A magnificent piece of television

When Stephen Soderbergh made his Oscar-winning drama 'Traffic', he was praised for producing an intelligent portrayal of the drug industry. However Soderbergh's film doesn't compare with the channel 4 drama on which it's based.

The story strands are familiar but wider in scope and impact. Polititian Jack Lithgow(Bill Paterson) is in Pakistan investigating the opium fields where the drug trade commences. Lithgow is dedicated to stamping down on drugs and is oblivious as his daughter(Julia Ormond)slips further into addiction. A second tale is developed concerning two German cops who arrest a druglord prompting his wife(Lindsay Duncan)to take matters into her own hands.

The real loss to the remake is the strand of the story concerning a Pakistani Farmer(Jamal Shah)who begins working for a local Kingpin to help his family out of poverty. This character was replaced by Benicio Del Toro's Mexican cop in 'Traffic' but the original has a real sense of tragedy missing from the American version.

The five hours of drama offer plenty of room for character developement. The cast respond with note-perfect performances, particularly the leads Paterson, Shah and Duncan. It's an incredible piece of work which raises a number of provocative questions and never offers any easy solutions. Watch it and wonder why British television can't seem to produce anything on this scale anymore.