Flashforward

*FlashForward returns to Five in March 2010*

The world's population falls unconscious and experiences a series of strange, futuristic visions... A new, Dalek-inspired episode of Doctor Who? Not quite. It's actually a hot new sci-fi drama from the States.

FlashForward stars Shakespeare in Love actor Joseph Fiennes as troubled FBI agent Mark Benford. When the two-minute-long blackout strikes, Benford's life is turned upside down by his particular vision of the future - a recovering alcoholic, he sees himself hitting the bottle again in six months' time. His wife's vision is even worse: she sees herself in the arms of another man.

Meanwhile, the blackout wreaks devastation across the globe. People have fallen down stairs, planes have crashed and governments are in turmoil. To say nothing of the survivors, who are still trying to process their flashforwards. In the midst of all this, Benford sets about investigating the blackout and trying to discover what caused it - and what on Earth the visions mean.

Several other British actors pop up during his quest. Pirates of the Caribbean star Jack Davenport plays scientist Lloyd Simcoe, and there are roles for ex-ER and Doctor Who occasional Alex Kingston, plus Lord of the Rings and Lost star Dominic Monaghan.

The series has garnered plenty of favourable reviews in America, where it's being likened to another fantastical thriller with a taste for riddles and mystery - Lost. The future awaits...