The Main Chance: A Time To Love, A Time To Die (ITV 14 Sep 1970)

The second season of The Main Chance begins with A Time To Love, A Time To Die and David is dealing with the fact that Julia has remarried. Her new husband, secondary school teacher Patrick Bell, turns up to tell David how grateful both he and Julia are about the fact that David didn’t cause a fuss over the divorce and custody of the children. David is naturally not impressed. Things reach a head later in the episode when Bell tries to talk to David about the fact that he is moving Julia and children out of Chelsea to a working class area of London. The move makes David determined to fight for custody of his children.

Bernard Kay reappears in season four episode We’re The Bosses Now as a completely different character. Bell does seem an unlikely match for Julia but there are hints that she needs the stability he provides after living with David!

Meanwhile Castleton and Main are asked by Alec Grafton to put together a case against his doctor father, John Grafton, whom he believes has murdered his mother. Mrs Grafton was suffering from a terminal illness and it may well have been a mercy killing but Grafton wants his father punished.

Peter Findon has now got his certificate to practice and Sarah is not overly happy about the fact that she now seem to be dealing with quite a bit of his workload too. There’s a nice moment between the two though when Sarah tries to call David about the letter he has received to do with the schooling of his children and Peter tells her that she and David need to get their affair started.

classic quote
“I’m not watching some doctrinaire pedagogue use my children for plasteciene models, they are not going to grow up in your image.”

production details
UK / ITV – Yorkshire / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Monday 14 September 1970 at 8.30pm

Writer: Edmund Ward / Production Design: Andrew Drummond / Director: Christopher Hodson

Series: The Main Chance Season 2 Episode 1

cast
John Stride as David Main
Anna Palk as Sarah Courtenay
John Arnatt as Sidney Bulmer
Philip Bond as Peter Findon
Margaret Ashcroft as Margaret Castleton
John Wentworth as Henry Castleton
David Lodge as Detective Chief Superintendent Guthrie
Patrick Barr as Dr John Grafton
Robin Hawdon as Alec Grafton
Alfred Bell as Detective Sergeant Abbott
Bernard Kay as Patrick Bell
Hugh Cross as Coroner
Richard Hurndall as Magistrate
Andrew Laurence as Simon Tredgarth