenges, but they get 3 or 4 every episode, so they always manage some of them)