Home » News » Popular Comedy Drama Series from the 1990s Now Streaming on BBC iPlayer

News

Popular Comedy Drama Series from the 1990s Now Streaming on BBC iPlayer

Published

3 months ago

September 14, 2023

Popular Comedy Drama Series from the 1990s Now Streaming on BBC iPlayer

Several popular BBC shows from the 1990s have been made available on iPlayer and will be broadcast on BBC Four at 10pm on Wednesdays in the coming weeks.

Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio’s first foray into television was the 1994 medical drama Cardiac Arrest, which is featured here. When Mercurio was just starting out in medicine, he wrote the series under a pen name. After next week’s broadcast on BBC Four, an exclusive introduction to the series written by Mercurio will be made available on iPlayer.

Early appearances

These box sets often feature early roles for famous actors in television series. For instance, Robert Carlyle plays the title role in Hamish MacBeth, a 1995 police comedy drama set on Scotland’s west coast, before he became widely known for his roles in Trainspotting and The Full Monty. Helen Baxendale, before she became known for her roles in Cold Feet and the American sitcom Friends, appears in the series Cardiac Arrest.

Also included are the 2000 family drama Monarch of the Glen, which is set in the Scottish Highlands, and the 1989 Manchester-set comedy drama Making Out, which is set on a factory floor.

The 1999 miniseries Warriors, a limited drama documentary, will be made available on iPlayer at a later date. The series follows British army peacekeepers serving in Bosnia. Among the impressive cast members featured in the series are Matthew MacFadyen, Damian Lewis, and Ioan Gruffudd.

Exclusive introductions

Future iPlayer exclusive introductions will include Damian Lewis and Matthew Macfadyen talking about working on Warriors with director Peter Kosminsky, and Margi Clarke talking about filming Making Out in the New Lyne Electronics factory in Manchester.

In addition to the newly added boxsets, viewers can now enjoy a variety of classic shows that have recently returned to iPlayer. These include the 1980 series Oppenheimer, featuring Sam Waterston in the lead role, and the highly acclaimed 1976 classic I, Claudius, boasting an exceptional cast that includes Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Sian Phillips, John Hurt, and Patrick Stewart, among others.

The fresh boxsets introduced today are as follows:

Cardiac Arrest
From Line of Duty creator, Jed Mercurio, 1994’s Cardiac Arrest was written when Mercurio was still working as a Junior doctor in the West Midlands. Featuring Andrew Lancel, Helen Baxendale, Peter Biddle, Ahsen Bhatti and Selina Cadell, this darkly comic hard-hitting hospital drama series follows two separate wards through the eyes of the junior doctors.

Hamish Macbeth
Featuring award-winning actor Robert Carlyle, this 1995 police procedural comedy drama follows the adventures of PC Hamish Macbeth in the seemingly peaceful Highland village of Lochdubh, where he yearns for a quiet life.

Monarch of the Glen
Based on the comic novels by Compton Mackenzie, this heartwarming comedy drama from 2000 revolves around Londoner Archie MacDonald, who is summoned back to his parents’ majestic Scottish estate. The series, which ran for seven seasons, stars Alastair Mackenzie, Hamish Clark, Dawn Steele, Alexander Morton, and Richard Briers.

Making Out
Created by Franc Roddam and written by Debbie Horsfield, this 1989 comedy-drama focuses on the lives of women working on a factory floor. Starring Margi Clarke, Melanie Kilburn, and Shirley Stelfox.

Warriors
Boasting a stellar cast including Matthew Macfadyen, Damian Lewis, Cal MacAninch, and Ioan Gruffudd, this highly acclaimed 1999 drama documentary mini-series delves into the experiences of British peacekeepers during the Bosnian war. Written by Leigh Jackson and directed by Peter Kosminsky.