Those who enjoy ghostly mysteries will appreciate this series, set in the haunted seaside city of Bristol, U.K. Please note that you'll need a Region-free DVD player to view. I don't understand why "Afterlife" is not better known, considering the quality of the actors, stories, and care with the sets. In Series 1, we meet the tattered and battered by life Alison Mundy (Lesley Sharp), washed-up in Bristol. Allison is a survivor of a horrific train crash, with scars on the inside and out, who sees apparitions of her fellow travelers. She must come to terms with her psychic sensitivity, living with one foot in this world, the other the cold side of the grave. When Alison walks the hilly streets of Bristol, she is often unsure if the people she sees are really alive, or if they are restless spirits. Alison's narrow town-home is an artifact, marking her oddness, out of step with time, stuck in a previous period; 1970's avocado green looms in patterned wallpaper that is beyond retro, its dank hideousness dominates; vinyl records are stacked on the floor; even her phone is old-fashioned. Lesley Sharp, as Alison Mundy, plays the character impeccably, with such depth and conviction, that she makes even the less credible stories more palatable and believable; she is a remarkable actress. Alison confronts professor Robert Bridge (Andrew Lincoln), a psychology lecturer grieving the loss of his young son Josh. Robert feels responsible for his son's death, since he was driving the car in the accident that killed Josh three years ago. His marriage subsequently collapsed, and his wife has moved on with her own life. Robert is a complete skeptic about psychic mediums like Alison, but she is no fraud. His interactions with Alison constantly challenge his assumptions, but she must face him, since his son is one of her perpetual haunts. Josh's lost spirit keeps trying to make contact with his unwilling father. Alison must also cope with the damage to her body and spirit from the train wreck, and face her fear of fellow survivors who, like her, carry a burden of grief and guilt. Phyllida Law adds depth as a woman widowed by the crash, who organizes a seance in a scary old house, enlisting Alison against Robert's advice, in the magnificent closure of Series 1, with "The 7:59 Club." The painful journeys of the train crash survivors ultimately defy gloom with transcendence. But the consequences are dire for Alison.Series 2 drops this interesting story-line, with Alison as the train crash survivor, and unfortunately suffers from new writers who inflict typical TV-grade cliches, making Alison even more maladjusted than before, not just a psychic medium, but a real nutter. Viewers are inflicted with her new, annoying OCD and other irritating quirks, like head-on-wall banging. Despite an unsavory environ, all the sorting of Smarties can induce hunger in viewers, as these U.K. candies are like M&Ms, but with a great vanilla-flavoured sugar crust. Not until Alison resolves her issues with her father, and freakish dead mother, does she begin to seem less afflicted with hysteria. The whole story-line with Alison and her mother-issues is done with too heavy a hand, scrawling "End of the Series" on the wall. But the last two episodes, "Things Forgotten" and "A Name Written In Water," are excellent, weaving together Robert's life-story with his grief over Josh, coming full-circle in a powerful and profound way.The topics and stories of "Afterlife" exclude jolly cheerfulness; the spirits that contact Alison are troubled, damaged souls with terrible, violent ends and unresolved issues. Some of these spirits even have deadly agendas towards the living. Overall, this is an interesting, experimental series that deserves a wider audience. Just don't watch this by yourself, if you're easily spooked!