Kidnap and Ransom: Complete Series 1 & 2

The first episode of Kidnap and Ransom was released in early 2011. It was so good that we suspected we may be seeing more of it before very long. Trevor Eve, who many viewers will remember from his role as DS Boyd in Cold Case, plays the part of Dominic King who works for insurance companies as an international hostage negotiator. The series starts off dramatically with King paying over a ransom, but received a corpse back rather than the hostage and this shocking event weighs heavily on him subsequently. The main story concerns a kidnap in South Africa which proves to be very complex and had viewers on the edge of their seats as they had to wait until the following week for the next episode.

We had to wait a further year before Dominic King appeared again in a new three part series of Kidnap and Ransom. King was very obviously doing his own thing in the first series, but this time round, if anything, he seemed to be even more of a maverick and a complete law unto himself. The second series started in an interesting fashion with King shown on a lake in a rowing boat shoving a sack covered parcel which looks suspiciously like a body, into the water, and then a reversal to `two weeks earlier'. It was clear at that point that this was a marker for what was coming later to add extra interest, though what this was all about remained a mystery until right at the end. Not that any extra interest was really needed as this is an engrossing and action packed story, set in Kashmir built around the kidnap of the daughter of a key UK politician. I will not say any more about the plot of these two series as there is a real danger of giving out spoilers here.

This is very good and compelling entertainment. There are sufficient twists and turns to keep the viewer highly engaged and the climax of each story is very tense. The wait for the next episode on TV the following week felt far too long and I would not be at all surprised if many watch all three parts of each series in one go once they get their hands on the DVD. Dominic King is an interesting character and clearly there is plenty of potential for further outings. If you did not see these two series on TV I would recommend you get hold of this box set. You are unlikely to be disappointed.

Kidnap and Ransom is about the kidnappings that happen every year. The first disc is on location in Africa. You are introduced to Doninic King who tries to free the kidnap victims, not an easy task when things go badly wrong. I had to watch the entire disc one in one sitting, it just grabs you and won't let go. Disc two is even better, on location in Inda. A rescue attempt goes wrong and an entire bus load of tourists are held hostage. From there what can go wrong goes wrong. You sometimes find you aren't even blinking your eyes you are so into what is happening. The ending is incredible--justice is done, a real feel good ending. The acting is incredible. I hope there are more in this series to come. Highly Recommended.

Wish there was another series or two to "Kidnap and Ransom". An excellent cast of characters. Exciting locales for filming. Riveting story line to each series.