Mary Britten MD

1 9 5 8 – 1 9 5 9 (UK)
19 x 30 minute episodes

This early drama from Southern Television starred Brenda Bruce as Dr Mary Britten, a country doctor in the (fictional) town of Farrant (“seventeen and a half miles south west of Casterbridge”), and aired at 6.30 pm on Saturday evenings between September 1958 and January 1959.

Mary’s husband, Stephen (Ronald Howard), was a schoolmaster at a Secondary Modern school who wanted her to give up practice.

The conflict between her love for him and her love for her profession formed the basis of much of the story.

Guests included Irene Handl, Richard O’Sullivan, Peter Vaughan and Frazer Hines.

One of the larger ITV companies (ABC) pulled the series from the Midlands and Northern viewing regions in December 1958 in favour of its own new drama series, All Aboard, the serial story of life on an ocean liner.

This effectively sounded the death knell for Mary Britten MD, and while episodes continued to air in other viewing regions, ITV cancelled the series in January.

Dr Mary Britten
Brenda Bruce
Stephen Britten
Ronald Howard
Councillor Pyke
Bernard Archard
Winnie Bishop
Gillian Lind
Dr Bishop
Henri Vidon
Miss Wicker
Olive Milbourne
Walter Davis
James Raglan

Episodes

Home | Like a House on Fire | A Day’s Fishing | The Imperfect Secretary | The Wrecker | The Man from the Sea | The Brothers | The Wanderers | Bonfire Night | English Without Tears | Doctor in the Dark | A Partner from the Past | Help | A Girl Called Hope | No Room for Janet | The Third Day of Christmas | Happy New Year | The Microscope | At The End of the Day