The Hello Girls (BBC Drama, Letitia Dean, Amy Marston)

Fun period drama The Hello Girls took us back to the late 1950’s and early 1960’s for a look into the world of five young women working on a Derbyshire telephone exchange.

The series was based on the book Switchboard Operators by Carol Lake and starred Letitia Dean as Chris Cross. This was Dean’s first major series after making her breakthrough in Eastenders (she returned to the series in 2001 and again in 2012, she is currently one of three original cast members still on Eastenders – along with Adam Woodyatt and Gillian Taylforth).

The Hello Girls mainly concerned itself with the romantic entanglements of the girls and besides Cross other main characters included new girl Sylvia Sands (Amy Marston), Ronni Ferrari (Helen Sheals) and Susi Simons (Samantha Hardcastle). Their boss was Miss Armitage (Stephanie Turner).

Cast: Letitia Dean as Chris Cross; Amy Marston as Sylvia Sands; Helen Sheals as Ronni Ferrari; Samantha Seager as Val Pepper; Samantha Hardcastle as Susi Simmons; Maggie McCarthy as Miss Marriott; Stephanie Turner as Miss Armitage; Andy Greenhalgh as Phil Davenport

Producers: Jacinta Peel, Laurence Bowen / Script Editor: Nell Denton / Costume: Venetia Ercolani / Titles: Diverse Design / Music: Roger Jackson / Series inspired by Switchboard Operators by Carol Lake / Executive Producers: Philip Clarke, Caroline Oulton

UK / BBC One – Diverse Design / 16×30 minutes / Broadcast 5 September 1996 – 13 August 1998

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