Drama series Home and Away (no relation to the long running Aussie soap of the same name) focused on middle aged Brenda, married to Godfrey and with four growing children (the eldest at Uni in York) who feels that life is passing her by.
The series began with a birthday party when Brenda begins to question just what is keeping her marriage together. A chance trip to Poland and a flirtation with her boss raises her to move out of the family home into a bedsit.
Strongly cast Home and Away was, for the time, a very modern serial, Brenda attempts (in what was something of a prevailing mood at the time) to break out of the confines of her life.
A sensitive performance from Gillian Raine, aka Mrs Leonard Rossiter, was one of the highlights and the cast also included Peter Firth, George Sewell and June Brown (better known as Dot from Eastenders).
Writer Julia Jones had a strong pedigree with this type of material and Kenith Trodd, producer here, would spend a large part of the 70’s and 80’s working with the legendary Dennis Potter.
production details
UK / ITV Network – Granada / 7×60 minute episodes / Broadcast Mondays @ 9.00pm from 14 February – Monday 27 March 1972
Writer: Julia Jones / Production Design: Denis Parkin / Producer: Kenith Trodd / Director: Donald Mcwhinnie
cast
GILLIAN RAINE as Brenda
TONY MELODY as Godfrey
GEORGE SEWELL as Winslow Scott
BERNARD WRIGLEY as Arthur Potts
ELIZABETH KELLY as Gertie
HELEN RYAN as Miss Ormside
JACKIE BURNETT as Miss Endlebury
JUNE BROWN as Agnes
PETER FIRTH as Fred
PETER KERRIGAN as Ned
ROSALIE WILLIAMS as Hilda
ROSALIND AYRES as Grace
STEPHEN TEMPERLEY as Edward
TOMMY BOYLE as Matthew
THE EPISODES
1. THE COLD WIND DOTH BLOW (14 Feb 1972)
2. A RISKY VIRTUE (21 Feb 1972)
3. WHAT IS TO BE DONE (28 Feb 1972)
4. PAST TALKING TO (6 Mar 1972)
5. PARTNERS IN THE CRIME (13 Mar 1972)
6. HANDS AT MIDNIGHT (20 Mar 1972)
7. SNOWDROPS ARE SHOWING (27 Mar 1972)
