David Farnor | On 16, Sep 2023

BBC iPlayer is dialling up the nostalgia this month, bringing back a bunch of comedy box sets from years past.

From Hamish Macbeth to Monarch of the Glen, the selection will air on Wednesdays on BBC Four at 10pm over the coming weeks, but are available to stream in full online. The line-up includes Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio’s first ever TV show, 1994 medical drama Cardiac Arrest, written under a pseudonym at a time when he was still working as a junior doctor – it will be joined by an exclusive introduction to the series from Mercurio.

Many of the box sets feature well-known stars in early TV roles. 1995 police comedy drama Hamish MacBeth, set on Scotland’s west coast, features Robert Carlyle in the title role before his star-making appearances in Trainspotting and The Full Monty. Cardiac Arrest features Helen Baxendale, before she became a star in Cold Feet and US sitcom Friends. Also being added today are 2000’s Scottish highlands-set family drama Monarch of the Glen, and 1989 Mancunian factory floor comedy drama Making Out, from 1989.

Warriors, a limited drama documentary mini-series from 1999 about British army peacekeepers during the Bosnian war, will follow on 18th October. It features a stellar cast making early TV appearances, including Matthew MacFayden, Damian Lewis and Ioan Gruffudd.

Dan McGolpin, Director of BBC iPlayer and Channels, says: “It’s a thrill to bring all of these fantastic drama series back for a new generation; for those of us who remember the first time around we can indulge and enjoy them all over again. The breadth of our offer keeps increas ing, BBC iPlayer truly has something for everyone.”

The new boxsets join a number of classic shows that have returned to iPlayer recently, including the 1980 series Oppenheimer, starring Sam Waterston in the title role, and the highly regarded 1976 classic I, Claudius, featuring an extraordinary cast, including Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Sian Phillips, John Hurt, and Patrick Stewart, among many others.

Here’s the full rundown:

Cardiac Arrest

From Line of Duty creator, Jed Mercurio, 1994’s Cardiac Arrest was written when Mercurio was still working as a Junior doctor at Drumchapel hospital in Glasgow. 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

BAFTA-winning Robert Carlyle stars as the title role in this 1995 police procedural comedy drama. PC Hamish Macbeth would love a quiet life – but goings-on in the deceptively sleepy Highland village of Lochdubh means it’s the last thing he’ll get.

Monarch of the Glen

Londoner Archie MacDonald is called home to his parents’ sprawling Scottish mansion. This heart-warming, Highland comedy drama based on the comic novels of Compton Mackenzie ran for 7 series from the year 2000, featuring 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 centres on the women working on the factory floor. Starring Margi Clarke, Melanie Kilburn and Shirley Stelfox.

Warriors

Starring Matthew Macfadyen, Damian Lewis, Cal MacAninch and Ioan Gruffudd. This acclaimed 1999 drama documentary mini-series centres on a group of British peacekeepers during the Bosnian war. Written by Leigh Jackson and directed by Peter Kosminsky.

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