Hot metal is a London Weekend Television sitcom about the British Newspaper industry broadcast between 1986 and 1988. The daily crucible, the dullest newspaper in Fleet Street, is suddenly taken over by media magnate Terence "Twiggy" Rathbone. Its editor Harry Stringer is 'promoted' to managing editor, and is replaced in his old job by Russell Spam. Spam then takes the paper shooting downmarket and turns the crucible into a sensation seeking scandal rag, very much in the style of the British tabloids of the 1980s. He is helped along by his ace gutter journalist, Greg Kettle, who intimidates his tabloid victims by claiming to be "a representative of Her Majesty's press" and produces stories such as accusing a vicar of being a werewolf. Throughout the first series, a running plot involved cub reporter Bill Tytla gradually uncovering an actual newsworthy story that went to the very heart of government. Written by David Renwick and Andrew Marshall, it is very much a continuation in style from their previous sitcom Whoops Apocalypse!. It was produced by Humphrey Barclay.
Seasons and episodes
2 seasons · 13 episodes
- 1S2 E1
Religion of the People
Mar 6, 198830 min
Twiggy finds a replacement for the missing Harold Stringer, Greg Kettle acquires a government list of all known AIDS carriers and Spam signs up God as an advice columnist through Sergeant-Major Ken Lutterworth.
- 2S2 E2
The Joker to the Thief
Mar 13, 198830 min
Spam sets up Lipton for a serious assault when he imprisons an overweight woman and wires her jaw shut while he and Kettle pursue a sex scandal at an innocent pre-school. Maggie Troon follows up a lead about a mass murder involving the fami
- 3S2 E3
The Hydra's Head
Mar 20, 198830 min
Lipton tries to vet every story as Spam begins publishing 24 hours a day, Kettle competes with the Daily Star to save a Nicarauguan horse from the glue factory, and Maggie Troon discovers another murder as she continues to investigate the j
- 4S2 E4
The Twilight Zone
Mar 27, 198825 min
Bright young hope Maggie Troon may yet achieve some real investigative journalism for the Daily Crucible, increasing Richard Lipton's hopes of cleaning up the paper.
- 5S2 E5
Crown of Thorns
Apr 10, 198830 min
Lipton begins to lose his grip on reality as the buxom beauties of page three go on strike, Twiggy opens ""Rat World"", Kettle infiltrates EastEnders, and Maggie Troon discovers odd evidence of an alien presence at the mass murder site.
- 6S2 E6
Unleash the Kraken
Apr 17, 198830 min
Maggie continues to dig into the Hitchcock murders amid rumors of UFOs while Spam and Lipton try different ways of spiking a critical government report on newspaper standards and practices.
Starring
Robert Hardy
Twiggy Rathbone / Russell Spam
- R
Richard Kane
Greg Kettle
Caroline Milmoe
Maggie Troon
David Barrass
Jack Thrush
Richard Wilson
Dicky Lipton
Geoffrey Palmer
Harold Stringer
Geoffrey Hutchings
Max Rutherford
John Horsley
Father Teasdale
Charles Collingwood
Newsreader
Tony Aitken
Mr. Pooly
- S
Stella Moray
BBC Producer
- S
Sarah Whitlock
BBC PA
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I watch Hot Metal?
- Hot Metal is not currently listed on a streaming service in the US. Use the country picker on the page to check other markets.
- How many seasons of Hot Metal are there?
- Hot Metal has 2 seasons and 13 episodes. Status: Ended.
- Will there be a new season of Hot Metal?
- Hot Metal has ended; no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on March 10, 1989.
- Who stars in Hot Metal?
- Hot Metal stars Robert Hardy, Richard Kane, Caroline Milmoe, David Barrass, Richard Wilson.
