1 9 8 0 (UK)
13 x 50 minute episodes
The late 1920s is not the best time to be in the business of traditional variety entertainment, as audiences flock to the new cinemas opening in every town.
But it is amid these inauspicious circumstances that the Gibsons – comedian Alec (Jimmy Jewel) and his children Davey (David Schofield), Teddy (Andrew Fell) and Kath (Sharon Duce) – and an assortment of charismatic performers make the move south from their native North East to try to break into the London circuit.
Encountering family tragedy, indifferent audiences and a constant shortage of funds, it’s just as well that Alec Gibson is a tireless perfectionist and a man who rarely accepts defeat.
The series was based on the experience of Jewel’s father’s company of players in the 1920s and ’30s and featured a regular cast that included Jean Boht, Pamela Stephenson and Lynda Bellingham.
Alec Gibson
Jimmy Jewel
Davey Gibson
David Schofield
Teddy Gibson
Andrew Fell
Gwen
Lynda Bellingham
Elsie
Jean Boht
Kath Gibson
Sharon Duce
Babs
Trudie Styler
Wendy
Lesley Hand
Freda
Veronica Doran
Dolly
Patricia Ford
