Within These Walls: Skivers (ITV 14 Mar 1975, with Shirley Cheriton)

In Skivers elderly Georgina Weeks is back in Stone Park after a year away, she had been living with her sister but she had sadly died and Mrs Weeks was quite simply unable to cope living by herself and deliberate went on a spree in a big department store in a bid to get sent back to prison.

Georgina is reunited with old friend Lizzie Brombrough, she has been asking Dr Mayes for medication for acute indigestion and Mayes, who is feeling jaded and tired dealing with the same heavy workload of skivers everyday, listens to Lizzie’s own diagnosis without an examination. When Lizzie then dies of an heart attack it puts Mayes under a great deal of pressure.

Meanwhile another inmate, young Judy Fryer, has come out in a strange rash. Mrs Armitage thinks she is deliberately seeking attention but the rash keeps getting worse. Dr Mayes is determined to make sure Judy gets the right treatment and even places her in a special isolation ward. However it turns out Mrs Armitage is right, the disturbed Judy has been creating the rash herself.

Mrs Armitage and Dr Mayes take centre stage in this episode, Dr Mayes is under pressure but Mrs Armitage knows the system inside out and is eventually the voice of reason. There are some very strong scenes for Mrs Armitage at home too when her estranged daughter pays her a visit to tell her she is moving “up north” so that her husband can start a new job.

production details
UK / ITV – London Weekend Television / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Friday 14 March 1975 at 9.00pm

Writer: David Butler / Production Design: Michael Oxley / Director: Bryan Izzard

Series: Within These Walls Season 2 Episode 9

cast
Googie Withers as Faye Boswell
Mona Bruce as Mrs Armitage
Jerome Willis as Charles Radley
Denys Hawthorne as Dr Mayes
Janet Lees Price as Janet Harker
Elspeth Macnaughton as Sister Webster
Betty Romaine as Mrs Weeks
Anna Wing as Vi Beswick
Elaine Wells as Officer Spencer
Diana Rayworth as Officer Berryman
Ella Milne as Lizzie Brombrough
Christina Greatrex as Thelma Baker
Shirley Cheriton as Judy Fryer
Charles Morgan as Ted Armitage
Raymond Adamson as Bill Boswell
Suzan Cameron as Ellen Armitage