Written by GREGORY EVANS
Directed by BRIAN FARNHAM
First Transmission Date May 20th 1995, repeated March 19th 1998 (UK GOLD)
CAST LIST
Ed: Craig McLachlan
Ros Henderson: Jaye Griffiths
Nick Beckett: Jesse Birdsall
Sally: Lynsey Baxter
Zander: Greg Hicks
Richard Lennox: Philip McGough
Peter Glass: Mark Fletcher
Harris: John Leeson
Security Man: Bruce Barnden
SYNOPSIS
Dr Lennox, owner of New Earth Foods, is checking Propagation Tanks filled with green algae known as Phodex. He takes a sample of seed material and hands it to Glass, his Head of Security who is surprised at Lennox’s paranoia concerning it. Lennox assures him that Phodex is going to make him a very rich man…as outside the building two intruders are making an unscheduled entrance. The Phodex is locked in a sophisticated time-lock safe, which can only be accessed once a week with a password: Lennox is so secretive he won’t even allow Glass to see what it is. Meanwhile the intruders have broken into the Propagation Tanks and are stealing Phodex: the very low oxygen concentration required in the Propagation Room begins to rise and an alarm is tripped: the two make their getaway with Glass and Lennox in pursuit, crashing a security barrier in the process. However they fail to see an oncoming lorry and their prize goes up in flames…
Ed, Ros and Beckett are shown a film about Phodex by Lennox: whilst they tuck into some tasty canapés, the threesome are generally dismissive of Phodex’s possibilities. To their surprise and Lennox announces that the canapés are made from Phodex itself: the substance is the "holy Grail" of foods, both easy and cheap to grow and can be shaped into any form. Sally, Lennox’s research assistant, shows them a sample: Lennox suspects Zander of the break-in. As his main competitor at Hennessy Brock Lennox knows he will do anything to get hold of Phodex to use for his own ends. Ed and Beckett go to the Hennessy Brock building and deliberately set off the Alarm system. They then arrive posing as employees of the Security Company that installed the alarm to gain access locating the Research and Development department they go to investigate. Ros meanwhile is checking the New Earth Foods break in and discovers that the door used to gain access was deliberately left open. Checking the personnel records for who was in the building the night before Glass notices that an ex-employee, Fricker, is still on the Personnel Register, despite his untimely demise…which had something to do with Phodex. Glass tells Ros not to mention it to Lennox, but she becomes more suspicious when she can’t find ANY record of Fricker ever being employed by New Earth. Beckett and Ed have made it to Zander’s Office, where they find a copy of the Phodex Press Release and pictures of the Restaurant, which is to hold the Press Launch. Interrupted by Zander himself they hear him take a telephone call from a mysterious individual, talking about the previous night’s disaster and the hiring of Beckett’s team by Lennox. Suspecting he is being listened into he goes after Beckett and Ed…who are already making their escape, despite Beckett’s fear of heights.
Ros quizzes Lennox about Fricker, asking whether Phodex is dangerous or not. Lennox insists both the manufacture of and Phodex itself is perfectly safe, and Fricker’s death is outside their remit. Ros decides to use her undelete program on New Earth’s computers, which will tell her not only who left the door open, but why Fricker’s death has been covered up. Sally sees her doing this and suddenly disappears: Ros sees her enter the Propagation Tanks and the Surveillance camera suddenly deactivate. Entering the Propagation Tanks with the last remaining oxygen cylinder, Ros is locked in by Sally and left to die, as the unit is almost out of oxygen. Sally leaves, telling Lennox that Ros has gone to the hairdressers: but not before she sees what Ros’ undelete program uncovers on the death of Fricker. She takes a copy and re-erases the file as she leaves. Ros, almost out of oxygen, manages to break a light bulb inside the Propagation tank before collapsing. Ed and Beckett return, and immediately quiz Lennox on who knew they were going to Hennessy Brock. Asked where Sally is, Lennox tells them she’s gone home, as has Ros. Knowing the hairdresser story to be patently untrue the pair look for her and find her bag: it is then that Beckett notices the lighting circuit out and rushes to the Propagation Tank. Beckett gets Ros out and Ed applies mouth-to-mouth recusitation: oxygen finally brings Ros around and she confirms that Sally is the mole. Zander enters his office the next day and finds a smug Sally already in it: she suggests using the "secret" of Phodex to blackmail Lennox. Lennox still denies there is any problem with Phodex to the team at the Gizmos office: he still wants to launch the product and wants the team to supervise the transfer of Phodex from New Earth to the Launch Restaurant. Ed drives a dummy van whilst Beckett and Ros take the Phodex in Ros’ car: the dummy however is unsuccessful and armed assailants, who crash spectacularly during their chase, pursue Ros and Beckett. The Phodex still makes it to the restaurant, where Lennox seems unconcerned with the team’s safety and more concerned with the Phodex’s which is immediately locked into the restaurant’s kitchen. However, Sally finds a way into the locked area via a ventilation shaft and begins shining an ultra-violet light on the Phodex…moments before Lennox arrives with the chef to start the preparations.
