Hadleigh: Invasion (ITV 8 Jan 1971, with Joyce Carey)

In Invasion, the opening episode of the second season, Hadleigh has his hands full with a weekend party, ostensibly with a view to discussing a new motorway planned to cut through part of Westdale with a few prominent landowners.

Two of the guests are John and Eileen Billingham, Eileen is a farmer’ daughter and every time she comes back to Yorkshire she feels like a second class citizen and that her husband married beneath him. Eileen is also troubled about the fact that her husband is keen for the motorway to go ahead even though it would her father having to lose his farm.

Hadleigh tells Eileen that his relationship with Susan fell apart in some degree to their differing backgrounds and that she shouldn’t let the same thing happen to her marriage. Meanwhile there is a fun subplot with Sarah, the teenage daughter of the Fawcett’s, declaring her love for James.

The new season saw the same theme tune and the same title sequence but with a few subtle changes.

The return of the series was also given the accolade of a TV Times cover ( 2 Jan 71) complete with the excellent picture above of Hadleigh’s new car, the Swiss made Monteverdi 375L. At the time it had a price tag of £10,450. In the accompanying interview star Gerald Harper talked about his love of horses and his even then controversial love of hunting. He also explained why he preferred TV to Theatre and being able to do things on his own terms.

classic quote
“If. The most important word in the world. And the most melancholic.”

production details
UK / ITV – Yorkshire / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Friday 8 January 1971 at 9.00pm

Writer: Hugh Whitemore / Production Design: Andrew Drummond / Director: John Frankau

Series: Hadleigh Season 2 Episode 1

cast
Gerald Harper as James Hadleigh
Alastair Hunter as Maxwell
Ambrosine Phillpotts as Aunt Helen
Roland Culver as Major Cray-Crocker
Joyce Carey as Lady Evelyn Cray-Crocker
Edward Underdown as Henry Fawcett
Judy Campbell as Cynthia Fawcett
Jo Maxell-Muller as Sarah Fawcett
Moray Watson as John Billingham
Mary Peach as Eileen Billingham