Families was a twice a week daytime soap opera that was created by Kay Mellor, it was set between England and Australia following Mike Thompson who had decided to walk out on his English life in Cheshire and family and relocate to Sydney, Australia to start a new life with Diana Stevens, a woman he loved years before. What Mike didn’t know initially was that he had a son, Andrew, with Diana and in shades of Sons and Daughters Andrew relocated to England and fell in love with Amanda with the pair not realising they were half brother and sister.
The action switched between the UK and Aus (all interiors were filmed in the UK though) with Mike’s English wife Sue and their kids featuring heavily.
Never hugely popular the series underwent a significant change after two years with a new family, The Bannermans moving centre stage, in an odd move some of the Australian characters relocated to the UK. Like most Mellor shows it wasn’t afraid to tackle dark subject matter with everything from suicide, drugs and even murder tackled. Russell T. Davies contributed quite a few scripts and a young Jude Law played one of the Nathan offspring.
production details
UK / ITV – Granada / 320×25 minute episodes 1×55 minute episode / Broadcast 23 April 1990 – 24 August 1993
Creator: Kay Mellor / Music: Matthew Scott / Script Editor: Tony Wood / Producer: Sue Pritchard / Executive Producer: David Liddiment
cast
Malcolm Stoddard as Mike Thompson
Morag Hood as Sue Thompson
Martin Glyn Murray as Mark Thompson
Jude Law as Nathan Thompson
Tim Woodward as John Thompson
Laura Girling as Amanda Thompson
Briony Behets as Diana Stevens
Simon Edward Stokes as Christian Stevens
Tayler Kane as Andrew Stevens
Imogen Annesley as Justine Stevens
Harry Littlewood as George Davidson
Madge Ryan as Ruby Davidson
Anna Welsh as Rachel Grandby
Tessa Humphries as Corinne Todd
Lyn Ashley as Barbara Todd
Jane Hazlegrove as Lisa Shepherd
Amanda Wenban as Jackie Williams
Kim Knuckey as Brian Williams
Craig Black as Paul Williams
Sascha Huckstepp as Jade Williams
Bruce Hughes as Don McLeod
Rhett Walton as Anton Vaughan
John Bowe as Larry Richards
Margot Leicester as Jane Richards
Tara Moran as Chelsea Richards
Victoria Finney as Louise Richards
Patrick Cremin as Neil Brooks
Terence Harvey as Charles Bannerman
Helen Bourne as Isabelle Bannerman
Karen Westwood as Rebecca Bannerman
Thomas Russell as Simon Bannerman
Emma Davies as Juliette Bannerman
Oliver Milburn as Matthew Bannerman
Claire Marchionne as Fiona Lewis
Terence Hillyer as Steve Harvey
Louise Plowright as Linda Harvey
Jim Shepley as Gary Harvey
Gary Turner as Daniel Fielding
Joan Campion as Dot Downing
David Elliott as James Proctor
Harry Van Gorkum as Dex
Richard Standing as Chris Harrison
Gavin Horner as Baby Sam
