Network ****

BEFORE it fizzled out into soap opera, London's Burning blazed brightly as one of the beacons of ITV's winter schedules. Fans looked forward to the start of each new series so they could once again round off every Sunday night by "going to blazes" with the Blue Watch.

The show was still at its peak when the fifth series got under way in 1992, nicely balancing the high-octane excitement of the "shouts" with storylines involving the private lives of the likeable firefighters.

Memorable moments this time around include a firebombing in a Docklands pub, an explosion at a rave, a spectacular accident at a fairground and Bayleaf trying to talk down a potential suicide from a high-rise crane.