''Family Affairs'' is a British
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
that aired on
Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per week, followed by an omnibus edition on Sundays. The series never achieved high ratings, so it went through a number of dramatic revamps involving wholesale cast turnover. The premise of the series was also refocused from a family in a quiet suburb just outside London, to a range of different people living on a bustling
outer London
Outer London is the name for the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom.
These were areas that were not part of the County of Londo ...
street.
The series was shot on video to give a
film look
Film look (also known as filmizing or film-look) is a process in which video is altered in overall appearance to appear to have been shot on film stock. The process is usually electronic, although filmizing can sometimes occur as an unintentional ...
. In 1999 and 2004, single episodes used standard video presentation for testing purposes. On 2 August 2005, Channel 5 announced they would not renew ''Family Affairs''. Production ceased on 4 November, and the final episode was broadcast on 30 December 2005. Producer
Sean O'Connor changed to standard video presentation from September 2005 until the final episode.
History
Original format
The serial originally focused on the Hart and Gates family and some of their friends and close associates living in the fictional outer London suburb of Charnham. The Hart family consisted of builder
Chris
Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common.
People with the given name
* Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...
(Ian Ashpitel), his wife
Annie
Annie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress
* Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer
The ...
(
Liz Crowther
Elizabeth Ann Crowther (born 9 December 1954) is an English theatre actress. Her father was the actor, comedian and presenter Leslie Crowther and her mother was Jean Crowther, actress and dancer.
Theatre work
Beginning her stage career in 1966 ...
) and their four children: ladies' man
Duncan (
Rocky Marshall
Rocky Marshall (born c.1967) is an English television and film actor, living near Battersea Park.
Biography
Rocky Marshall trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and was taught by Sam Kogan for the first 2 years there.
He has starred in mo ...
); his twin sister, trainee solicitor and confused virgin
Holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
(
Sandra Huggett); feisty
Melanie
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Cordelia Bugeja
Cordelia Bugeja (born 5 March 1976 in Chichester, West Sussex) is a British actress, best known for her roles as Julie in ''Not Going Out'', Nikki in ''EastEnders'', Melanie Hart in ''Family Affairs'', and sex worker Kate in '' Respectable''.
...
); and schoolboy
Jamie
Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right.
People Female
* Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress
* Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...
(Michael Cole). Annie gave birth to a fifth child during the series, Sam.
Chris and Annie's parents were also featured. After losing his wife
Sally
Sally may refer to:
People
*Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name
Military
* Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port
*Sally, the Allied reporting na ...
(
Jean Heywood
Jean Heywood (born Jean Murray; 15 July 1921 – 14 September 2019) was a British actress.
Born in Blyth, Northumberland, in July 1921, Heywood appeared in films such as ''Billy Elliot'' and ''Our Day Out''. Her TV work included roles in ''Whe ...
) in the opening episodes, Chris' father
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
(
Ian Cullen
George Ian Cullen (20 October 1939 – 12 November 2019) was a British actor.
Cullen first became interested in acting when appearing in a pantomime aged four (late 1943). He trained at RADA with a scholarship when he was 16.
An early televis ...
) came to live with the family. Annie's parents, staunchly conservative
Elsa Gates (
Delena Kidd
Delena Kidd (born 11 February 1935) is an English actress who has appeared in numerous British television productions since the late 1950s. In recent years she is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Queen Adelaide in '' Victoria & Albert''.
...
) and philandering
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
(
Ken Farrington
Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's long-running soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Following a brief period ...
), lived nearby.
Other original characters were Chris's partner in their building business,
Nick Trip (Barry McCormick); Melanie's bubbly best friend
Claire Toomey
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
(Tina Hall); Annie's baby-obsessed friend Maria Simons (
Annie Miles
Annie Miles (born 5 May 1958 in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England) is an English actress who is best known for her roles in television soap opera. She played Sue Sullivan (née Harper) in ''Brookside'' from 1987 to 1991, and Maria Simons Starr ...
); and Duncan's loyal drinking partners Tim Webster (
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor. ) and
Roy Farmer
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
(Miles Petit).
The action took place in a series of modern, middle-class houses and spacious apartments whose geographic relation to one another was not clearly defined by the series. The primary meeting place for characters was The Lock, a slick bar/restaurant located in Charnham's riverside marina district. The expansive parklands and forested areas of Charnham Common were also frequently visited by characters.
Later in 1997, Maria's ex-husband, the callous
Pete Callan
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
, appeared in town. Pete, played by ex-''
Brookside Brookside may refer to:
Geography Canada
* Brookside, Edmonton
* Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Brookside, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Brookside, Berkshire, England
* Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England
United States
* Br ...
'' actor
David Easter
David Easter (born 11 November 1959) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Pete Callan in ''Family Affairs'', Gil Keane in ''Emmerdale'', Mac Nightingale in ''Hollyoaks'' and Frank Fisher in ''The Bill''.
Early life
Easter wa ...
, provided the series with a much-needed villain, and he quickly became the show's standout character. Pete soon married Claire Toomey, who had been deserted by Duncan after giving birth to his twin children.
