The Net (British TV series)

The Net is a TV series made by Illuminations for the BBC and shown from 1994 to 1998. It ran for four series, beginning with a premiere episode broadcast on BBC2 on 13 April 1994, produced by Stephen Arkell, edited by John Wyver, and with reportage by Rajan Datar and Susan Rae, a discussion of audio design for games by Thomas Dolby, and a 5-minute segment with IT expert Davey Winder explaining how to dial into Internet services of the time like Compuserve and CIX.[1][2]

The focus of the programme was primarily the Internet explosion of the time, though it also dealt with other emerging technologies and series one had a computer games review section. The series was responsible for one of the BBC's earliest efforts at establishing an online presence, when the BBC Networking Club established a web page and a BBS named "Auntie" later in 1994.[3]

Following viewer complaints, the games review was dropped for series two, which began on 15 May 1995, and replaced with a "Hotlist" segment. It was felt that games reviews were already well catered for by other programmes, such as Channel 4's GamesMaster and that they did not really fit into The Net.