1 9 7 7 (UK)
6 x 30 minute episodes
This kids drama was set in Barton, a small seaside town where the main pastime of the populace was watching the town’s local speedway team, The Barons.
“King Cinder” was what they used to call Richard Hutson (Tony Caunter) when he was a top speedway rider for the Barons. Now, more than ten years retired, King Cinder is merely the name of the restaurant he runs in the town.
A gang of black-leather-clad ton-up boys start to cause trouble for the traders of Barton, including Richard, and before long the shady Todd Edwards (Michael Hawkins) arrives back in his home town after years of exile, offering the traders ‘protection’ from the thugs he himself has hired.
The racket is only part of the picture. Edwards wants revenge after being run out of town by Hutson back when Edwards was just a minor league crook.
Edwards takes Hutson’s speedway-keen son, Trevor (Jeremy Arnold) under his wing, offering him big – but crooked – money to race, thus turning Trevor against his father.
It’s up to Hutson’s youngest son, Kerry (Peter Duncan, pictured at right) – another promising speedway rider – to be the hero in all of this, supported by his girlfriend Nikki (Lesley Manville).
Hired muscle carried shooters in locations like Saturday night funfairs and smoky pubs amid shouts of “Leave it!” in a very Sweeney-like way. There was much scrapping and plenty of squealing-tyre bike chase action while at the denouement, the villain perished in a cliff-edge car plunge.
Kerry Hutson
Peter Duncan
Richard Hutson
Tony Caunter
Nikki
Lesley Manville
Trevor Hutson
Jeremy Arnold
Lacey
Daniel Abineri
Todd Edwards
Michael Hawkins
Clayton
Derek Ware
Nulty
Howard Goorney
Tom
Kim Smith
Episodes
The Barons | Todd | Spider’s Web | Speedway | Home Truths | On the Track
