I'd only vaguely heard of Howl's Moving Castle before I saw the Southwark Playhouse's latest show - although, to judge from the audience, it attracts fanatically devoted readers.

Entering Southwark's vault is a treat in itself. Cavernous, bare bricked arches, flaming torches on the wall, and a plain white cardboard set.

A white set. Very Peter Hall, I thought. But from the second the show started the set came alive. Highly intricate projection work, surround sound, video, music, narration, all spun together to create what I can only describe as "live action cinema."

It reminded me of the Las Vegas show EFx. Magic, mystery, and multi-media. Magical spells shot from the tips of magicians' wands - in EFx practical effects were used (fireworks, to you and I), in Howl the high-definition projectors cast a dazzling array of spells on to the set and even the performers.

The story was brisk and engaging - although some of the aforementioned devotees thought it should have been longer. The acting and directing first rate. Not knowing the story, I've no idea how much writer Mike Sizemore nicked from the original author - although I doubt she made jokes about super-luminal neutrinos - but it's hilarious and heartfelt.

My only criticisms? Working with special effects can be tough. Used too often (like the fire-demon jumping from place to place) they loose their impact - yet used only once (the surround sound dragon) feels like a wasted opportunity.

In places the music drowned out the performers - possibly due to the acoustics of the room. The actors funnel so much energy into their characters that it would be a shame to mic them up. Perhaps a slight fiddle with the volume knob?

It runs until 7th of January. Well worth seeing.

I first met Mike Atherton (aka Sizemore) at a Tuttle event a few years back. I'd been following him online for a while and was interested to hear what he had to say about the future of voice. He let slip that he was trying to develop a Sci Fi series - I'm ashamed to say I ignored him; everyone is working on a sci fi show.

Turns out, he has been working on a sci fi show.  It's called "Slingers" and he has been steadily teasing the Internet with the odd screenshot, a behind the scenes video and some concept artwork. For the last few months, he and Sleepydog have been working on a sizzle. A two and a half minute promo intended to pitch the show to TV executives.

Using my ninja-like skill and cunning, I managed to steal Mike's iPhone long enough to watch the promo in its entirety.

What Is It Like?

It's unfair to review anything from only seeing a 180 second preview. But life's unfair, so let's get on with it...

Jean-Luc Godard said all he needed to make a move was "a girl and a gun." Slingers adds a stolen spaceship and a deadly robot called Junior. Oh, and the gun has a holographic interface. The girl, as far as I could tell, remains the same.

Set a few hundred years hence, our heroes travel through space pulling of heists in a post space-war 2263.

Instant comparisons spring to mind of Firefly and Ocean's Eleven.  But to say this is merely a British take on an American idea is a bit like saying Budvar is anything like Budweiser. Both are beers - but one, as the philosophers say - is like making love in a canoe.  Slingers is the real deal.

It's less ponderous than the much missed Defying Gravity without drawing on the sometimes-crass humour of Red Dwarf.

Indeed, some of the concepts in the demo seem to have dripped off of Douglas Adams' pen; such as a gun which won't fire if it thinks your stress levels are too high.

The gravelled tones of Sean Pertwee add a frisson of menace and are sure to draw in the female audience as much as a scantily clad Haruka Abe will attract the men.

This demo should play at every Sci-Fi convention going - there is more spice in Slingers' sizzle than I've seen in any preview reel.

Of course, if it does get picked up, Fox will cancel it after 5 episodes. But I guarantee they'll be the best five episodes you'll see all year.

Tell your friends, buy the action figures and write to the TV executives - the campaign to Save Slingers starts here!