Within These Walls: When The Bough Breaks (ITV 15 Mar 1974, with Joanna McCallum)

In When The Bough Breaks Theresa O’Donovan begins a two year sentence for kidnapping a baby. The other prisoners are not happy about having a “baby snatcher” in the prison and make plain their feelings. There is also a major protest outside the prison when Theresa first arrives. Theresa is from Belfast and before the incident had been caught up in an IRA bomb attack, Mayes is convinced she may be suffering from partial memory loss and it’s clear from her behavior that the bombing affected her badly. Once she is on Martha Parrish’s wing it seems the only one sympathetic to her is Carol Waterlow. Faye is convinced that helping out on the maternity ward would be a big help to Theresa.

Events get seriously out of hand when Faye receives an anonymous phone call announcing that a bomb has been planted in the car park. The bomb goes off and blows out the windows of the maternity unit, luckily nobody is injured but the explosion does bring Theresa out of her shock and amnesia and we learn that Theresa’s own baby was killed in the original bomb blast.

Actress Joanna McCallum, who plays Carol Waterlow, is the real life daughter of Googie Withers and John McCallum. She gets quite a few strong scenes with her mother. She really does look like her too.

production details
UK / ITV – London Weekend Television / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Friday 15 March 1974 at 9.00pm

Writer: Felicity Douglas / Production Design: Bryan Bagge / Director: Christopher Hodson

Series: Within These Walls Season 1 Episode 11

cast
Googie Withers as Faye Boswell
Jerome Willis as Charles Radley
Mona Bruce as Mrs Armitage
Denys Hawthorne as Dr Mayes
Sonia Graham as Martha Parrish
Raymond Adamson as Bill Boswell
Joanna McCallum as Carol Waterlow
Evin Crowley as Theresa O’Donovan
Carolyn Jones as Lily Hever
Dorothea Phillips as Mrs Davies
Pat Beckett as Prison Officer Roberts
Rio Fanning as Father O’Callaghan
Jo Anderson as Mrs Wilson
Tita Dane as Mrs Lolos
Pik-Sen Lim as Maternity Sister
Toni Kanal as Mrs Scott
Derek Lord as Man on ‘phone