Another early arrival was the sassy bisexual
Susie Ross
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(Tina Landini), who took a job at The Lock and romanced both Duncan and his twin sister Holly. Nick's troublesome teenage son
Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...
(Stephen Hoyle) arrived, and neighbourhood nosey parker Bill Cockerill (
Roger Sloman
Roger Sloman (born 19 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work in theatre, film, and television.
Early life and education
He grew up and was educated in South East London. He trained to be a teacher and then went to East 15 acting sch ...
) and his wife Samantha (
Tessa Wyatt
Tessa Wyatt (born 23 April 1948) is an English actress best known for her role as Vicky Tripp (née Nicholls) on the ITV sitcom '' Robin's Nest''.
Early life
Wyatt was born in Woking, Surrey in 1948 and attended Elmhurst Ballet School. She was ...
), along with their daughter Charlotte, made several appearances.
Liam became involved in a post office robbery. His lawyer was
Pamela Hargreaves (Sandy Hendrickse), and she soon embarked on a romance with Liam's father Nick. Pete Callan then bought The Lock, further cementing his importance to the series. Entrepreneur
Peter Stringfellow
Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs.
Early life
Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsie Bowers a ...
even made a guest appearance in one episode.
Revamp
By mid-1998, the programme's middling ratings prompted the show's makers to drastically revamp the series.
Brian Park
Brian Park is a Scottish television producer and executive. He was born in Fife but lived in Aberdeen’s Bucksburn between the ages of nine and 17. He acted when he was a child and joined the Aberdeen Children’s Theatre at the age of 13, appea ...
, famous for his overhaul of
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 ...
's ''
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 ...
'', was appointed as ''Family Affairs new producer and was tasked with remodelling the series. It was decided that the majority of the regular characters would be written out – including all members of Hart and Gates families.
Throughout 1998, Tim, Susie and Liam departed, and the recurring Cockerill couple was phased out. Pamela's romance with Nick developed and her mother, lovable but meddling gossip
Sadie Hargreaves
Sadie Lloyd (previously Hargreaves) was a fictional character in the UK soap opera ''Family Affairs'', played by Barbara Young from 1998 until 2005.
Storylines
Sadie first appeared in late November 1998 as Pamela Tripp's gossipy and flamboyant ...
(
Barbara Young), entered the storyline. Lovable rogue
Dave Matthews (
Richard Hawley
Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...
), his brassy chain-smoking wife
Cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
(
Nicola Duffett), and Dave's son from an earlier marriage
Josh
Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to:
People A–J
* "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...
(Terry Burns) moved in. Dave was an extramarital love interest for Annie Hart, before falling in love with her daughter Holly.
Also introduced was
Dusty McHugh
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(
Doreen Ingleton), the strident owner of the local mini supermarket, and her children, mouthy daughter
Yasmin (
Ebony Thomas) and conscientious son
Benji
Benji is a fictional character created by Joe Camp. He has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the ''Benji'' franchise.
Benji is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an un ...
(Junior Laniyan). The McHughs lived in a flat above their shop, and the adjacent flat was occupied by students
Declan Byrne (Quentin Jones),
Gabby Johnson (Emma Linley) and
Clive Starr (Huw Bevan). Clive's older brother
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
(
David Verrey
David Verrey is a British television, film and stage actor.
Television
His best known roles were those of Serge Starr in more than 200 episodes of the soap ''Family Affairs'', Golgarach and McGrew in the children's adventure game series ''Knigh ...
), also known as Serge Pompidou, became the new chef at The Lock, and was soon joined there by vapid barmaid
Siobhan Jones
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(
Jemma Walker
Jemma Walker is an English actress, known for portraying Siobhan Jones Callan in ''Family Affairs'' and Sasha Perkins in ''EastEnders''.
Background
Born in Essex, Walker was a dancer until the age of sixteen. She studied for a Drama BTEC at Ba ...
).
Yasmin, known for her ostentatious facial piercings, quickly started a relationship with Josh Matthews. Clive was revealed to be gay, and secretly in love with flatmate Declan. Dudley/Serge embarked on a romance with Maria, and the pair were soon married - with Serge wrongly believing Maria was pregnant.
Gates and Hart families depart
In late 1998, Jack Gates crashed his car on an isolated road while
driving drunk
Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash.
In the United States, ...
. The incident knocked his wife Elsa unconscious; Jack placed her in the driver's seat before anyone arrived at the scene and blamed her for the crash. Elsa suffered amnesia during her subsequent recuperation, and Jack kept her isolated from family for fear that their support or inquiries could trigger the return of her memory and uncover the truth. When Elsa's memory did begin to return, Jack smothered her with a pillow, changed his will to make Pete Callan his chief beneficiary, and committed suicide by gassing himself in his car.
On 29 January 1999, the entire Hart family (except for Duncan, who had already left the series) was killed. After Roy and Melanie's wedding, the Harts conducted a small reception on their river boat. After Roy left the boat to retrieve a hangover cure for Jamie, a fallen candle ignited leaking gas. The resultant explosion killed all on board, just as Chris learnt of Annie's affair with Dave Matthews.
