Storylines[]
The continued success of the programme led to ITV commissioning three weekly episodes which began at the start of the year.
Early in the new year Carver got involved in an armed robbery whilst buying a watch (Dying Breed); Page and Boyden were called to a 'domestic' in a tower-block where a woman and her baby had fallen to their death (Darkness Before Dawn); and Sun Hill went into a state of shock when Conway became the new Community Liaison Officer with Cato, joining from Barton Street, replacing him (Shock to the System). Ackland teamed up with the military police to find a soldier who had gone AWOL with a gun (Gone for a Soldier); Conway was torn between his own feelings about two bids for a grant and those of Cato and Brownlow (Missionary Work); and Loxton found himself staring at the barrel of a gun when he became involved in an argument between two homosexual lovers (Trivial Pursuits).
Hollis took the Bumblebee message into a local school, uncovering some interesting information (Out Of The Mouths); CID trainee investigator Suzi Croft picked up some old-style policing methods from Burnside (If It Isn't Hurting); Jo Morgan, on the trail of two rapists, put herself at risk (In Broad Daylight); and Polly Page went undercover as a model (The Price of Fame). Undoubtedly the saddest moment of the year was the death of Viv Martella in March who was shot by a raider during a routine inquiry (The Short Straw). The episode clocked up the show's highest-ever rating - 17.5 million people watched it.
Alan Woods posed as a contract killer (Double Enmity); Woods' former governor arrived as the head of an AMIP murder team resulting in a conflict of interests (Hard Evidence); and Cato's arrest of two youths led to a protest outside Sun Hill station (Bedfellows). McCann discovered racism within the force (Recruiting Officer); Cato swallowed his pride when a Town Hall demonstration was hijacked by racists despite his reassurances to the contrary (Given 'Em An Inch); and during a Sun Hill visit to Chessington, Datta lost one of the children she was responsible for (Home to Roost).
When called to a pub disturbance, Stamp and Quinnan found that one of the participants was Roach - who after punching Monroe in the face, resigned (Punch Drunk); Loxton and Maitland got in trouble when Loxton was accused of stealing money from a drunk in the cells (Fast Food); and Page made a mistake that led to the release of a prisoner (Rank Outsider). Stringer, as Fed Rep, tried to contest a ban on overtime (Mouth and Trousers); Quinnan went undercover as a refuse man (Picking a Winner); and Monroe dealt with a case of an ex-miner who tried to organise exploited workers (Broken).
Later that year, Loxton and Garfield swapped jobs (Swaps); civil action was brought against Garfield and Marshall (A Malicious Prosecution); and Morgan and Croft found evidence of an inside job when a remand prisoner escaped from hospital (Outbreak). Cryer pursued some bogus charity workers (Sweet Charity); Jarvis and McCann attempted to charge a villain with assault, even though the incident occurred just outside their field of vision (Blind Spot); and Polly Page saw WDS Sally Johnson from Stafford Row plant drugs on a known dealer (Give and Take).
Burnside made a sudden and mysterious departure as DI from Sun Hill (But Not Forgotten); Page got stuck in a lift with a 15 year old girl who was about to give birth (Push); and DI Harry Haines arrived at Sun Hill and helped track down a dealer who was distributing dangerous tablets (Bad Reaction). Croft went back into uniform when the relief were undermanned - much to Meadows' chagrin and Cato's satisfaction (Game Of Two Halves); Loxton failed to stop a man committing suicide (A Life In The Day Of); and Haines, with AMIP, investigated the murder of a woman whose husband's jealousy came to light (The Green Eyed Monster). Meadows' two suspects claimed their right to silence (No Comment); an illegal immigrant asked Steele to get her child adopted in England when she returned to Brazil (Consequences); and Sun Hill officers had to establish who'd lost three fingers! (Cutting Edge).
Monroe investigated a complaint about an unattended emergency call which was attributed to police racial prejudice (Cause for Complaint); the Bumblebee team dealt with a spate of senior citizens' break-ins (Keep on Trucking); Boyden foiled a smash-and-grab at a hi-fi shop and took a free gift for his trouble, although Monroe later caught him out (Paid In Full); and Haines left Sun Hill to rejoin the Drugs Squad (Nothing Ventured).
Episode Count[]
| Ranking | Character | Played by | Number of Episodes | Running total | Previous year's ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sgt. Cryer | Eric Richard | 94 | 364 | 11 |
| 2 | P.C. Quinnan | Andrew Paul | 85 | 253 | 4 |
| 3 | Sgt. Boyden | Tony O'Callaghan | 84 | 145 | 8 |
| 4 | P.C. Garfield | Huw Higginson | 83 | 283 | 6 |
| 5 | P.C. Hollis | Jeff Stewart | 83 | 337 | 15 |
| 6 | P.C. Stamp | Graham Cole | 83 | 344 | 1 |
| 7 | P.C. Loxton | Tom Butcher | 81 | 203 | 14 |
| 8 | Insp. Monroe | Colin Tarrant | 72 | 239 | 2 |
| 9 | D.C.I. Meadows | Simon Rouse | 69 | 114 | 23 |
| 10 | P.C. Jarvis | Stephen Beckett | 67 | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | W.P.C. Marshall | Lynne Miller | 67 | 214 | 18 |
| 12 | W.P.C. Ackland | Trudie Goodwin | 65 | 324 | 9 |
| 13 | W.P.C. Page | Lisa Geoghan | 64 | 71 | 28 |
| 14 | D.C. Carver | Mark Wingett | 63 | 325 | 10 |
| 15 | D.C. Woods | Tom Cotcher | 58 | 78 | 25 |
| 16 | D.C. Lines | Kevin Lloyd | 55 | 278 | 7 |
| 17 | D.S. Greig | Andrew Mackintosh | 52 | 191 | 16 |
| 18 | W.D.C. Croft | Kerry Peers | 48 | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | W.P.C. Datta | Seeta Indrani | 46 | 205 | 13 |
| 20 | P.C. McCann | Clive Wedderburn | 43 | 47 | 31 |
| 21 | W.P.C. Harris | Louise Harrison | 41 | 84 | 17 |
| 22 | D.I. Burnside | Christopher Ellison | 40 | 270 | 12 |
| 23 | Ch. Supt. Brownlow | Peter Ellis | 39 | 236 | 21 |
| 24 | Sgt. Maitland | Sam Miller | 38 | 161 | 3 |
| 25 | W.D.S. Morgan | Mary Jo Randle | 37 | N/A | N/A |
| 26 | Ch. Insp. Conway | Ben Roberts | 33 | 207 | 22 |
| 27 | P.C. Stringer | Jonathan Dow | 33 | 162 | 5 |
| 28 | D.S. Pearce | Martin Marquez | 29 | N/A | N/A |
| 29 | Sgt. Steele | Robert Perkins | 29 | N/A | N/A |
| 30 | Ch. Insp. Cato | Philip Whitchurch | 22 | N/A | N/A |
| 31 | D.I. Haines | Gary Whelan | 19 | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | Sgt. Kendall | Liz Crowther | 11 | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | D.S. Roach | Tony Scannell | 9 | 234 | 20 |
| 32 | W.D.C. Martella | Nula Conwell | 7 | 238 | 19 |
| 32 | P.C. Smollett | Nick Stringer | 6 | 79 | 24 |
Episodes[]
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| Preceded by: 1992 Episodes (Series 8) |
1993 Episodes (Series 9) (Episode Chronology) |
Succeeded by: 1994 Episodes (Series 10) |