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22 Episodes 1981 - 1982
Episode 1
82 mins
In 1945, the Carlions assemble at an English country house for a family gathering. During the event, they must determine who is to take over the family brewing empire, since the present head of the business, Sir Frederick, is getting old. The results of the 1945 general election causes a major stir, and some angry farmers occupy a barn.
Episode 2
71 mins
A docudrama about what would happen if London was hit by severe flooding.
Episode 3
64 mins
A former South African anti-apartheid campaigner deals with life as an expatriate in London.
Episode 4
60 mins
A nurse is subjected to an interrogation after giving medical treatment to a terrorist leader.
Episode 5
63 mins
Iris is a young girl looking for employment, while Ruby is an embattled social worker fighting a cold. In a divided Belfast beset by protests and armed patrols, fate constantly tries to draw the two women together.
Episode 6
48 mins
In an adaptation of Václav Havel's play, a dissident, newly released from prison for political reasons, attempts to get his well-connected friend to sign a protest. In this one man play, both the roles are played by Nigel Hawthorne.
Episode 7
146 mins
Kath the housewife and McBride the Chief Constable - normally their paths would not cross. But in hard times the struggle to stay alive creates desperate alliances and conflicts. Kath has to go out and fight for her family. McBride's men must 'rule the streets'. Must somebody be the loser?
Episode 8
49 mins
Richard Briers plays Commander Jack Broome in a real-life story based on Broome's own published memoirs. Plagued by an admiral's order that saw the P.Q. 17 leave merchant ships to their death, Jack must face his own guilt and culpability.
Episode 9
58 mins
"What's a lockout, my son? A lock-out is engraved in the history of the class struggle. A lock-out is our Glencoe. It's where they try and drive a stake into our underbelly."
Episode 10
73 mins
Planning for new motorway extension is going through either the Golf Course or the Allotments. Gardener Ron Ollershaw decides to stand for election as Mayor against golf club member Horace Burley but finds politics is a dirty business.
Episode 11
65 mins
Inspector Arrowsmith investigates the murder of a rich Arab Sheik at a country estate.
Episode 12
74 mins
Three women involved in different ways in the women's movement.
Episode 13
81 mins
Three-day weeks, strikes and the lights going out - the winter of 1973-4 finally spurs Hugh into political action. But is his new-found zeal going to be enough for the unexpected demands the new life makes of him?
Episode 14
71 mins
Meg: We were so close, we loved each other, we made a whole together. I feel cut in half.
Episode 15
74 mins
Malcolm goes through life hating the mundanity of his existence as a factory worker and an unloved husband. But when students take up summer jobs at the factory, it reawakens both his passion for political feeling and romantic urges.
Episode 16
85 mins
This play, set in 1977, is about rank, responsibilities and relationships within a Belfast family.
Episode 17
54 mins
Willie and his friends notice the passage of time around them, and how society is changing as their marriages stagnate. Can Willie prove to himself that he still has it, by being able to cheat on his wife just once?
Episode 18
84 mins
Frank has dedicated 19 years to researching a cure for the common cold, and is almost ready to publish a paper. Yet budget cuts and his own inability to form real relationships with those around him threaten to derail the project.
Episode 19
89 mins
Three postal workers and their dysfunctional families interact over cups of tea and Sunday dinner. Stan, Gordon, and Harold sort mail. While the clueless Harold's at work, Stan nips round for loveless sex with Harold's near-sighted, romance-starved wife, June. When Gordon's out, Hazel invites Stan in for tea, randy talk, and to show off her newly-thin figure. Motor-mouthed, intrusive social workers want Stan to spend time with his teenage daughter, Tina, "fostered out" since Stan's divorce. One Sunday, Hazel invites Stan and Tina to dinner; Gordon and Hazel argue; it's on to Stan's, where June shows up wanting a private talk. She's miserable. Tina mutely looks on.
Episode 20
60 mins
"My life is over - and I just didn't notice it passing." A call to a radio helpline leads to depressed housewife Christine finding a new direction in life.
Episode 21
78 mins
Adolescents will always be obsessed by the same old subject, even when they are educated by nuns. Six ex-Classmates meet for the first time in 12 years and hilarious memories change into highly emotional situations.
Episode 22
60 mins
While Wally was happy there wasn't much wrong with the world, and pints seemed a small price to pay for what he gave us. But don't forget what we gave him. We gave him the knowledge he was important, at least to us.