Four bored youngsters discover something not of this world in the forest near their summer camp…

CBBC has been home to some fantastic genre offerings over the past few years – from The Sarah Jane Adventures and Wizards and Aliens to Eve and The Demon Headmaster, the standard of writing and production has often put bigger budgeted shows (particularly some of the quick knock off American series) to shame. Themes that might be shied away from in adult drama are tackled head on – go back and check out the SJAs if you don’t believe me – and I suspect that the latest 13 part series, which has dropped in its entirety on iPlayer and also runs weekly on CBBC on Sunday teatimes (a perfect spot) will do the same.

The opener has a lot of heavy lifting to do, as we meet the very disparate quartet, each of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses – some of which are on display from the very start – as well as the environment they’re in. Lee Walters’ script deftly sketches in the set up – summer camp (the titular Silverpoint), some there more reluctantly than others – as well as some idea of who the key characters are. Maiya Silveston’s Kaz is the catalyst for the adventure, with Oliver Cunliffe’s Louis intrigued by what they discover, Katy Byrne’s Meg feels outside the group while Krish Misra’s Glen is likely to win the “best suited to play Donkey in an adaptation of Shrek” award. But what Walters doesn’t forget is that they are kids – and Glen’s first instinct as to what to do when they discover the artefact’s properties is spot on. There’s a sense of bonding between them that doesn’t need half a page of flowery speech – the shared grins say a great deal.

There’s more than enough in this opening 21 minutes to grab the attention – and I strongly suspect I won’t be waiting for next Sunday before diving into part 2…

Verdict: A strong opening – well worth a look. 8/10

Paul Simpson