New direction
Immediately, the show's theme tune and opening titles were revamped to reflect the serial's new direction. They now deployed flashes of a tube journey to Charnham Station, linking Charnham with the city of London. Over this, shots of the new characters introduced over preceding weeks were shown.
Roy suffered emotional trauma after the loss of Melanie, kidnapping Claire Callan and threatening to kill her. After her rescue, she left Charnham and Roy recovered.
Maria Starr announced her pregnancy, while refusing to let Dudley/Serge anywhere near her or to even share the same bed for many months. She was actually faking the pregnancy and wearing a cushion under her dress. Disguised by a dark wig, Maria stole a baby from a maternity hospital and brought it home, attempting to pass it off as her own child. The truth quickly came out and the baby returned to its real parents, who chose to not press charges.
Pamela defended new client Simon Thornton (
Valentine Pelka
Valentine Pelka (born 23 February 1956) is an English actor who has starred in film and on television.
Biography
Pelka was born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, to a Polish civil engineer father and an Irish actress mother, and attende ...
), who was accused of rape. She was convinced of his innocence so didn't fully investigate his background, but later learned he had kept vital facts about previous convictions from her. Realising he was guilty, Pamela dropped the case and resigned from her job, but Simon started stalking her. Pamela accidentally killed Simon with an iron during a confrontation at his home. Fearing her claims of self-defence would not be believed, she enlisted Sadie's help to bury Simon's body on Charnham Common. Racked with guilt for several months, Pamela and Sadie exhibited strange behaviour which puzzled Nick, who had proposed to Pamela during this time.
Nick and Pamela were married at The Lock. The marriage was short-lived, as Simon's body was found and Pamela was arrested and imprisoned for murder. Pamela took full blame and insisted Sadie had not assisted, ensuring Sadie's freedom. Nick left town shortly afterwards.
Benjie McHugh began a love affair with his married teacher Maggie Roswell (
Robyn Moore), and eventually went on the run together with Maggie's two sons. Maggie was killed in a car accident while fleeing from her husband.
Clive Starr accepted that Declan was straight and there could be no romance between them, moving on to
Adam Sheldrake
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(Vince Leigh). Adam was a policeman, who was in the closet for fear that being
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
could affect his career. Adam soon found himself attracted to Clive's flatmate Gabby Johnson. Adam's ex-wife and daughter then arrived, further complicating Adam's relationship with Clive and his affair with Gabby.
Siobhan Jones became closely associated with Pete Callan, then her sister
Julie-Ann moved in. Julie-Ann started pursuing Pete, an endeavour which ended with the revelation that Pete was actually her father.
For several months after the revamp, the existing locations of Maria Starr's flat, Pete Callan's flat, the marina and The Lock continued to be featured. Dave and Cat moved into the former Gates residence. Despite the new tube station opening sequence, the exterior shots of the show's locales the frequently visited Charnham Common suggested that Charnham was a modern, green, and spacious small town.
New characters continued to join. One arrival was the Derwin family - censorious
Fern Derwin (
Belinda Sinclair
Belinda Sinclair (born 16 September 1950) is a British actress known for several recurring television roles.
She was born in London, and was trained as an actress with the Arts Educational Schools, London and had early success on the stage. In t ...
), easy-going taxi-driver
Max (
Nick Stringer
Nick Stringer (born 10 August 1948 in Torquay, Devon) is an English actor.
In a thirty-year career, Stringer has appeared in numerous well-known British television shows, including ''The Bill'', '' Bergerac '', '' Open All Hours'', ''Only Fo ...
) and their rebellious foster son
Arlo Dean
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
(Ash Newman). The Derwins soon fostered the troubled and sensitive
Gemma Craig
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(
Angela Hazeldine
Angela Lee Hazeldine (born 2 July 1981 in Colwyn Bay, Wales) is a Welsh actress and musician, known for portraying Gemma Craig in the Channel 5 soap opera ''Family Affairs''.
Background
Actor James Hazeldine was a cousin of Hazeldine's father. ...
) who had recently lost her entire family. Meanwhile, Josh Matthews pursued a singing career, enlisting a manager (played by
Jonathan Coleman) and recording a CD, which didn't sell.
The departures of Claire Callan, Nick Trip and then Maria Starr left Roy Farmer as the show's only remaining original character. Pamela Trip and Dudley Starr/Serge Pompidou had also departed. Dusty McHugh emigrated to Jamaica, leaving Yasmin and Benji – and the shop – in the care of her sister-in-law
Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
(
Doña Croll
Doña Croll (born 29 August 1953) is a Jamaican-born British actress. She is best known for her roles in British television soap opera playing Pearl McHugh in Channel 5's '' Family Affairs'', Vera Corrigan in the BBC Vera Corrigan '' Doctors' ...
). Dusty returned briefly for a Christmas visit. It was later reported she had been killed in a car accident in Jamaica.
Six months after his introduction, Max Derwin died of a heart attack during an argument with Arlo. Fern discovered that he Max left everything in his will to an illegitimate son, Maxwell, from a relationship with another woman. Claire Callan returned to the series in 2000, hardened by her disastrous marriage to Pete. She had left the twins with her sister.
