DRAMA TENKO

It was an episode of This Is Your Life that was the inspiration for this hugely popular female POW drama. When Eamonn Andrews opened his big red book for Margot Turner in 1978, a researcher was blown away by Turner’s story of life in a Japanese internment camp in the Second World War – and Tenko was born. Attracting audiences of 15 million, this female-driven drama wasn’t the usual primetime viewing. The secret of its success was strong storytelling and an equally strong ensemble cast (including Stephanie Cole, above, fourth from right) who’d all bonded after being thrown together for weeks on end during filming in... Dorset. Only the first two episodes were actually filmed on location in Singapore.

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PLAYBOY SUPERHERO

This superhero show, from the extended DC Comics universe, is a lot of fun. Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen (below) is, like Batman, a stinking-rich playboy with a secret. Queen was missing for five years after being shipwrecked and, when he returns to be reunited with his wealthy family, he dresses up as an anonymous archer known as the Hood. His missing years, spent on a mysterious island called Lian Yu, were formative, shall we say, and his experiences there are seen in flashback throughout the series. As a vigilante, the Hood is an assassin, but we see the character evolve and by series four he’s given up killing and become a more benign public protector – with a better costume – known as Green Arrow. The first two series are the best, but the show returned to blistering form in its fifth series and, with enough strong episodes peppered throughout the entire run, it’s well worth sticking with for the duration. Series 1-7, ITVX

DANGERFIELD CRIME-FIGHTING SINGLE DAD

Combining two of TV’S most popular formats – police procedural and medical drama – this stars Nigel Le Vaillant as Dr Paul Dangerfield (above), the police doctor who plays a key role in criminal investigations while dealing with a hectic home life. Based in Warwick and leafy Leamington Spa, the widowed Dangerfield is a father of two teenagers (played by TV favourite-turned-tv cook Lisa Faulkner and Eastenders’ Sean Maguire), and his single dad role, coupled with his detecting skills and bedside manner, made him understandably popular with female viewers especially. Le Vaillant turned his back on fame at the height of the show’s success, quitting after four series and effectively retiring from acting (save for a cameo as Edward Heath in the 2009 TV drama Margaret). This left the BBC with a dilemma and another popular Nigel – Havers – stepped up to take over as lead character Dr Jonathan Paige for a further two series. Series 1-6, from Thursday,

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HIT 1990S SERIES