WHY BUGS' WIZARDRY REALLY IS
OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Futuristic gadgets, spectacular stunts… we reveal the hi-tech secrets that make this all-action adventure such a thrilling success. It's got amazing gadgets and daring stunts - and now Bugs has moved into space, using more breathtaking special effects than ever. With more impressive gadgets and wacky gizmos than any other TV series, each hi-tech episode costs between £500,000 and £600,000. Some of the hardware is based on real-life wizardry, some dreamed up by prop designers and some - like the computers and surveillance equipment - is genuine. Most gadgets are built by specialist prop companies who are given specifications such as the gadget's size and what it's supposed to do. But don't be fooled by flashing lights and packaging, because only a handful of the finished products actually work. "There's no point making them for real because it would take ages and cost more. They only need to look good on screen," says co-producer Stuart Doughty.

The gadgets may be fake but the bizarre stories often have a ring of truth. Although the intriguing tales are dreamed up by writers, some of the same ideas are actually being developed in real life.

In episode eight, for example, criminals develop a way of controlling a dog's movements by linking its nerves to an electronic device. In real life scientists are working on a similar system to enable paraplegics to use their legs.

Another storyline deals with interaction between computers and human brains. The programme-makers only recently discovered that scientists are developing a process which would enable brain waves to control the cursor on a computer screen.

"Just when we think we've come up with a great original idea we read in the paper that someone's already done it," says Stuart. "The stories seem fantastic but you can bet that someone, somewhere, is working on the same ideas in real life!"

Stunts can be spectacular - one of the most expensive this week features Craig McLachlan floating in space. Designers based his craft on the original NASA shuttle and re-created half a space ship out of wood at the studio, a converted warehouse in London's Docklands. At 45ft long, 14ft wide and 20ft high, it took 20 builders two week to construct and cost around £25,000.

Craig, playing action man Ed, was suspended on wires attached to a harness operated by engineers, but his movement was limited so the entire shuttle set had to be moved up and down on tracks in order to give the impression that it was Ed who was moving.

Under hot studio lights the temperature inside his insulated space suit topped 100 degrees within 10 minutes so the crew had to work fast and Craig had to take frequent breaks.

"It was extremely uncomfortable for him but he was great about it," says stunt co-ordinator Gareth Milne. Craig's co-starts Jaye Griffiths and Jesse Birdsall do stunts when possible, but all three have doubles for risky action shots.

Jaye's double is a man, Nrinder Dhuwar. He does most of the daring car chases like the one in last week's first episode in which her character, Ros, drives under a lorry and the top of her vehicle is sliced off.

Tim Lawrence takes the strain for Jesse Birdsall, who plays Beckett, and Nick Powell has had some hairy moments as Craig's stand-in. In this series viewers will see him abseiling 300ft down the side of a glass building and dangling from a rope below a helicopter.

Safety is the priority and no one's ever been injured, even in the explosions. Tom Harris, who's in charge of special effects, sometimes uses high explosives, but most of the blasts are done with gunpowder - many are simply fireworks.

"In one episode Craig throws a bomb into a swimming pool," says Tom, who also works on Soldier, Soldier and London's Burning. "We used an air mortar which releases compressed gas very quickly, pushing the water upwards and creating the impression of an explosion."

Watch out for the spectacular blast involving a petrol tanker built from cardboard which is blown apart in episode eight. "We used cardboard so we wouldn't need so much explosive," says Tom. "Often the actors have to be in shot during a blast and we protect them by ensuring any debris flies away from them. It can still be scary - but the stars don't even flinch!"