Stanley Street
In 2000, coinciding with the introduction of the Warrington family, the geographic focus of the series was retconned to Stanley Street, in the fictitious West London W15 postal district. Previously, the specific location of Charnham had never been explicitly stated; it was known to be close to a river (actually the Grand Union Canal at
Yeading
Yeading ( ) is a settlement in west London, forming part of the London Borough of Hillingdon, having been developed after the Second World War.
Etymology
Yeading is very early Saxon and was originally ''Geddingas'' or ''Geddinges'', meaning "the ...
), and characters sometimes travelled to
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...
. With the late-1998 infusion of new characters, it was established Dusty and her children lived over their minimarket and that in the next door flat were students Declan, Gabby and Clive. Now, we would see action regularly extend to the shop's street exterior and the surrounding buildings, and this location was revealed to be the bustling Stanley Street with its row of narrow shopfronts and terraced houses. Just as Roy was establishing his new
Internet café
An Internet café, also known as a cybercafé, is a café (or a convenience store or a fully dedicated Internet access business) that provides the use of computers with high bandwidth Internet access on the payment of a fee. Usage is generall ...
business, next door to Yasmin's mini-supermarket, the Warringtons moved in across the street. Roy came to live in the street as well, and when Pete Callan sold The Lock to buy an old-style
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
, The Black Swan, this too was revealed to be on the same short street.
In quick succession, any regular characters not already living there soon moved into Stanley Street, while Sadie's home inexplicably shifted there without her having to move house. After this, various locations seen earlier in the series – such as The Lock and the marina – would not be seen again. Alongside Yasmin's minimarket and the newly opened Internet café, The Black Swan would become one of the show's primary meeting places, despite the fact that landlord Pete Callan was openly hated by most of his neighbours. From now on, most outdoor taping was on the Stanley Street set, reducing the number of time-consuming location shoots while confining much of the action to one place.
Many storylines now focussed around Pete Callan and his various nefarious activities. Meanwhile, the large group of younger characters in the series went through a series of romantic entanglements. The newly introduced Warrington family became key figures in the show's on-going storylines;
Nikki Warrington
Nikki Warrington is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'', played by Rebecca Blake. She first appeared on-screen during the episode broadcast 31 January 2000. She last appeared on 1 December 2003. The character arri ...
(Rebecca Blake) endured problems in her marriage and her large blended family, which consisted of her doctor husband
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
(
Simon Cook), his children
Luke
People
*Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
(
Royce Cronin
Royce Cronin is an English New Zealand-born actor.
His most recent credit is the 2018 feature ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' on the life of Freddie Mercury. He also played Michel Van Rijn in ''The Iconoclast''.
Previously known for the popular role of ...
) and
Sara
Sara may refer to:
Arts, media and entertainment Film and television
* ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui
* ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda
* ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...
(
Beth Cordingly
Beth Cordingly (born 25 October 1976) is an English actress, known for her appearances in series ''Family Affairs'', ''The Bill'' and ''Dead Set''.
Early life
Cordingly was born in Brighton and went to Brighton and Hove High School. She is the d ...
), and Nikki's children
Becky (Chandra Reugg) and
Darren
Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...
(Joe Fox, later Ike Hamilton) from her previous marriage to incarcerated
Adrian Scott
Robert Adrian Scott (February 6, 1911 – December 25, 1972) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was one of the Hollywood Ten and later blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses.
Life and career Early life
Scott was born ...
(
Ariyon Bakare
Ariyon Bakare () is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'' (2001–2005) as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime series ''Good Omens'' and ''Carnival Row'' (2019), and the BBC series ''His Dark Materials''. Prior to this, ...
).
Nikki became embroiled in scandal when she embarked upon an affair with her stepson Luke. This played alongside Pete Callan's latest misdemeanour – framing new wife Siobhan for the murder of Josh Matthews. Siobhan had struck a blow to a suspected burglar in the darkened kitchen upstairs at the pub, where she lived with Pete, before realising the "burglar" was merely barman Josh Matthews. Siobhan falsely believed that her blow to Josh had killed him, when it had actually just knocked him unconscious; Pete, who was on the scene in seconds and harboured a deep-seated entity with Josh's father Dave, secretly delivered the deadly blow after Siobhan left in terror. Siobhan was quickly arrested and sent to prison.
2001
In 2001, the Warrington clan was extended to include their relatives, the Webb and Ellis families: Nikki's brother
Matt Ellis (
Matthew Jay Lewis
Matthew Jay Lewis a British actor who trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama. He has worked extensively in both commercials and TV. His TV work includes his role as Matt Ellis in five's one time flagship soap ''Family Affairs''.
Prio ...
), his girlfriend
Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
(
Tanya Franks
Tanya Christine Franks (born 16 August 1967) is an English actress, producer and writer. She has had starring roles on the television shows ''Family Affairs'', ''The Bill'', ''Pulling (TV series), Pulling'', ''EastEnders'' and ''Broadchurch''. ...
) and Karen's brothers
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
(
Joe Dow) and Paul Webb (
Martin Delaney).
