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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1970s 4 Mins Read

    Family Affair, A

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    1 9 7 9 (UK)
    10 x 50 minute episodes

    Filling what some people still thought of as The Brothers‘ slot on BBC1 on Sunday evenings, A Family Affair was the best quality soap, expensively made, beautifully packaged and scented with the sweet smell of success.

    The hero, Richard Barnes (Barry Foster), was a Top Executive with a wife (Wendy Gifford), a daughter, two sons, a daughter-in-law, a difficult father and a mistress, so the field of human relationships to be explored was wide open.

    The series started with a bride crying off on her wedding day, a skirmish in the class war, our hero ousted from his job by the treachery of a trusted friend, a daughter’s discovery of her father’s clandestine amours, not to mention a lot of exposition about a dead brother and a father’s hopes dashed – and that was only episode one.

    Richard made heavy weather of his messed-up life while trying to keep the sordid details from his perfectly intelligent wife.

    NJ Crisp’s script was rich in cliches (“Is everything all right between you and Richard?”, “Everything seems to be breaking up”, “You were never like other girls’ fathers”, “Where have all the years gone?”) but the cliche was proffered as a kind of shorthand that everyone could understand.

    Barry Foster was broad enough of shoulder to bear the weight of the series, with a believable authority and the kind of charm that authority brings. Wendy Gifford, as his wife, had had little to do but did it most elegantly.

    Frank Middlemass’s wonderfully eccentric manner and countenance shone though as Richard’s father while Jan Harvey contributed her grave beauty and Richard Duncan his lively humour.

    As the daughter, Sylvestra Le Touzel delicately indicated that real emotion could lurk behind a Home Counties voice and face.

    Myles Lang’s settings were masterpieces of observation – the stockbroker-belt furnishings, all Dralon sofas and leather chairs – right down to the requisite golden labrador. Philip Dudley’s stylish direction achieved some nice contrasts and variations of pace and managed to capture the essential qualities of each character most neatly.

    The series provided easy, effortless, enjoyable viewing with the added attraction of allowing us to feel smugly that success brings its own problems and that money can’t buy happiness.

    Richard Barnes
    Barry Foster
    Marjorie Barnes
    Wendy Gifford
    Susan West
    Jan Harvey
    Henry Barnes
    Frank Middlemass
    John Barnes
    David Sibley
    Liz Barnes
    Sara Clee
    Robert Barnes
    Peter Duncan
    Jane Barnes
    Sylvestra Le Touzel
    Bernard Russell
    Barrie Cookson
    Clifford
    David Dixon
    Ian Sachs
    Richard Durden
    Majid
    Dev Sagoo
    Donna
    Kate Saunders
    Tom Benson
    William Morgan Sheppard
    Joseph
    Gyearbuor Asante
    The Controller
    Shaun Curry
    Madeleine
    Lucinda Gane
    Aru
    Indira Joshi
    Helen Mount
    Veronica Strong
    James
    Steve Williams
    Harry Bailey
    Iain Anders
    Miss Richards
    Georgine Anderson
    Doreen Mandeville
    Sheila Ballantine
    Irwin Schultz
    Mark Capri
    Ruth
    Danielle Carson
    Lucy
    Debby Cumming
    Diana Russell
    Lisa Daniely
    Clive Brabazon
    Rowland Davies
    James Simpson
    John Dawson
    Mr Farmer
    Donald Gee
    Valerie Brown
    Cherry Gillespie
    James Daker
    Paul Hardwick
    Tony Bryant
    Michael Hawkins
    Sir Paul
    Patrick Holt
    Di
    Diana Katis
    David Morris
    Bernard Kay
    Jeremy Treorchy-Pitt
    James Kerry
    Mr Tsubo
    Eiji Kusuhara
    Matron
    Jenny Laird
    Christiana Van Meergeren
    Leigh Madison
    Mary Simpson
    Julie May
    Sallinger
    Hilary Minster
    Chantal
    Michelle Newell
    Dr Grant
    Cliona Nunan
    Reed
    Leonard Preston
    Peter Gale
    Ian Redford
    Harold Myers
    David Savile
    Elsie Bailey
    Pamela Sholto
    Renate
    Bernice Stegers
    Sir Charles Byford
    Clive Swift

    Episodes

    The Wedding | That Settles It | Home Truths | Quick as You Can | A Bit of a Troublemaker | Daytime Wife | Adrift | One Last Meal | A Good Day | Finding the Words

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