The Year In Drama: September 2002

Crime Drama dominated this month with new series of several old favourites. Amanda Burton was joined by two new regulars William Gaminara and Tom Ward in Silent Witness, Colin Buchanan and Warren Clarke were reunited for another series of Dalziel and Pascoe, while Sue Johnston, Trevor Eve, Holly Aird, Claire Goose and Wil Johnson re-opened more old cases in Waking The Dead.

Elsewhere, the popular Sunday night drama Monarch of the Glen returned for a fourth series, minus Hector (Richard Briers). Despite his exit, the show remained popular with viewers who were reward with the marriage of Archie (Alastair Mackenzie) and Lexie (Dawn Steele), a strong contender for this year's most romantic drama moment.

Tamzin Outhwaite firmly put her EastEnders days behind her when she played the mother of a boy who kills himself in a young offenders' institution in the improvised drama Out of Control. And the three-part drama Sparkhouse, starring Joe McFadden and Sarah Smart, proved a big hit on our message boards, with many viewers demanding a video and DVD release.