With their storylines gradually dwindling, Gabby Johnson and Clive Starr quietly departed. The places in their flat were taken by a succession of attractive young residents, including
Polly Arnold
Polly Louise Arnold One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: (born 24 July 1972) is director of the chemical sciences division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and professor of ...
(
Juliet Cowan
Juliet Cowan (born 21 May 1974 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a British television, film and stage actress. Cowan has had various TV guest star roles in long-running shows such as ''EastEnders'', ''Silent Witness'' and '' Casualty''. Cowan has ...
) and Dr
Tanya Ayuba (
Laila Rouass
Laila Rouass (née Abdesselam) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in '' Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in '' Primeval'' and ...
). Polly romanced Declan Byrne, but when her brother
Gavin
Gavin is a male given name originating from Scotland. It is a variation on the medieval name Gawain, meaning "God send" or "white hawk" (or falcon). Sir Gawain was a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. '' Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is an e ...
(
Neil Roberts) arrived in town, she resumed her incestuous love affair with him, resulting in a disgusted Declan leaving Charnham. The establishment of a youth refuge on the street angered some residents, although Roy Farmer soon became a highly involved volunteer on the project. Jim Webb became Cat Matthews' reluctant second husband.
Paul Webb paired up with Gemma Craig, who continued to live with her well-meaning but increasingly meddlesome foster mother Fern. Fern had married Roy's father
Vince
Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname.
It may refer to:
Given name People
* Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player
* Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...
(
Stephen Yardley).
Karen Ellis embarked upon a controversial lesbian affair with her child's surrogate mother, Sadie's Australian niece
Kelly Hurst
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(Nicky Talacko). This storyline also featured the brief appearance of Kelly's father and Sadie's brother-in-law Barry (
Antony Booth). At Christmas, Paul Webb discovered that Jim was not his brother, but his father.
2002
In 2002, Cat Webb's niece
Geri (
Anna Acton
Anna Acton (born 29 January 1977) is an English actress who is best known for her roles as Rochelle Barratt, the wife of a borough commander, in the ITV television series ''The Bill'', and DC Emma Summerhayes in the BBC One soap opera ''East ...
) moved to Stanley Street, as did the troubled Davenport family, who moved into the flat originally occupied by Declan, Gabby and Clive. Mother
Ginny
Ginny or Ginnie is an English feminine given name or diminutive, frequently of Virginia.
People Virginia
*Ginny Arnell (born 1942), American singer and songwriter born Virginia Mazarro
* Ginny Blackmore (born 1986), New Zealand singer and songwrit ...
(
Joanna Foster
Joanna Foster is a British actress active in theatre and television since 1978. On stage she created roles in the world premieres of Andrew Davies's ''Diary of A Desperate Woman'' (1979), Anthony Burgess's '' The Eve of Saint Venus'' (1979), and ...
) was recovering from a severe bout of depression, and husband
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(
Brian Cowan
Brian Cowan (1962 – January 2021) was a British actor, known for his role as Robert Davenport in the long running soap opera, ''Family Affairs''. He starred in '' Taggart'' from 1993 to 2005 as DCS Brian Holmes, the partner of Blythe Duff's c ...
) worked to launch a catering business on Stanley Street. Their three teenage children
Jessica (
Sammy Glenn
Samantha Glenn (born 11 August 1983) is an English actress.
Biography
Glenn trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.
Glenn began her career as a child actress in ''Summer's Lease'' playing the granddaughter to John Gielgud. In ''T ...
),
Cameron (
Rupert Hill
Rupert Sinclair Hill (born 15 June 1978) is an English actor. He is known for his roles in several soap operas.
Hill started with small roles on television. He appeared in an episode of ''EastEnders'' as Robbie's half-brother Kevin Bolton, an ...
) and
Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
(
Sam Stockman
Sam Stockman (born 19 May 1982) is an English actor and musician, whose most notable acting role is as DC Emerson Kent on the UK crime drama ''Whitechapel'' from 2009 to 2013.
Acting career
Stockman began acting at the age of 10 in the indepen ...
) were soon joined by Robert's much younger adoptive brother
Jude Davenport. Jude was openly despised by Ginny, Cameron and Lewis after he romantically pursued Jessica. Cameron and Paul Webb became close friends, until Paul learned of Cameron's brief affair with his fiancée Gemma. A furious Paul left Gemma at the altar and left Charnham.
Charlotte Day (
Leanne Lakey
Leanne Lakey (born May 1978) is a British actress, known for playing Belinda Peacock in ''EastEnders'' and Charlotte Day in ''Family Affairs''.
Background
Lakey originally trained to be a dancer, and is accomplished at jazz, ballroom and balle ...
) arrived and began working at the Black Swan, quickly becoming a love interest for Pete Callan. She was later joined by her younger sister
Lucy
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
(
Julia Lee Smith
Julie Smith is a British actress who is probably best known for her roles as Kate Ellis in the ITV soap '' Night and Day'' (2002–2003) and Lucy Day in Channel 5's ''Family Affairs'' (2002–2005). She has also appeared in a number of other t ...
) and their mother
Eileen
Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to:
People Artists
*Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer
*Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer
*Eileen ...
