(cc) by Robyn Gallagher/flickr

Virgin1 has launched a new online-only drama, entering the surreal world of David Raymond Hugh aka Dr Hoo. The low-cost show, brainchild of actor Stephen Lord, capitalises on Virgin1's reputation for cult and sci-fi programming, and is off-beat, and relatively impenetrable. Clearly intended more to ask questions that provide solid narrative, it hopes to hook viewers with a simple conundrum: what the hell is going on, and what does it have to do with Mauritius?

Starring Ian Hart, seen more recently in Harry Potter, the three-minute-give-or-take episodes each follow different formats, so it isn't entirely clear in what direction the show will go. No solid information is given about how it will progress, whether there will be more episodes, etc., and whether it's part of something bigger.

Hints at a long term business model come in the form of the downloadable music video accompanying the show. File firmly in 'watch this space'.

(cc) by Ernst Moeksis/flickr

Comedy writer Dean Cavanagh, is going back to his roots as a club promoter, writing a new made-for-online comedy series called Svengali. The premise, as hinted at by the pilot, currently viewable on YouTube, seems to be Welsh-failed-music-promoter moves to London, and sneaks into the big leagues through a (cheating) quirk of fate. They're promising cameos by music-industry insiders, and the pilot is watchable enough.

Though, guys, if you (as I presume you did) uploaded the pilot to YouTube yourself, please learn how to encode in 16:9, rather than 4:3 anamorphic, so we don't have to watch the whole series stretched. I'm sure your fellow YouTubers will be happy to help you out if you're stuck!

The creators are currently looking for funding - and a music label might be the obvious source - so they can turn this into a full series. As you can probably tell, I'm a big believer in the online-fiction-future, so here's hoping someone will have the guts to take a punt on this.

(cc) by [177]/flickrMulti-platform development and production house Expanding Universe is set to launch an interactive murder mystery at the end of the summer, Broadcast reports.

With a slimline 4 x 15-minute running length for the video side, and a live denouement, the meat of production will be in interactive web, mobile and real-life elements, including club-night parties - which hints at a potential revenue stream if these attract enough players.

Expanding Universe is a newly established (summer 2008) company specialising in developing and delivering immersive experiences across a variety of media channels. They recently announced a co-development deal with FremantleMedia, creating a number of formats across genres for the UK and international markets.