''Echo Beach'' is a British soap opera that aired on
ITV in 2008. Set in the fictional
Cornish coastal town of Polnarren, it ran for twelve episodes from 10 January to 21 March 2008. The show was created by
Tony Jordan
Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the United Kingdom by ''Broadcast'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''The Stage'' in 20 ...
and produced by
Kudos
Kudos may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games
* Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company
* Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers ...
for ITV.
Synopsis
''Echo Beach'' was inter-linked with a show named ''
Moving Wallpaper
''Moving Wallpaper'' is a British satirical comedy-drama television series set in a TV production unit. It ran on ITV for two series in 2008–09. The subject of the first series was the production of a soap called ''Echo Beach'', each episode ...
'', a
comedy-drama set in the fictional production offices of ''Echo Beach''. ''Echo Beach'' was shown immediately after ''Moving Wallpaper'' in the schedule, with ''Moving Wallpaper'' airing at 9 pm on Fridays and ''Echo Beach'' airing at 9.30 pm. Although initially intended to be shown on
ITV2, straight after ''Moving Wallpaper'' on ITV, the decision was made to have both on ITV.
The theme song was a cover of
Martha and the Muffins
Martha and the Muffins are a Canadian rock band, active from 1977 to the present. Although they only had one major international hit single " Echo Beach" under their original band name, they had a number of hits in their native Canada, and th ...
' "
Echo Beach
"Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. Written by band member Mark Gane, it was released as a single from their album '' Metro Music'' in 1980 and went on to reach number 5 in Canada, number 6 in Aus ...
" by
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi ( ; ; born 10 October 1991) is an Australian pop singer. A contralto, Cilmi is known for her distinctive raspy singing voice.
Her debut album, ''Lessons to Be Learned'', was released in March 2008, becoming a moderate int ...
.
According to the parallel ''Moving Wallpaper'' storyline, the soap was originally titled ''Polnarren'', and was intended to be a worthy drama about social issues in Cornwall. The show was then "sexed up", and its name changed to ''Echo Beach'', by new producer Jonathan Pope (played by
Ben Miller
Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...
).
Plot summary
The soap is centred on Susan Penwarden (played by
Martine McCutcheon
Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon (formerly Ponting, born 14 May 1976) is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television drama '' Bluebir ...
) and her ex-lover Daniel Marrack (
Jason Donovan), who after a long absence, and following the death of his wife, returns to Polnarren to run a beachfront café and surf shop with his daughter Abi (Hannah Lederer-Alton) and son Brae (
Christian Cooke).
An old feud between Daniel and Susan's manipulative husband Mark (
Hugo Speer
Hugo Alexander Speer (born 17 March 1968) is an English actor and director.
Early life and education
Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School. He studied acting at the Arts ...
) flares up, while Susan's and Mark's son Jimmy (
Ed Speleers
Edward John Speleers (born 7 April 1988) is an English actor and producer. He is best known for playing the title role in the 2006 film ''Eragon'', the antagonist character Stephen Bonnet in the TV series '' Outlander'', as well as James "Jimmy" ...
) becomes involved with Abi. Jimmy overhears a conversation suggesting that he might be Daniel's son, not Mark's, making his relationship with Abi incestuous. A shocked Jimmy breaks up with Abi, leaving her to have drunken and regretted sex with his friend Charlie (Jonathan Readwin). A blood test later proves the paternity claim to be false, allowing Jimmy to make amends with Abi, who keeps secret the details of the night she spent with Charlie.
Meanwhile, as Susan and Daniel try to control their feelings for each other, Mark starts an affair with a scheming romantic fiction writer, Angela Cole (
Susie Amy), who has previously struck up a false friendship with Susan. When Susan finds out about Mark's infidelity she walks out into the arms of Daniel.
Various subplots supplement the main storylines. Narinder Gurai (
Chandeep Uppal) is a terminally ill barmaid who escaped to Polnarren to live out her final days in peace. She is perpetually trying to ensnare Charlie, though Charlie is too dim to realise this. Ivy Trehearne (
Gwyneth Powell
Gwyneth Powell (5 July 1946 – 8 September 2022) was an English actress. She was best known for her portrayal of headmistress Bridget McClusky in the BBC television series ''Grange Hill'' for eleven series between 1981 and 1991.
Background
P ...
