1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 0 (UK)
8 x 60 minute episodes
This series of eight plays from ATV achieved continuity by having one protagonist from each self-contained hour-long story reappear in the next, which worked admirably.
The link between the first and second stories – ‘The Letter of the Law’ and ‘Repent at Leisure’, both directed by Gareth Davies – was PC Geoff Dryden (Cornelius Garrett), an unpretentious and masculine police constable recovering from an unhappy affair with an actress, who has been transferred to a Black Country town and finds himself in a world seething with undercurrents of repressed emotion and bitter winds of marital conflict.
Judy Loe as Susan Purser was tough, attractive and sympathetic and caught the spirit of the modern independent woman with lively accuracy. The scenes between her and Dryden had a genuine sensuality that made the ultimate disintegration of their relationship the more disturbing.
Kate Coleridge gave unselfish and thoughtful support as Susan’s friend and colleague, Liz.
Geoff’s emotional life appears to take an immediate turn for the better when – within minutes of arriving at his new lodgings – he meets Pamela (Stephanie Turner), an attractive young woman posing as a respectable boarding house keeper. But after bedding the young constable with businesslike rapidity, she announces she is no such thing.
A man, to all intents and purposes a husband, turns out to be a brother and a mute couple called Norman (Frederick Radley) and Jean (Molly Veness) turn out to be, not only Mum and Dad, but vituperatively articulate.
Donald Churchill wrote and starred in the third play, ‘Alice Trying’ which featured Judy Parfitt as Alice Pearson, exposing the distress of a woman for whom sexuality is both a threat and an obscure object of desire. Her brother, Eric (David Allister) is tormented by his own perversity, with a taut misery that compliments his sister’s despair.
Churchill also appeared in play #4 – ‘Last Knockings’ – where he was joined in the cast by Arwen Holm, Gillian Raine, Tony Mathers, Antony Carrick, Dorothea Phillips and Ronald Russell.
Play #5 was ‘Big Deal’, directed by Don Leaver and set in Oxford with Arwen Holm joined by Warren Clarke, John Bryans, Morris O’Connell and Graham Rowe. The sixth play, ‘Family’ was directed by Ian Fordyce and starred Malcolm Stoddard.
Play #7, ‘The Sponge Man’ (directed by Paul Annett) was set in Nottingham and featured Paul Greenwood, Carol Royle, Geoffrey Colville, Teddy Turner, Donald Burton, Sue Nicholls and Geoffrey Monk.
The final play, ‘Working Arrangements’ was also directed by Paul Annett. In addition to the reappearance of Paul Greenwood and Judy Loe, Charles Gray, Ronald Hines, Katharine Blake, Edith Macarthur, Anita Kaye, Sheila Keith and Michael Culver also featured in the cast.
Viewers were certainly kept on their toes.
Susan Purser
Judy Loe
PC Geoff Dryden
Cornelius Garrett
Alice Pearson
Judy Parfitt
Eric Pearson
David Allister
Norman
Frederick Radley
Jean
Molly Veness
Henry Sutcliffe
Donald Churchill
Ray Boston
Malcolm Stoddard
Andy Day
Paul Greenwood
Monica Barnes
Arwen Holm
Jane Price
Carol Royle
Barney
Christian McKinley
Pamela
Stephanie Turner
Dr Stafford
John Bryans
Jimmy
Edward Judd
Aunt Lucy
Katharine Blake
Dr Hugh Penney
Geoffrey Colville
Betty
Gillian Raine
Stella
Lynda Baron
Richard Painter
Warren Clarke
Tony Erskine
Michael Culver
Ken Burrows
Teddy Turner
Steve
Richard Hope
Leonard Moss
Donald Burton
Mrs Wheeler
Edith MacArthur
Mr Wheeler
Charles Gray
Joyce
Sue Nicholls
Liz
Kate Coleridge
Mark Moss
Geoff Monk
Johnny
Shango Baku
Eric Pearson
David Allister
Sgt. Lockton
Graham Ashley
Mr Soames
Charles Bentley
Mrs Wood
Vera Jakob
Gibbon
Gertan Klauber
Alec
David Landbury
Mrs Smith
Mary MacLeod
Hector
Robert Mill
Norbert
Maurice O’Connell
Charlesworth
Graham Rowe
Mr Porter
Clive Wouters
Mrs Porter
Hetty Baynes
Jack Holcroft
Victor Brooks
Martin Boston
Jeremy Bulloch
Rita Boston
Mary Kenton
Mr Cuthbert
Antony Carrick
Mrs Armstrong
Ann Davies
Iris
Marion Fiddick
Mrs Barnes
Gilly Flower
Clive
Frederick Hall
Harry
Michael Hall
Alec
Denys Hawthorne
Brian
Ronald Hines
Mrs Mason
Ruth Holden
Mr Mason
George Selway
Marilyn
Anita Kay
Grace
Sheila Keith
Rodney Claydon
Tony Mathews
Lady Claydon
Jacqueline Maude
Mr Barnes
Ronald Mayer
Joan
Julie Mellon
Miss Ferguson
Dorothea Phillips
Mr Armstrong
David Rolfe
Sir Percy Claydon
Ronald Russell
Episodes
The Letter of the Law | Repent at Leisure | Alice Trying | Last Knockings| Big Deal | Family | The Sponge Man | Working Arrangements