
The series began with the appointment of new executive producer Richard Handford, who replaced Michael Chapman after his 9-year reign came to an end in the previous series. The appointment preceded discussions with broadcaster ITV about returning to the format of hour-long episodes, which the show last used on a regular basis in 1987. The request was approved, and hour-long episodes began to air twice weekly beginning in August, a format the series retained until moving to a later time-slot in 2009. Due to the rapid transition, several of the first hour-long episodes were originally written for the half-hour time-slot, and thus, some episodes contain two completely different stories, written by different writers, which jump from one to another.
Square Peg Round Hole
When a raid on a known drug addict goes awry, Boulton is spiked by the desperate criminal's needle, leaving Sun Hill's tough guy frightened, angry, and in need of an HIV test.
You Pays Your Money
Ackland and Quinnan investigate when a family are strangely silent about the death of their landlord.
Hard Cash
Beech and Carver go in search of a haul of £30,000 in banknotes, missing from a six-year-old robbery.