Looking even further ahead, one thing both the Buffy production team and the fans may have to contend with this year is the strong possibility of a writers� strike which could impact on the development of season six in America and mean a long wait for new episodes. Doug is the first to admit that it's a complex situation with few clear answers at present.

�I think that this is where William Goldman's axiom holds true - nobody knows anything," he smiles ruefully. "That's not an evasion, that's the actual truth. There are no experts in this case. May First is the deadline, the issues are wide ranging and pretty serious. Both sides seem to be dug in.

"It could be another Y2K thing. There was a lot of build-up and no payoff and there could be no strike whatsoever. There could be a strike that lasts a year."

One loophole that the Buffy production team are exploring with Fox Television and the show's US home The WB network is a series of animated adventures for Buffy and the Scoobies. Written and voiced by the regular team, in much the way Star Trek was reborn in the early 1970s, It's possible that such a project would be acceptable to the Writer's Guild of America - even if live action slayage is a no go area.

"If the animated Buffy cartoon series is non-Guild we may all be able to happily continue working and creating stories,� Doug reveals. "On the other hand, I have heard that the Guild is urging members to not work on anything while the strike is in place."

Whether they can enforce that is another issue and then members are left to their own conscience as to what to work on so there a giant, scary question mark for all involved.

I�d love to be able to say �here's what I think will happen� but I wouldn't place a bet on anything. We just don't know.