''Starting Out'' is the title of seven series of programmes made for UK schools by ATV and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

from 1973 to 1992. The writers included

Catherine Storr Catherine Storr, Baroness Balogh (born Catherine Cole; 21 July 1913 – 8 January 2001,Eccleshare (2005) gives the date of her death as 8 January; Eccleshare (2001) and Thwaite (2001) give it as 6 January.) was an English children's writer, best ...

, Dave Simpson,

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz, (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include ''The Diamond Brothers'' series, the ''Alex Rider'' series, and ''T ...

and Grazyna Monvid. Comprising 56 episodes in total, the series were repeated until 1994.''Starting Out'' on the ''Broadcast for Schools'' website
/ref> The episodes were designed for older pupils who were about to leave school and who would soon be ''starting out'' on life as adults. A new series was made roughly every three years and was totally unrelated to that which came before, so that it was self-contained and relevant to the needs of each new generation of pupils. Several of the series were first broadcast late at night for preview by an adult audience, sometimes months before they were available to pupils. The cast across the seven series included

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

, Kirsten Hughes,

John Savident John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a retired British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 1994-2006. He is also known for his performance as ...

Kevin Lloyd Kevin Reardon Lloyd (28 March 1949 – 2 May 1998) was a British television actor, who came to prominence in the role of DC Alfred "Tosh" Lines in Thames Television's police drama series ''The Bill''. Early life Lloyd was born in Derby in ...

Rolf Saxon Rolf Saxon is an American actor. He is well known for his voice over work in video games, movies and TV shows. Life and career Saxon was born at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia. He has worked with American Conservatory Theatre, Cal Shakes, ...

Katharine Levy Katharine Levy is a British actress and television producer. As a child she appeared in a number of TV series, such as the BBC's 1974 serial ''David Copperfield'' (in the role of Little Emily) and ''I, Claudius'' (1976; as a young Livilla). ...

Chris Gascoyne Christopher Gascoyne (born 31 January 1968) is an English actor, who is known for his role as the seventh Peter Barlow in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2000. Gascoyne has been nominated for several accolades at the British Soap Awa ...

, Hywel Williams-Ellis,

Nicholas Bond-Owen Nicholas Bond-Owen (born 13 November 1968) (sometimes billed as Nick or Nicholas Owen) is a child actor of the 1970s and 1980s best known for playing Tristram Fourmile in all five series of the popular comedy ''George and Mildred'' and in the fi ...

Amanda Noar Amanda Noar (born 14 October 1962) is a British actress and the former wife of actor Neil Morrissey. Biography Born in Prestwich, Lancashire, Noar attended the Arts Educational School from the age of 12. Aged 16 she started her professional c ...

Nick Conway Nick Conway (born Nicholas Campbell on 25 December 1962) is an English actor. He played Billy Boswell in Carla Lane's BBC comedy series '' Bread''. He has also appeared in ''Starting Out'', '' Thank You Mrs Clinkscales'', ''When Saturday Comes ...

Perry Cree Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermentation (food), fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcesters ...

, David Nunn,

Carol Chell Carol Chell (born 1941) is a British children's television presenter and TV executive. She originally qualified as a teacher, and produced many educational TV shows in the 1960s. She is best known for her work as a long-serving presenter from 1966 ...

Rebecca Lacey Rebecca Jane Lacey (born 20 April 1965) is an English actress.Internet Movie DatabasRebecca Lacey/ref> Early life She was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, the daughter of actor Ronald Lacey and actress Mela White. Career Lacey is best k ...

and

Ian Mercer Ian Cameron Mercer (born 10 July 1961) is an English actor. He is known for playing Gary Mallett in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 to 2000, having previously appeared in 1987 as Pete Jackson. His other television credits in ...

. Scripts from four episodes of the third series by Monvid were published as ''Choices: Four Plays from ITV's 'Starting Out' Series'' in 1986, (reprinted as ''Challenges: Four Plays from ITV's 'Starting Out' Series'' (Heinemann Floodlights) 1988), while scripts from the 1989 series by Horowitz were published as ''Starting Out''.Horowitz, Anthony ''Starting Out'' Hodder Arnold (1990)

Series

*Series 1 (1973) written by

— 10 episodes about three girls, their boyfriends and their brothers *Series 2 (1976) written by Catherine Storr — 10 episodes about a group of teenagers who meet a young man who is on probation. *Series 3 (1980) written by

Ben Steed Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ...

, Dave Simpson and

Sheila Yeger Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, meani ...

— 10 episodes about a teenage couple and their families, and the consequences of their actions. *Series 4 (1982) written by Grazyna Monvid — 5 episodes about a step-family starting a new life in a new area. *Series 5 (1986) written by Grazyna Monvid — 8 episodes about an inner-city youth club and the young people who go there. *Series 6 (1989) written by

— 8 episodes about a family and the trouble that their son has got into. *Series 7 (1992) written by Grazyna Monvid — 5 episodes about a boy and a girl who both run away from home for different reasons.

References

{{reflist 1973 British television series debuts 1992 British television series endings 1970s British television series 1980s British television series ITV children's television shows Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Television shows produced by Central Independent Television English-language television shows