Robert Hardy takes a dual role in Andrew Marshall and David Renwick's (Whoops Apocalypse, 2point4 Children, One Foot In The Grave) razor-sharp satire depicting the ongoing shenanigans of the day-to-day running of a tabloid newspaper. Co-starring Richard Wilson (One Foot In The Grave) as former TV presenter Dicky Lipton - employed to clean up the newspaper - and Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) as 'managing editor' Harry Stringer, Hot Metal was a cult success on its initial transmission and remains an outstandingly clever and wickedly funny comedy twenty years on.

Twiggy Rathbone, newpaper tycoon and owner of Rathouse International, relaunches his Daily Crucible newspaper as a completely downmarket, sex and sleaze-centric tabloid. To aid him in this crusade he brings in South African newspaper editor Russell Spam, whose job is to deflect the complaints of the 'old guard' and re-employ bottom-of-the-barrel reporters like Greg Kettle, the sort of person who thinks nothing of using a medium to interview victims of capital punishment...

The entire series is included in this box set, over 2 discs.

First released: Monday 18th October 2010

• DVD