''The Main Chance'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

first aired on ITV in four series between 1969 and 1975. It is a drama series that depicts the sudden transformation in the life of a solicitor, David Main (played by

John Stride John Edward Stride (11 July 1936 – 20 April 2018) was an English actor best known for his television work in the 1970s. Biography Stride was born in London, the son of Margaret (née Prescott) and Alfred Teneriffe Stride. He attended Alleyn' ...

), after he moves from London to Leeds. It was created by Edmund Ward and John Malcolm; the latter was a pseudonym for John Batt who was a practising solicitor. Batt also composed the theme music.

Episodes

In all, 45 episodes were aired, each around 45 to 50 minutes long and divided into three parts. The first series, shown in 1969, was in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

. From then on the show went out in

colour Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorp ...

. The first series consisted of six episodes, while subsequent series contained thirteen episodes each. The three later series were transmitted in 1970, 1972 and 1975.

Cast

– David Main *

Kate O'Mara Kate O'Mara (born Frances Meredith Carroll;Michael CoveneObituary: Kate O'Mara ''The Guardian'', 30 March 2014 10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was an English film, stage and television actress, and writer. O'Mara made her stage debut in a 19 ...

– Julia Main (Series 1) * Margaret Ashcroft – Margaret Castleton * John Wentworth – Henry Castleton * Anna Palk – Sarah Courtney (later Lady Radchester) (Series 1–3) *

Philip Bond Philip John Bond (born 11 July 1966) is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on '' Deadline'' magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo. ...

– Peter Findon (Series 1–2,4) *

John Arnatt John Edwin Arnatt (9 May 1917 – 21 December 1999) was a British actor, best known for his role in ''Doctor Who'' where he played Time Lord Cardinal Borusa in the 1978 serial ''The Invasion of Time'' (1978). Early life and education John Ar ...

– Sidney Bulmer (Series 1–2) * Gareth Forwood – Julian Webb (Series 2) *

Glynn Edwards John Glynn Edwards (2 February 1931 – 23 May 2018) was a British actor who worked in television and films. He came to national prominence for his portrayal of the barman Dave Harris in the television comedy drama series '' Minder'' (1979—19 ...

– Walter Clegg (Series 3–4) * Estelle Kohler – Hilary Nash (Series 3) *

Sharon Maughan Sharon Patricia Maughan (born 22 June 1950) is a British actress. She became internationally recognised in the 1980s from the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé instant coffee, (Taster's Choice in the United States) along ...

– Inge Lindstrom (Series 4) * Ingrid Hafner – Laura Granton (Series 4) *

Gary Bond Gary James Bond (7 February 1940 – 12 October 1995) was an English actor and singer. He is known for originating the role of Joseph in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', his performanc ...

– Andrew Retford (Series 4)

Home video

All four series have been released on DVD in the UK.NetworkOn Air: ''The Main Chance'' DVD
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References

External links

* 1969 British television series debuts 1975 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1970s British drama television series 1960s British legal television series 1970s British legal television series ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television series by Yorkshire Television Television shows set in Leeds British English-language television shows {{UK-tv-prog-stub