What’s the story?

Hamish Macbeth. Cardiac Arrest. Monarch of the Glen.

You’re giving me big 1990s/early 2000s flashbacks.

Buckle up. You’re in for a treat. This trio of classic shows is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Classic? The 1990s were only 10 years ago…

Your maths is terrible. The 1990s are to the 2020s, what the 1960s were to the 1990s. Making it the perfect time for a wee daunder down memory lane. Not least with these series featuring early TV roles for actors who have since gone on to become household names.

Such as?

Police comedy Hamish Macbeth, which first aired in 1995, had Robert Carlyle in the title role, prior to him starring in hits Trainspotting and The Full Monty.

Helen Baxendale was among the cast of Cardiac Arrest, a part which preceded her appearing in Cold Feet and US sitcom Friends. The darkly comic medical drama was Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio’s debut TV show back in 1994, written under a pseudonym as he was still working as a junior doctor. 

Monarch of the Glen, based on the novels by Compton Mackenzie, ran for seven series from 2000 with a stellar line-up that included Alastair Mackenzie, Dawn Steele, Alexander Morton and the late Richard Briers.

When can I watch?

Available now on BBC iPlayer. Watch on BBC Four, Wednesdays, 10pm.