), the rustic landlady of the local pub, has a soft spot for fellow rustic Fin Morgan (
Johnny Briggs), a down-on-his-luck caravan park operator who is also Charlie's grandfather. Jackie Hughes (
Naomi Ryan
Naomi Ryan (born 24 May 1977 in Bournemouth, England) is a British actress who has appeared in ''Dream Team'' as Ashleigh King, ''Mile High'' as Lehann Evans and ''Coronation Street'' where she played Underworld factory worker Bobbi Lewis.
TV ...
) and Ian Brenton (
Marcus Patric
Marcus Patric (born Patrick Henry Gosling on 17 August 1979 in Gosport, Hampshire) is an English actor.
Career
Best known for the role of Ben Davies in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', he then starred in its spin-offs ''Hollyoaks: Let L ...
) are a local couple who work at Fin's caravan park before a disastrous fire, accidentally started by Jimmy's younger sister Grace (
Laura Greenwood), forces it to close. Jackie goes on to work in Daniel's café, and becomes the subject of romantic attentions from a brooding Brae, while Ian is himself the subject of attentions from Grace.
In the final episode of series 1, Charlie and Narinda finally get together, Jimmy and Abi fall out when Jimmy learns of Abi's one-night stand with Charlie, Ian and Jackie prepare for their wedding, and, in a confrontation on board Mark's pleasure boat, Mark forces Susan to tell Daniel that she had, many years earlier, miscarried his child. A fight between Mark and Daniel ensues, during which both fall into the sea, their fate hanging in the balance.
Cast
Actors from ''Echo Beach'' sometimes cross over into the sister show, ''Moving Wallpaper''; see
Moving Wallpaper: Cast.
Filming locations
External filmed scenes are: quay/harbours of
Looe
Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census.
Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links ...
and
Polperro
Polperro ( kw, Porthpyra, meaning ''Pyra's cove'') is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population is around 1,554.
Polperro, through which runs the River ...
on Cornwall's south coast; long panoramic beach shots (and surfers) are of
Watergate Bay
Watergate Bay ( kw, Porth Tregoryan, meaning ''cove at Coryan's farmstead/village'') is a long bay or beach flanked by cliffs centred two miles NNE of Newquay below the B3276 Newquay to Padstow road near the hamlet of Tregurrian in Cornwall, Uni ...
, one of Cornwall's most popular surfing destinations, on the north coast; the large, almost mansion-sized, house on the hillside shots are also in Polperro. There are inconsistencies with props, locations and dialect in ''Echo Beach'': the surfboards don't have
surfboard wax on them; and the fictional Cornish characters do not sound convincingly Cornish.
Cancellation
A second series of ''Moving Wallpaper'' was commissioned and began airing on ITV on 27 February 2009. It was originally reported that ''Echo Beach'' would "most probably return, but not necessarily as it is now". However, in July 2008 it was confirmed that ''Echo Beach'' had in fact been cancelled. Series two of ''Moving Wallpaper'' instead focuses on the production of a "zombie" show called ''Renaissance''.
Reception
The first episode of ''Echo Beach'' attracted 5 million viewers on average with a 21% audience share, easily winning the timeslot. The ratings later dropped to just 2.8 million and a 12% share. One month later, ''Echo Beach'' gained only 1.9 million viewers with an audience share of 8%, while a repeat of crime drama ''New Tricks'' attracted 4.7 million viewers for BBC One. Viewing figures then rallied slightly, to 2.3m.
Comments from some reviewers, as well as from viewers on discussion forums, indicated a degree of confusion about whether ''Echo Beach'' was intended to be a satirical send-up of lame soap operas or a bona fide dramatic offering. The ''Daily Mirror'' described the show as "not bad enough to be funny". The ''Sunday Mirror'' thought: "Strikingly bad acting, drearily predictable plot lines
..''Echo Beach'' is just like a normal soap. But there's a difference. This one is supposed to be rubbish. Or at least I think it is."
International airings
In Australia, series one of ''Echo Beach'' aired back-to-back with ''Moving Wallpaper'' on
ABC2
ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...
each Friday from 8:30 pm, 30 May 2008. Both programs were later repeated on the higher-rated
ABC1
ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...
channel a year later from 6 May 2009 starting on Wednesday nights. Yet, this time, ''Echo Beach'' was separated from its sister program and placed in an early Saturday evening timeslot three days later each week.
Episodes
DVD release
References
External links
*
*
Show information and cast interviews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Echo Beach (Soap)
2000s British television soap operas
2008 British television series debuts
2008 British television series endings
British television spin-offs
English-language television shows
ITV soap operas
Television shows set in Cornwall