(
Rosie Rowell
Rosie Rowell (born 29 April 1965) is a British actress, probably best known for her roles as Eileen Callan in ''Family Affairs'' (a role she played from 2002 until the series ended in 2005) and Donna Tucker in ''Soldier Soldier''. She has also ...
). After Charlotte's departure, Eileen and Lucy continued in the series, becoming involved in several highly dramatic events. Eileen soon became Pete Callan's fourth wife after his divorce from Siobhan.
Peter England joined as Ben Galloway, who lived in the halfway house and worked in Roy Farmer's Internet café. Ben's storyline progressed to a point where Ben admitted he was gay and shared the first gay kiss on British daytime TV.
Meanwhile, Yasmin and Benji's aunt Pearl moved away, and a guilt-racked Siobhan Callan endured prison and a lengthy court case after being framed for Josh's murder. She was eventually released and returned to Charnham, where she and others slowly began to piece the truth together, although nothing could be proved and Pete got away with the murder. Siobhan departed in 2002, after Pete caused a car crash that injured her killed Kate Matherson (
Mary Stockley).
Robert Davenport had a one-night stand with Geri, after which she accused him of rape. He went to trial but was acquitted. The stress led to the break-up of his marriage, resulting in Ginny moving to France with Jessica. Jude Davenport also moved away.
2003 cast revamp
In September 2003, another drastic cast revamp occurred as new series producer Alison Davis arrived, presented with the task of finally getting viewing figures up to an acceptable standard.
Paul Webb left after his portrayer,
Martin Delaney, left the series to take a role in New Zealand serial ''
Shortland Street
''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...
''. Following Paul's departure all members of the related Webb, Warrington and Ellis families were gradually phased out.
Robert Davenport and co-worker Fern Farmer were killed when a runaway car ploughed into the shopfront of Robert's catering business. The driver was Dave Matthews' recently arrived stepson
Jake Walker (Seb Castang), who lost control of the stolen car during a police chase following a botched deal by
Gabriel Drummond
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
. The biggest casualty of Davis's arrival was the show's only remaining original character, Roy Farmer, who was killed in a fire at his Internet café business.
These departures left just a handful of old characters on board, with Pete, Sadie, Yasmin, Cat and the returning Dave as the only pre-2002 characters remaining in the show (Pete had joined in 1997, the others in late-1998). Pete was now the show's longest-serving character. Pete and Eileen Day had married, although she had actually married him for strategic reasons in a long-term plan for revenge. In league with the sinister
Mike Shaw
Michael Paul Shaw (May 9, 1957 – September 11, 2010) was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation (W ...
(
Tony O'Callaghan
Tony O'Callaghan (born 16 June 1956) is an English television actor. His most notable role is that of Sergeant Matt Boyden on the British television series ''The Bill'' from 1991 to 2003. He had previously appeared as a villain in ''The Bill'' i ...
), Eileen had started the fire that killed Roy, in an attempt to frame Pete for
arson
Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
. No one knew Roy was inside when the fire was set; when Pete was arrested, the charge was arson ''and'' murder. Pete was sent to prison on remand and was absent for many months, seen in isolated episodes where other characters visited him in prison. He eventually returned to the storyline with his trial, ending in his acquittal, return to Charnham and to running the pub with Eileen, who had become licensee while he was in custody.
On Pete's first day back, one of his tasks was to dispose of Mike Shaw's corpse; in an incident, somewhat similar to the death of Josh Matthews, Mike was accidentally killed by Pete's stepdaughter Lucy after he had tried to rape Eileen.
Sam Taylor (
Leon Ockenden
Leon Ockenden (born 16 August 1978) is an English actor, director and writer who works in TV, film, theatre and radio. He grew up in the resort town of Looe, Cornwall. He is best known for his role as Norman Jayden in ''Heavy Rain''.
Career
Ocke ...
), Eileen's son from a previous relationship with Mike, arrived. Pete secretly learned that Eileen and Mike had set the fire in an attempt to frame him for arson, and he plotted a slow and satisfying revenge against Eileen.
Another series of new characters were brought in to remould ''Family Affairs'' once again.
Gary Costello (
Gary Webster), a businessman who lost his fortune in a failed business deal, was forced to move from
Chigwell
Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the London U ...
to the comparatively modest Stanley Street, much to the shame and embarrassment of his snobbish, socialite wife
Chrissie (
Kazia Pelka
Kazia Pelka (born 1962) is a British actress who has worked primarily in UK television, appearing in the soap opera series Brookside in the early 1990s, the period police drama series '' Heartbeat'' in the late 1990s, the police procedural seri ...
). Their daughters
Melanie
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Rebecca Hunter
Rebecca Hunter, sometimes credited as Becky Hunter (born 12 July 1981), is a British actress and singer.
Hunter was born in Northampton, and has a diploma in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is best known for play ...
) and
Chloe
Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
(Leah Coombes), were more concerned about leaving behind their school friends. They were later joined by Gary's dependable mother
Myra
Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...
(
Kate Williams).