Ros remains with Lennox to check the launch goes smoothly: Beckett and Ed return to New Earth Foods to search for the Fricker File, which Ros suspects has been saved to a different file name. A bunch of International delegates is at the same time tucking into a Phodex feast: Ros has been invited to join them and is impressed with the results. As Beckett finds and decodes the file a message is being broadcast over the presentation tape the delegates are watching at the restaurant: Phodex is toxic if exposed to ultra-violet light. Sally’s actions mean that everyone, including Ros has been poisoned and will die. Rushed back to New Earth Lennox seems unconcerned, as there is an antidote available, which is manufactured from raw Phodex. Moments before he reaches the Propagation tanks they explode, destroying the only source of the antidote…On a boat Zander and Sally are pleased that their plan is going so well. Zander sets up a satellite dish to send his telephone conversation through and tells an increasingly-unhappy Sally that the 2 million share of the 10 million they are about to make for the Phodex antidote should suit her needs.
An increasingly unwell Lennox tells Ros what she can expect as the Phodex starts to affect her: disorientation, loss of sensory perception of motor skills, followed by loss of memory and unconsciousness. The phone rings and Ros moves to set up her recording device, as her vision blurs. Ed does it for her, as Beckett talks to Zander. He demands his ten million by electronic money transfer, or he will pour mutated Phodex into the water supply, poisoning millions. The satellite dish Zander uses makes it impossible for the team to trace the call. As Lennox passes out Ros is forced to pin her hopes on locating Zander using the audio recording they have just made. Zander is confident that his "bluff" will make him the money: Sally however is ready to carry out the threat with no antidote on offer, and wants ALL the 10 million for herself. Shooting Zander, who falls into the river, she moves off to execute her plan…
Replaying Zander’s conversation in the Gizmos office, the mention of an antidote brings Lennox round. He whispers to Ed who is with him the word "Glass", which sends Ed back off to New Earth foods to seek out the Head of Security. Ros by now is rapidly losing her ability to concentrate, so Beckett helps he to concentrate on the sounds on the tape. Playing a game she used to play at college, she is able to identify a rough location for the boat’s last position, as it passes under a railway bridge. Ed arrives at New Earth where Glass tells him about the Phodex in the safe: and that the timed lock isn’t due to open until after the weekend. A plane landing on the tape helps Ros and Beckett fix a firmer position and Ros sends Beckett away to stop Zander while she tries to pinpoint his destination. Beckett is reticent to leave her, but Ros insists they have to stop Zander killing anyone else. Ed is struggling with the time lock, and decides to try and fool the safe into thinking 3 days have passed, whilst Ros realises, with the help of her electronic map where Zander is going. She directs Beckett to a nearby Water Pumping Station moments before she passes out. Sally is already there and has added the Phodex to a Fluoride feed, and it is not long before Beckett arrives in pursuit. Surprised to be confronted by Sally and not Zander, Beckett quickly realises who has been the motivation behind the poisoning attempt as Sally ties his hands behind his back and threatens him with a gun. Finally opening the time lock, Ed can’t believe he now needs a password to open the safe itself. Glass doesn’t know it, but knows that Lennox keeps it in his personal organiser as he often forgets things. Ed desperately tries to contact Ros: she wakes but is barely capable of moving, but finds a way downstairs from the Gizmos office to where Lennox is unconscious. Sally, incensed she hasn’t been taken seriously starts the Fluoride mixer anyway to poison the water supply, money or not: Ros has managed to find Lennox’s organiser, but can’t open it: finally she does so but can’t read the password…except the first letter: M. Guessing the password to be "Manna" Ed tries and gets the safe open, and Glass rushes the Phodex to his lab team to make an antidote. Beckett uses the same technique he used to set of Hennessy Brock’s alarms to activate those in the Pumping Station and is able to kick the gun from the distracted Sally’s hands. Inadvertently knocking Sally over a parapet, Beckett has to choose between stopping the Fluoride mixer and saving her life. The mixer is of course the first priority, and Sally falls to a nasty death…as Ed arrives with the life-saving antidote for Ros and Lennox.
Trying to decide on their dinner plans a few days later Ed and Beckett both suggest meals that contain too much plant life for Ros’ taste, who is still off her food…and convinced her lack of appetite is due to something she ate…