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''Albion Market'' was a British soap opera, set in a covered market in
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, in the northwest of England. It was intended as a companion to fellow
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
soap ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'', starting at 7:00 pm on Fridays and 7.15 pm on Sundays. However, due to continued troubles and ratings competition from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Open All Hours ''Open All Hours'' is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The programme developed from a television pilot broadcast in Ronni ...
'', the series was only broadcast for one year; a Friday episode of ''Coronation Street'' would be introduced in October 1989.


History

''Albion Market'' launched in August 1985, four months before ''Coronation Street'' celebrated its 25th anniversary. As with ''Coronation Street'',
Granada Studios Old Granada Studios (known simply as Granada Studios and previously known as The Manchester Studios) is a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programm ...
dubbed it a "continuing drama series", considering the term "soap opera" to be derogatory. The show ran twice weekly on Friday and Sunday night; at the time, 7.00 pm on Fridays and 7.15 pm on Sundays were considered "
graveyard slot A graveyard slot (or death slot) is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually in the early mor ...
s", usually broadcasting game shows (although these were often very popular) or American imports. Very quickly, the Sunday episodes were moved back to around 6.00 pm, and
LWT London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
and TVS, who felt that ITV's network schedules had too much of a Northern bias, later dropped the Friday episode and instead broadcast a double bill of the series at 5.00 pm on Sundays. At the series' launch, the chairman of
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
claimed that "When ''Coronation Street'' celebrates its Golden anniversary, ''Albion Market'' will be celebrating its silver anniversary". Despite this, the show lasted for only one year. The show received negative reviews from critics and did not do well in the ratings. Many noted that the actual storyline rarely strayed from the confines of the market itself. The long-suffering market superintendent Derek Owen ( David Hargeaves) was the primary focus; his day usually began with the difficult task of assigning the few unowned stalls to the large number of casual traders. Prominent among these were Lynn Harrison (
Noreen Kershaw Noreen Kershaw is an English television actress and director. She trained at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre and, at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, originated the title role of the play '' Shirley Valentine'', later made famous by ...
) and her ex-convict husband Roy (Jonathan Barlow); regular traders included the gossiping ceramics dealer Morris Ransome (
Bernard Spear Bernard Spear (11 September 1919 – 9 May 2003) was an English actor. Early life Spear was born on 11 September 1919 in Croydon, Surrey, to a Polish-Jewish father and a Russian-Jewish mother. He was educated at Central Federation School in ...
) and handsome lothario and cake seller Tony Fraser (
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011–2013 and his role as CEO Guy S ...
). The series struggled to attract a sizeable audience. Characters were bogged down by the business of running their stalls, and the sheer drabness of the set compounded the monotony. After this faltering start, compounded by Michael Grade's success with his newly rearranged schedules for the BBC, Granada attempted to change direction and bring in both glamour and familiar actors. Despite attempts to encourage viewing figures by bringing in ''
Till Death Us Do Part ''Till Death Us Do Part'' is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. The show was first broadcast in 1965 as a ''Comedy Playhouse'' pilot, then as seven series between 1966 and 1975. In 1981, ITV continued the sitcom ...
'' actor Antony Booth and singer Helen Shapiro, the ratings did not improve, and some ITV regions dropped the series from their peak-time schedules. The show was cancelled after just 100 episodes. For many years, the outdoor location with its distinctive arch-shaped ''Albion Market'' sign above the
River Irwell The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary be ...
remained intact. When the Granada Tours Experience was closed in 1999, the sign was removed, and the building which was once ''Albion Market'' was sold. It now forms part of the Victoria and Albert Hotel.