The fractious Boulter family opened a restaurant on the site of Roy's destroyed café. Moody, judgemental
Les and his nurturing wife
Denise harboured a secret about a long-ago affair. Their son
Brendan Brendan may refer to:
People
* Saint Brendan the Navigator (c. 484 – c. 577) was an Irish monastic saint.
* Saint Brendan of Birr (died 573), Abbot of Birr in Co. Offaly, contemporaneous with the above
* Brendan (given name), a masculine given na ...
was a closeted bisexual; their teenage daughter was the bright
Kelly
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
. Also moving in was nurse
Tanya Woods
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
(
Carol Starks
Carol Starks is a British actress.
She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and landed her first role with the National Theatre in ''Sweeney Todd''. She later found wider audiences through her ongoing role in the soap opera ''Famil ...
) and her gay best friend
Sean Steel
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
(Sam Barriscale).
Doug MacKenzie (
Gareth Hale
Gareth Irvin Hale is an English comedian and actor, who is best known as one half of the comedy duo Hale and Pace, with his friend and comic partner Norman Pace.
Biography
Hale and his comedy partners were both former teachers, their come ...
) became Cat Webb's third husband, while his womanising son
Marc Marc or MARC may refer to:
People
* Marc (given name), people with the first name
* Marc (surname), people with the family name
Acronyms
* MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging,
* MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...
(
Michael Wildman
Michael Wildman is a British actor. He appeared in the film '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix''. He played the role of aggressive, feisty centaur Magorian. Prior to accepting this role, Wildman was in the West End playing Lance Corpo ...
; later Graham Bryan) married Yasmin. Doug's younger son and Marc's half-brother
Justin
Justin may refer to: People
* Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin
* Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire
* Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...
(
Ryan Davenport
Ryan Davenport is a Canadian skeleton (sport), skeleton racer who competed from 1993 to 1999. He won three medals in the men's skeleton event at the FIBT World Championships with two golds (FIBT World Championships 1996, 1996, FIBT World Cha ...
) provided comic relief as the local clown. He and Kelly Boulter had a romance that led to an unplanned pregnancy. Kelly went on to have the child, and the couple began living together.
Later storylines
With the new cast members in place, storylines in 2004 focused on the new characters through several major storylines. During one of many marital upsets in the Costello household, daughter Chloe retreated upstairs and rifled through older sister Melanie's possessions, only to find a stash of
MDMA
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly seen in Tablet (pharmacy), tablet form (ecstasy) and crystal form (molly or mandy), is a potent empathogen–entactogen with stimulant properties primarily used for Recreational dru ...
; she subsequently took several of the pills and wound up in hospital. Tests revealed the source of the illness, but also suggested she might also have cancer, and further tests were ordered. In the public outpouring of sympathy and support for the family, Chrissie finally found acceptance in the neighbourhood. When tests showed Chloe did not have cancer, Chrissie kept it quiet and convinced Chloe to maintain a pretence of illness as a "little game". Unfortunately, the lie took hold, leading to many months of Chrissie deceiving the community and her own family, convincing everyone that Chloe was undergoing chemotherapy. When Eileen Callan saw them out shopping when Chloe was purportedly in hospital, and after picking up on other hints, she voiced her suspicion that Chrissie was faking Chloe's illness. The community was aghast and ostracized Eileen for several weeks. Chrissie's pretence continued for a few more weeks, until a suspicious Tanya removed Chloe's bandages to reveal that there were no injection wounds at all.
Tanya herself was pregnant to Sean; as platonic friends with little prospect of parenthood presenting itself, they planned to become parents together and Tanya underwent
in vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) ...
. Brendan Boulter became engaged to Melanie Costello married her while conducting an affair with Sean. Denise Boulter had been largely ostracised by her outraged daughter and husband after the truth about her long-ago affair came to light. However, they eventually reconciled their differences, although Brendan would leave town to escape his own problems.
Gary and Chrissie's marriage had faltered, leading to their separation, but the family endured its lowest ebb when Chloe Costello was sexually abused by family friend
Bradley Foster (Harry Capehorn). The Boulter's marriage was again tested when Denise was raped by an unseen assailant, accusing local taxi driver
Graham Harker
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boult ...
(
Lee Warburton
Lee Warburton (born 27 June 1971, Cheshire, England) is a British actor, known for several ongoing television roles.
He appeared in ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 to 1998 as Tony Horrocks, Natalie Barnes' drug addict son, played gay male healt ...
) of the crime despite a total lack of evidence, and the Boulter family began hounding him to seek revenge. Graham started a romance with Melanie, who became his sole supporter.
Gary and Chrissie Costello reconciled and Gary proposed on Christmas Eve 2004. Melanie had earlier refused to attend their remarriage ceremony due to clashes with her parents over her relationship with Graham; on the day of the ceremony, Melanie learned that their suspicions had been correct and that he was a dangerous rapist, when he held her captive in his flat. Melanie was able to enlist Denise's help escaping from Graham. These events would see him brought to justice, although repercussions from these events would also lead to the Boulter's marriage disintegrating, and Les and Denise both leaving Charnham.
