This BBC1 wartime drama followed the fortunes of two proud Kent families brought together in the summer of 1939 by the shotgun marriage of working-class, angry young man Harry Slater (Dominic Rowan) of Gillingham and toff Mary Hamilton (Rachel Power) of Chittenden after Harry gets Mary in the family way.
The series followed each family member through thick and thin, romance and infidelity, as they tried to survive in a country at war, with the war forcing them to break down the social barriers and form unlikely liaisons.
The all-star cast – including Stephanie Beacham. Tom Bell, Edna Dore, and Michael Elwyn – was topped by Alison Steadman, who played the genteel Evelyn Hamilton.
A street in Greenwich in South London doubled for one in the Medway town of Gillingham and played host to the dockyard Slaters (who sometimes resorted to crime to make ends meet), while a private house in Kent provided a wealthy backdrop for the upmarket Hamiltons (the owners of the house suffered without central heating when all their radiators were removed as the film crew recreated 1939 austerity). Camber Sands was used to recreate events at Dunkirk.
Evelyn Hamilton
Alison Steadman Arthur Hamilton
Michael Elwyn Mary Slater (Hamilton)
Rachel Power William Hamilton
Tim Matthews Dorothea Grant
Stephanie Beacham Edward Grant
Michael Byrne Rose Grant
Paloma Baeza Thomas Slater
Tom Bell Grandma Slater
Edna Doré Ellen Slater
Linda Bassett Tom Slater
Dorian Healy Frank Slater
Gregor Truter Kaye Bentley
Rachel Pickup George
John Westwood Moira Barnes
Keeley Gainey Harry Slater
Dominic Rowan Ivy Collins
Elaine Donnelly Geoffrey Slater
Ryan Davenport Sir Cecil Mortimer
Alan Howard Una
Emily Mortimer Miss Cardew
Janet Henfrey Toby
James Weber Brown Victor
Wayne Foskett Mrs Dovey
Eileen O’Brien Reg Collins
Christopher Driscoll Dovey
Christopher Crooks Clifford Slater
Paul Williams DS Howard
Peter McNamara Billie Slater
Sariel Heseltine Sandra
Claudie Blakley Janet
Brooke Kinsella Jones
Eric Allan Phyllis Slater
Johanna Hargreaves DS Jackson
Robin Summers Philip
Lee Wilson Dixie
Tom Ward
Episodes
The Wedding | Escape | Sitzkreig | Christmas | Spring | Dunkirk | A Soldier’s Story | Cricket | Raids | Blitz
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The all-star cast – including Stephanie Beacham. Tom Bell, Edna Dore, and Michael Elwyn – was topped by Alison Steadman, who played the genteel Evelyn Hamilton.
