Spooks (BBC1); I Won't Marry White (Ch4): IMAGINE a terrorist who had the knowledge to hack into any computer in the world.

Firewalls, passwords and anti-virus software would be redundant as international organisations were brought to their knees.

This week, in an incredibly intelligent and tense episode, the Spooks team set out to find out who was behind a series of dangerous acts and, more importantly, why they were determined to show off their power,

Batches of paracetamol were tampered with so they became lethal, bank accounts were emptied and traffic lights changed, causing death and destruction on the roads.

Cleverly tapping into a fear we all have, the evidence initially pointed at al Qaida but this was just another stunt by the real man behind the events - one of the Spooks own team.

This was real edge-of-the-seat stuff, despite some over-the-top technical language, but sadly it was spoilt by the little glimpses into the home lives of the team. I found myself shouting at the screen 'Who cares?' as wives, husbands and lovers tried to sort out their problems.

The series would be so much better if each episode were self-contained, with no reference to the real lives of the characters. It may make them more well-rounded and believable as people but it's the crimes and how they are solved that really matter.

Personal lives were at the fore in I Won't Marry White - a look at the young Asian dating scene in the UK. We were introduced to three Asians who, for various reasons, wanted to marry someone from their own culture. The two lads seemed to have quite reasonable expectations. They had never dated an Asian girl but as they got older, cultural pressures made them eager to see if they could forge a relationship with someone from their own culture.

One went online and found success with a dating agency, which matched him with a funky drummer from a punk band. The other declared he wasn't desperate enough to follow that route but seemed a bit scared by the independent women he came across.

By the end he was trying to decide if he needed to leave his Scottish home to find what he was looking for.

But it was Lena who really had me pulling out my hair. At 28, she also had never dated anyone from her own culture but scarily announced that the next man she went out with would be the one she would marry.

Not only was she desperate for a husband, she also seemed obsessed with appearance and style. At a dating event she was downright cruel to men who didn't reach her high standards - but I wonder if any of them are still single?

At the end of the day, the dating game is a minefield whatever your culture, colour or background. Narrowing their choices to only one culture made it a lot more difficult for these young people to find the right partner, but at least they had fun looking.

Published: 23/11/2004