The Campbells

''The Campbells'' is a Scottish-Canadian television drama series, produced by Scottish Television and CTV from 1986 to 1990. The series starred Malcolm Stoddard as James Campbell, a Scottish doctor living in 1830s Upper Canada with his three children, seventeen-year-old Neil ( John Wildman), fourteen-year old Emma (Amber-Lea Weston) and eleven-year-old John (Eric Richards).Janice Kennedy, You don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy The Campbells' family adventure series, ''The Gazette'' (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), September 6, 1986, page 140 Cedric Smith played their neighbor, Captain Sims.

In Canada it aired on CTV Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. In the United States it was shown on CBN Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. The series also aired in Great Britain on ITV from 27 April 1986.Pioneer adventure has a bit of everything, ''The Ottawa Citizen'' (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), September 11, 1986, page 48

Premise

The series begins in 1832 Scotland, during the Highland Clearances, when many families were evicted from their homes. This led to a surge in immigration to Canada. Dr. James Campbell, a widower with three children, treated the broken leg of the son of a wealthy landowner but, after a servant woman applied unsterile home remedies to the leg, the boy died of infection. Dr. Campbell was blamed for the death, and he lost his livelihood.TV With Rick Forchuk, ''The Winnipeg Sun'' (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), February 6, 1986, page 26

The Campbells heard of Canada's need for settlers and decide to start a new life in a new land. Dr. Campbell sets up a medical practice, and the entire family take up farming.

The series has been described as the "Canadian ''Little House on the Prairie''"Bob Remington, Much Ado as Campbell weds, ''Edmonton Journal'' (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), October 20, 1988, page 42 but producer John Delmage stated that, while ''The Campbells'' might be similar to ''Little House'', "we don’t have as much sugar."

Production

The series was greenlit in 1985 with production stating in June of that year. Most of the episodes were shot on location at a 50-acre farm owned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, and all clothing, furnishings, and the doctor's medical treatments, were historically accurate.

The premiere episode was partly filmed in Scotland, as were two episodes broadcast in 1989, when Dr. Campbell and his daughter, Emma, briefly return to their native country.

Cast

*Malcolm Stoddard as Dr. James Campbell.
* John Wildman as Neil Campbell, the eldest son.
*Amber-Lea Weston as Emma Campbell, the daughter.
*Eric Richards as John Campbell, the youngest son.
* Cedric Smith as Captain Thomas Sims, the wealthy neighbor.
*Brigit Wilson as Harriet Sims, Captain Sims' wife.
*Wendy Lyon as Rebecca Sims, Captain Sims’ daughter.
*Barbara Kyle as Charlotte Logan, the innkeeper.

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Media Availability

In 1996 GoodTimes Entertainment released a two volume VHS set of selected episodes entitled ''Adventures On the Prairie With The Campbells''. On June 23, 2015, Timeless Media Group released ''The Campbells - The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.All 4 Seasons of the 1986 Series Coming to DVD in 'The Complete Series'

References

External links

BFI
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbells, The
Scottish television shows
CTV Television Network original programming
1986 Canadian television series debuts
1990 Canadian television series endings
1980s Canadian drama television series
1990s Canadian drama television series
Television shows set in Ontario
Television shows set in Scotland
Period family drama television series
Television shows produced by Scottish Television
English-language television shows