At The Black Swan, psychotic
Trish Wallace
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
(
Gabrielle Glaister
Gabrielle Glaister is an English actress, best known for her role as Patricia Farnham in British soap opera ''Brookside'' and Trish Wallace in ''Family Affairs''. She is notable also for her portrayal of Bob/Kate/Bobbie Parkhurst in several epis ...
) emerged as a recurring villain capable of rivalling Pete Callan. An unnerved Eileen was being blackmailed by someone who threatened to reveal to Pete that Eileen had framed him for arson; Pete already knew this, and the Callans endured several tumultuous plot twists as they schemed and plotted against each other. This culminated in the 2000th episode in late-2004, when Pete threw Eileen into the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
. Pete's eventual comeuppance followed an armed showdown between Pete, Trish and Eileen in September 2005. Pete was shot dead after a shootout with S019 Officers, in a final act of
suicide by cop
Suicide by cop or suicide by police is a suicide method in which a suicidal individual deliberately behaves in a threatening manner, with intent to provoke a lethal response from a public safety or law enforcement officer.
Overview
There are ...
.
Several other characters, including Sadie, Dave and Lucy, were written out of the series as Alison Davis ended her reign, to be replaced by ex-''
Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'' producer Sean O'Connor. O'Connor quickly outlined his plans for the show, including a name change and many younger, more glamorous characters (which threatened to turn the soap into a ''Hollyoaks'' clone). However, his plans were cut short by the announcement that Channel 5 would not be renewing the series for 2006. This timing resulted in numerous barely-known characters populating the final episode.
Final episode
The final episode of ''Family Affairs'' was broadcast on 30 December 2005 in the UK, and on 29 June 2006 in Australia and New Zealand. 1.3 million people tuned in to watch the final in the UK.
The episode revolved mainly around the lead up to the Stanley Street
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
party and the wedding of newcomers Nathan and Eve Fletcher. Eileen Callan returned and announced she had won the
lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
and was now very wealthy. Eileen sold The Black Swann to Rex Randell and bought a house for the Costello family. Yasmin and Damian kissed and announced they were a couple. Dr Hector Price and George finally became a couple after a falling out with nurse and flatmate Meredith. Babs Woods' long-time boyfriend Howard returned.
Hester is murdered by her brother, Rex Randell, after his barmaid Katie saw footage of Rex murdering his late wife. After the murder, Rex faced up to Katie; the outcome of the showdown was not shown. Doug split from his long-term wife Cat.
The final scene saw most of the other characters celebrating the New Year.
Cast and characters
Storylines
The show generally concentrated on family-based storylines and marital upsets, although more extreme storylines involving murder, rape, prostitution,
blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
,
drug use, and brother-sister
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous relationships have also occurred. Perhaps, most significantly, ''Family Affairs'' has often been acclaimed for its constant inclusion of minority groups, having featured a higher density of gay and lesbian characters over its history than any other British soap. It has also been praised for its treatment and integration of characters from ethnic minorities, notable examples of which include the inimitable Yasmin, who had been with the show for seven years at its final episode in December, and the more recent addition of a gay Muslim character,
Sami Shafiq (Hosh Kane).
''Family Affairs'' also went to unprecedented lengths in its treatment of the controversial issue of child abuse; in 2005, the soap won its first British Soap Award for a storyline in which young Chloe Costello (Leah Coombes) was sexually abused by a family friend, Bradley Foster (Harry Capehorn). The storyline, backed by the
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
History
Victorian era
On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...
, aimed to destroy some unhelpful stereotypes about what most expect a
paedophile
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
to be like. Partly, as a result of the storyline, Kazia Pelka, who played Chloe's mother Chrissy, also won the award for Best Dramatic Performance, culminating in a double victory for the show.
Production notes
Prior to the establishment of the outdoor Stanley Street set, most of the location footage was shot in West London. The Lock and its surrounding areas were filmed at Yeading Marina, shots of the town centre of Charnham were in
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...
, and wooded areas featured
Ruislip
Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London.
The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...
,
Denham and
Iver
Iver is a large civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park.
Geography, transport and economy
Part of the 43-square- ...
among others. The houses seen in exterior shots were in
Hayes,
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...
, and other parts of west London. The early episodes feature scenes shot near
Wharncliffe Viaduct
The Wharncliffe Viaduct is a brick-built viaduct that carries the Great Western Main Line railway across the Brent Valley, between Hanwell and Southall, Ealing, UK, at an elevation of . The viaduct, built in 1836–7, was constructed for the ...
, a railway viaduct in Hanwell, west London.
Several episodes made heavy use of the police station sets of
ITV1
ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
's police drama ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...
'', made by the same TV production company. The words "Sun Hill" were removed from the front of the police station for the ''Family Affairs'' shoot. The hospital sets used for St Hugh's on ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...
'' were also used to represent hospital St. David's in ''Family Affairs''.
References
External links
*.
In-depth audio interview with David Easter (Pete Callan).
{{Soap operas in the United Kingdom
1997 British television series debuts
Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming
Television shows produced by Thames Television
Television series by Fremantle (company)
Television shows set in London
1990s British television soap operas
2000s British television soap operas
2005 British television series endings
British television soap operas
1990s British LGBT-related drama television series
2000s British LGBT-related drama television series