Cast

* David Hargreaves as Derek Owen, market superintendent * Derek Hicks as Keith Naylor, superintendent's assistant *
Noreen Kershaw Noreen Kershaw is an English television actress and director. She trained at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre and, at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, originated the title role of the play '' Shirley Valentine'', later made famous by ...
as Lynne Harrison, stallholder * Jonathan Barlow as Roy Harrison, stallholder * Sally Baxter as Lisa O'Shea, stallholder *
Bernard Spear Bernard Spear (11 September 1919 – 9 May 2003) was an English actor. Early life Spear was born on 11 September 1919 in Croydon, Surrey, to a Polish-Jewish father and a Russian-Jewish mother. He was educated at Central Federation School in ...
as Morris Ransome, stallholder * Carol Kaye as Miriam Ransome, stallholder * Geoffrey Leesley as Geoff Travis, stallholder *
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011–2013 and his role as CEO Guy S ...
as Tony Fraser, stallholder *
Valerie Lilley Valerie Lilley (born 14 April 1939) is a Northern Irish actress who has played many television roles on dramas such as '' Doctors'' and ''Grange Hill''. Lilley most recently appeared in BBC1's '' Casualty'' as Daisy Fennings. Prior to that Chan ...
as Brenda Rigg, stallholder * Peter Benson as Larry Rigg, stallholder * Alistair Walker as Duane Rigg, Brenda and Larry's son *
Paul Bhattacharjee Gautam Paul Bhattacharjee (4 May 1960 – c. 10 July 2013) was a British actor who worked on stage, film and television. Early life and career The son of Gautam Bhattacharjee, a member of the Indian Communist Party who had to flee from the co ...
as Jaz Sharma, stallholder * Dev Sagoo as Raju Sharma, stallholder *
Pik-Sen Lim Pik-Sen Lim (, born 15 September 1944) is a Malaysian-British actress. According to the British Film Institute, Lim was "the most familiar Chinese actor on British television screens in the 1970s and 80s." Her notable roles include Chin Lee i ...
as Ly Nhu Chan, stallholder * Philip Tan as Lam Quoc Hoa, stallholder * Linda Polan as Maureen Nicholls, stallholder * Liam Flannery as Billy Nicholls, stallholder * Howard Lloyd-Lewis as Ralph Jessup, Maureen and Billy's uncle *
Barbara Wilshere Barbara Edith Eileen Wilshere (born 7 December 1959) is a South African-born British actress who has appeared in theatre, films and television. Early life She attended Wilmslow County Grammar School for Girls. Career She was the guest lead ...
as Carol Broadbent, cafe assistant *
Burt Caesar Burt Caesar is a British actor, broadcaster and director for stage and television, who was born in St Kitts and migrated to England with his family as a child.
as Phil Smith, chef *
Paula Jacobs Paula or PAULA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Paula, in video game '' EarthBound'' * Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' * Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in 2003 Film and television * ''Paula'' (1915 film), a s ...
as Peggy Sagar, cafe manager * Helen Shapiro as Viv Harker *
Jane Hazlegrove Sarah Jane Hazlegrove (born 17 July 1968) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. She has also appeared as Rosie in ''Making Out'', Rosemary Mason in ''Silent Witness ...
as Debbie Taylor *
Nimmy March Lady Naomi Anna Gordon-Lennox (born March 1962), known as Nimmy March, is an English actress. Background March's biological parents were a black South African father from Lesotho and a white English mother. As an illegitimate child, she was ab ...
as Collette Harrison *
Avis Bunnage Avis Bunnage (22 April 1923, Ardwick, Manchester – 4 October 1990, Thorpe Bay, Southend-on-Sea) was an English actress of film, stage and television. She attended Manley Park Municipal School and Chorlton Central School in Manchester. She ...
as Annie Naylor *
Lill Roughley Lilian Roughley (born 1949), best known as Lill Roughley, is an English actress who has appeared on British television since the 1970s. Her notable roles include Alice in the first series of ''Mulberry (TV series), Mulberry'', and as Ella Dawkin ...
as Barbara Owen * Kelly Lawrence as Louise Todd * Arthur Kelly as Dermot Thornburgh * Antony Booth as Ted Pilkington *
Simon Rouse Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
as Alan Curtis *
Souad Faress Souad Adel Faress (born 25 March 1948) is a stage, radio, television and film actress based in United Kingdom. She is best known for her portrayal of the solicitor Usha Gupta, in the long-running BBC Radio 4 serial ''The Archers'' and for her ...
as Anita Rai *
Seeta Indrani Seeta Indrani (born 20 April 1963) is an English dancer and actress. Biography Performance After graduation as a dancer from the London Contemporary Dance School, Indrani took the role of Cassandra in the original 1981 West End theatre, West ...
as Sita Sharma *
Jamila Massey Jamila Massey (born 7 January 1934) is a British actress and writer. Massey has had a long career on UK television and radio. She is known for playing Auntie Satya in the long-running radio soap ''The Archers'', Jamila Ranjha in ''Mind Your Lan ...
as Susha Sharma * Rebecca Lock as Jenny McMullen * David Phelan as Sean Ellison * Paul Beringer as Paul O'Donnell * Marie Jelliman as Mary Houlihan * Andy Rashleigh as Colin Arnold * Henry Moxon as Simon Walker * Duane Mills as Gregory Dickson * Martin Oldfield as Howard Dickinson * David Boyce as Ralph Friend * Hetta Charnley as Janet Owen * Rashid Karapiet as Narya Vyas * Jane Karen as Carrie Mullen


Episodes


References


External links

* {{Soap operas in the United Kingdom 1980s British television soap operas 1985 British television series debuts 1985 British television series endings ITV soap operas Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in Manchester English-language television shows Television shows produced by Granada Television