More TV Memories – Hex.

Hex (Sky One, 2004-2005)

I have never been that interested in TV drama, but I have enjoyed a few shows that are in the supernatural genre, such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dark Angel, and that was one of the reasons that I was attracted to this British-made series. And I have got to admit, another one of the reasons that made me want to watch this one was that Jemima Rooper was among the cast.

Now Jemima had previously appeared in As If, the Channel 4 teen drama from the early-2000s that I really enjoyed at the time, and I was just so pleased that she was continuing to get work in TV drama series, especially as I don’t remember seeing the rest of the cast in much else. She also went on to appear in ITV1’s costume drama Lost In Austen, which earned her a Radio Times cover, but I liked this one more.

However, as this one was created by the same team behind As If, maybe it’s not too much of a surprise that Jemima appeared. The main character in Hex is Cassie, who attends Medenham Hall, a school with a strange history. It’s rather tough for her, but she soon befriends Thelma… who is actually a ghost. This another one of those shows where nobody is who they seem and everyone has a secret to hide.

Cassie’s secret is that she is a witch. There are also people who can turn into demons, this is clearly no ordinary school. Well once again it’s time to save the world. And as the episodes progress, the mysteries become ever more complicated, and the destinies have to be fulfilled. Gave me the fright of my life. In the second series Ella joined the cast, someone who definitely could be classed as mysterious, being 500 years old and all that.

Hex wasn’t too bad an effort at creating something different in this genre, it went down well with critics, there was a great amount of tension, and it contained a lot of moments that were spooky, and indeed some that were even rather scary. This was also a show where a gloomy theme song would’ve fitted well, and Garbage definitely obliged there with the suitable “#1 Crush”.

There were 19 episodes of Hex in two series, including a double-length special to start things off. The show was originally on Sky One, but because I only had Freeview by this point, I was rather pleased when it was repeated on Sky Three or whatever it was called at the time, I definitely got into it. All of the episodes have been released on DVD on eight discs, and extras include a making of and some deleted scenes.