Cost of Loving, The

1 9 7 7 (UK)
7 x 60 minute episodes

This anthology set of plays from Yorkshire Television was set in the north of England. The scripts were written by Stan Barstow, selected from two volumes of his short stories – The Desperadoes and A Season with Eros.

The action of each play took place in the fictional West Riding township of Cressley – portrayed as having all the qualities of a typical Yorkshire community: dour, depressing back-to-back terraced houses situated next to their more affluent neighbours but always surrounded by the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.

For the Cressley townspeople, Barstow created a lively and diverse set of characters whose personalities often reflected the mundane, commonsense approach to life so characteristic of Northern people in general.

Most of the outside scenes for the series were shot near Halifax and in Leeds.

The first episode, ‘Albert’s Part’, starred author and actor Colin Welland as Albert Royston, a plodding and self-effacing Co-op manager who – having all but given up hope of any chance of promotion – sees his chance to make a name for himself in the world of amateur dramatics.

The supporting cast included Derek Francis, Jo Kendall, Angela Crow and Anna Cropper.

‘Estuary’ revolved around Bernard Parker (Robert Longden), a shy, retiring young man who had been dominated by his mother until her death and was now convalescing at a seaside guesthouse after an illness.

The supporting cast included Ann Lynn as the mysterious woman who swam against dangerous currents in the treacherous estuary waters to savour the taste of danger, Gordon Kane as Terry Dexter and Liz Crowther as his girlfriend, Win Cook.

Like Bernard, they had booked into Mrs Latham’s seaside guest house and had been asked to share. That suited them well until they discovered they had to share separate rooms: Terry with Bernard and Win with two elderly women.

This situation brought a touch of humour to the play.

Lynn Farleigh starred in the title role in ‘Madge’ as a cool, efficient woman who is voted Mayoress with her father Adam (Robert Brown) acting as Mayor. But Madge Greenaway falls in love with – and marries – pipe-smoking architect Edgar Collins (Brian McDermott), who wants tenderness and doesn’t care what the world thinks.

However, what the world around her thinks of Madge is more important to her than anything else.

‘The Years Between’ told the story of a man named Morgan Lightly (John Ronane) who returns to the Yorkshire village after 30 years in Australia to claim the woman he left behind all those years before, now-widowed Sarah Taplow (Patricia Routledge).

But Morgan is soon to learn that – as always – people have changed with the passage of time.

Lorry driver Brian (Joseph Brady) is quite content to let his wife, Joyce (Jo Rowbottom), go out to work in ‘The Assailants’– the extra money helps to buy the little luxuries in life. Joyce works for Leonard Draper (Tony Beckley), a tailor who is also an amateur magician.

Leonard convinces Joyce to act as his assistant on stage, dressed in fishnet stockings, sequins, and tinsel, but when he wants to take her away for a couple of nights to a world magic conference, there is a bitter row at home between Brian and Joyce – but both have reckoned without the devious mind of the magician.

‘Flesh, Pink and Black’ was a story about dour 60-year-old shop steward Luther Holroyd (Jack Watson), an ordinary family man who rules his family with a rod of iron. His wife Gladys (Fanny Carby) discovers a meal bill for two, two cinema ticket stubs, and a lace-edge handkerchief in his jacket pocket.

His married daughter Edna (Diana Rayworth), giving the excuse of going to the pictures with a friend, sets off to follow him into town – and what she sees is enough to confirm her suspicions that Luther is having an affair. The discovery leads to Luther’s downfall in the Holroyd household.

His ladyfriend is Anne Fairchild (Rosemary Martin), a younger woman who runs a lingerie shop in the town.

The final episode – ‘The Human Element’ – starred Paul Wilcox (of Man About The House fame) as Thelma Baynes, who sets her sights on shy garage mechanic Harry West (Wings star Tim Woodward), who prefers motorbikes to girls. Thelma is the daughter of Harry’s landlady, who contrives to force her eligible daughter on him. Harry is invited on a picnic with the family, and when Thelma falls into a river and is rescued by Harry, he suddenly becomes aware of her as a woman. After that, there’s no stopping him.

Episodes

Episodes

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