Life for 11-year-old Billy Austin (Oliver Bradbury) changes when he, his mother, Rachel (Kika Markham) and her boyfriend, Dodge (Michael Carter), are evicted by the police from their squat in an idyllic Welsh farmhouse and have to return to the harsh realities of London.
Billy is only at his new school for one day when he is accused of being involved in starting a fire which caused £2,000 of damage to a house.
Billy and his new-found friends Dominic (Gary Hailes), Graham (Laurence Hood) and Biffo (Gerry Dolan) are arrested and fined, but Billy is taken into care by the local authority as his family does not have a fixed address.
Billy escapes from care, intent on proving his innocence and desperate to find an old lady who witnessed him standing in the street at the time of the robbery.
Billy does eventually find the old lady (Jean Campbell-Dallas), who informs the school and authorities that he was not involved.
This grim, hard-hitting children’s series from Thames Television was written by Geoffrey Case and premiered on Wednesday 10 November 1982. It was the type of show your parents would probably prefer you didn’t watch (and were probably right).
Billy Austin
Oliver Bradbury Rachel Austin
Kika Markham Dodge
Michael Carter Dominic Barton
Gary Hailes John ‘Biffo’ Morton
Gerry Dolan Graham Hall
Laurence Hood Cara
Sian Thomas Mr Hunter
Brian Croucher Mrs Bailey
Rosemary Frankau Brian
David Scaffardi Elaine
Jenny Jay Elizabeth Taylor
Penny Brownjohn Dorothy Ellis
Maggie Riley Mrs Barton
Deirdre Costello Mr Parkinson
Christopher Coll Larry
Jim Barclay Old Lady Witness
Jean Campbell-Dallas
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Billy and his new-found friends Dominic (Gary Hailes), Graham (Laurence Hood) and Biffo (Gerry Dolan) are arrested and fined, but Billy is taken into care by the local authority as his family does not have a fixed address.
