If you wanted to sum up the 1970s in a single TV show, the Six Million Dollar Man would be a strong possibility. But, I'd also say that in terms of a spin-off, the Bionic Woman was actually a better produced item than almost any other show around at the time.

What I always remember about the Bionic Woman was the trouble Jaime had in adapting to her changes, and that being bionic could be as much a curse as a benefit.

But now, 31 years later, the Bionic Woman is back. And this time she's better, stronger, faster and, err… British.

I talked with someone that had seen the pilot episode - which is the latest in a spate of early leaks to hit the Internet - and here's the skinny...

What is recognisable from the original show?
Well, actually it's almost entirely devoid of anything to do with the original show. She's called Jaime Wells Sommers, and she's bionic, but beyond that very little is the same.

So she's a tennis player?
No, she's a bartender.

And she has a parachuting accident?
No, she's in a car crash.

And Steve Austin insists they save her life?
No, he's not even mentioned. She's saved by her boyfriend Will Athros, the son of the inventor of Bionics, a man now locked up in a secret prison plotting everyone's downfall.

So no Rudy, but there must be Oscar, right?
No, he's not in it, instead there's a much tougher cookie called Jonas Bledsoe, and there isn't any mention of OSI, either.

But the Bionics make those funky sounds, yes?
No, they don't. And they don't use slow-mo to show speed, either.

Can she do anything new?
She's been Jake 2.0'd, so she's got nanites running around in her to make her real parts heal faster, beyond that she's identical to the first Bionic Woman character.

How is the show different in other respects?
It's much darker. The episode starts with Sarah Corvus, the first Bionic Woman they make, escaping from the organisation that built her, killing lots of techie people along the way. It's her that causes the 'accident' Jaimie suffers, and they end up having a big fight at the episode end, predictably.

Are the effects any good?
Some are excellent, others are pants, which will hopefully be fixed before this airs.

What's the acting like?
Michelle Ryan is quite good, but others are less convincing. Katee Sackhoff, fresh from Galactica, does her twisted sister routine as Corvus, and the ham is thick.

Is it any good?
It has a few sparks of life, but it better start showing more soon, or they'll pull the plug on this particular medical experiment. I'll give 2-5 on for a Lindsay Wagner cameo (or maybe Lee Majors) in the first half dozen episodes, if it gets that many.

The Bionic Woman airs shortly in America...