Hot Metal
Broadcast
16th February 1986
© Humphrey Barclay Productions
Andrew Marshall and David Renwick followed End of Part One and Whoops Apocalypse with this satire of tabloid journalism. Robert Hardy played two parts, both owner and editor of The Daily Crucible, while Geoffrey Palmer co-starred as the managing editor Harry Stringer, in his struggle to maintain propriety. The closing titles are highly memorable: the series logo, type-set as a steel block, melts into a bubbling mess as Alan Price's theme surges to its climax. Each series one episode started with a recap of the crazy events so far, and part 6 tells us all we want to know about the plight of Father Teasdale (John Horsley), a priest persecuted by Crucible journalists. (tx 23/03/1986)