We don't know how this riveting political thriller mini-series that came out awhile back flew under our radar screen until recently. We stayed up all night watching the six episodes.

Essentially, this is a BBC show that takes place in the U.S., with the British Ambassdor to America as the hero. Sir Mark Brydon is a decent, pragmatic (at least as the feature begins), man of integrity.

But events immediately change the trajectory of his political and personal life as a UK bound plane explodes over the expressway leading to Dulles Airport.

Suddenly, Brydon becomes the thinking man's James Bond as he uncovers a plot, largely engineered by the U.S. Secretary of Defense (who is the Cheney, not Rumsfeld, figure due to having headed a Halliburton-like company) to start a war with a Middle-Eastern country to secure their oil fields and a national gas pipeline.

"The State Within" is a roman a clef that will have you constantly thinking about 9/11 and how we got into Iraq, that is if you have the time to ponder such potential similarities given the rapid pace of "The State Within." You'll need all your attention just reserved for keeping up with the action, character development, political information, and unfolding plot.

There are a couple of developments toward the end that appear slightly off-note, but they don't take away from the scintillating production values and intrigue of "The State Within" -- and the revelation (no surprise here) that the state within is driven by the profit and power motives of the military-industrial-complex.

This is not a television program that would be made in the United States. Our version is the jingoistic, fear-mongering, torturing "24."

"The State Within" is cynical in its premise, but uplifting because of the courage and restored idealism of the British Ambassador, and the course of action he embarks upon.

That is all we're going to reveal. You'll have to watch the rest.

Here is a trailer for the The State Within .

Here is the official website .

Here are some recent conspiracy books BuzzFlash is offering -- The Mammoth Book of Cover-Ups: The 100 Most Terrifying Conspiracies of All Time -- sold a few hundred copies -- and Conspiracies and Secret Societies (Paperback) -- "The Complete Dossier" on More than 200 Conspiracy Theories (556 Pages) And there's strong interest in our recently posted "Conspiracy Theory"(DVD) with Julia Roberts.

From an online reviewer:

Leave it to British TV to deliver the slickest, most intense take on terrorism on U.S. soil (with apologies to 24, of course). The State Within is a BBC production of the highest order, tense, dense, and absolutely riveting. The miniseries starts with a bang--actually, a horribly realistic explosion of a U.S. airliner bound for London, and the production values are every bit as detailed and impressive as any big-screen action film. Chunks of plane and passengers fall along the freeway outside Dulles airport in Washington, creating havoc and collateral damage in a truly visceral fashion. And then the real action begins. Our hero is Sir Mark Brydon, British ambassador to Washington, played with sangfroid by Jason Isaacs (slightly reminiscent of Daniel Craig as James Bond). Sir Mark has not only an international crisis on his hands, but quickly learns treachery, deceit, and murder lurk within the governments he's learned to trust. The plot is complex but extremely satisfying, far superior than most mass-market thrillers released in theaters in the U.S. Especially delicious is a small but key role as the U.S. Secretary of Defense by Cagney & Lacey's Sharon Gless, whose eyes glitter like shards of ice. Savor The State Within, but be prepared to be rattled the next time you go to the airport--or try to go to sleep.