''The Newcomers'' was a late 1960s BBC

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 ...

which dealt with the subject of a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

family, the Coopers, who moved to a housing estate in the fictional country town of Angleton. It was broadcast in bi-weekly half-hour episodes from October 1965 until November 1969. It was initially produced by

Verity Lambert Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of ...

Series outline

A fictional light industrial manufacturing company called Eden Brothers decides to relocate to the rural location. There are conflicts with the older members of the existing community, as well as some lighter moments as urbanites encounter "country characters". Many of the relocated workers have trouble living outside the city. As the series progresses, problems on the factory floor spill over into the community. Throughout this the Coopers strive to raise their daughter and two sons, who are having their own issues. The Cooper and Harker families were the initial focus of the series. The on-screen sudden death of the character of Ellis Cooper led to a gradual shift away from the Coopers, who by the end of the serial barely featured. A change of the managing director of Eden Bros to Andrew Kerr heralded the arrival of his daughter Kirsty, played by

Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in ''East of Sudan'', '' Star!'', and two adaptations of ''The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television serial ...

, but only during her school holidays. Only five complete editions are known to have survived: * Episode 51 – Original transmission 29 March 1966. * Episode 59 – Original transmission 26 April 1966. * Episode 166 - Original transmission 5 May 1967.Complete episode on YouTube
/ref> * Episode 172 – Original transmission 26 May 1967. * Episode 222 – Original transmission 7 December 1967.

Cast

Alan Browning Alan Brown (23 March 1926 – 7 September 1979), known professionally as Alan Browning, was an English actor. He is best remembered for portraying Alan Howard in the television series ''Coronation Street'', a role he played from 1969 to 1973. H ...

as Ellis Cooper *

Maggie Fitzgibbon Margaret Helen Fitzgibbon (30 January 1929 – 8 June 2020) was an Australian actress and singer. Coming from a show-business family, she was the older sister of musician Smacka Fitzgibbon. Biography Fitzgibbon was born in Melbourne. She began ...

as Vivienne Cooper *

Jeremy Bulloch Jeremy Andrew Bulloch (16 February 1945 – 17 December 2020) was an English actor. In a career that spanned six decades, he gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appearing as th ...

as Phillip Cooper *

Judy Geeson Judith Amanda Geeson (born 10 September 1948) is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on '' The Newcomers'' from 1965 to 1967, before making he ...

as Maria Cooper * Raymond Hunt as Lance Cooper *

Gladys Henson Gladys Henson (27 September 1897 – 21 December 1982) was an Irish actress whose career lasted from 1932 to 1976 and included roles on stage, radio, films and television series. Among her most notable films were ''The History of Mr. Polly ( ...

as Grandma Hamilton * Robert Brown as Bert Harker *

June Bland June Bland (born 2 June 1931) is a British actress. Bland played a leading role in the 1960s British soap, '' The Newcomers''. She also appeared in two '' Doctor Who'' serials - ''Earthshock'' (1982) and ''Battlefield A battlefield, batt ...

as Vera Harker *

David Janson David Janson (born David Jackson, 30 March 1950) is an English actor and theatre director whose stage debut was in ''Oliver!'' in 1962. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and appeared as the young ...

as Jimmy Harker *

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap ...

as Joyce Harker *

Robin Bailey William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in Thames Television's ''R ...

as Andrew Kerr *

Heather Chasen Heather Jean Chasen (20 July 1927 – 22 May 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in soap operas; playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera, '' Crossroads'', from 1982 to 1986 and guest roles in '' Doctors'', '' Holby ...

as Caroline Kerr *

as Kirsty Kerr *

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child; and made his stage debut in ''Where ...

as Hugh Robertson * Mary Kenton as Olivia Robertson *

Deborah Watling Deborah Patricia Watling (2 January 1948 – 21 July 2017) was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1967 to 1968. She began her career a ...

as Julie Robertson * Paul Bartlett as Adrian Robertson * Robert Bartlett as Michael Robertson *

Vanda Godsell Vanda Godsell (17 November 1922 – 2 April 1990) was an English actress. Hal Erickson writes in Allmovie, "Vanda Godsell specialised in playing disheveled housewives, busybody landladies and blowsy domestics." She appeared as Mrs Weaver in ...

as Katie Heenan *

Tony Steedman Anthony Francis Steedman (21 August 1927 – 4 February 2001) was an English character actor, perhaps best known for roles in British TV drama series of the 1970s and 1980s, and for his role as Socrates in ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' ...

as Arthur Huntley * Naomi Chance as Amelia Huntley * Sally Lahee as Eunice Huntley * Patrick Connor as Peter Connelly *

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

as Jeff Langley *

Sandra Payne Sandra Payne may refer to: * Sandra Payne (actress) Sandra Payne (born 24 September 1944, Royston, Hertfordshire) is an English actress best known for her roles as Miss Mckenzie in Only Fools and Horses Christine Harris in the British televi ...

as Janet Langley *

Joan Newell Joan Newell (1915–2012) was a British actress primarily known for her television roles, but who also appeared in films and on stage. She co-starred with John Slater in the 1953 series '' Johnny, You're Wanted''.Baskin p.11 Amongst her most pro ...

as Mrs Langley *

Glynn Edwards John Glynn Edwards (2 February 1931 – 23 May 2018) was a British television and cinema character actor, who came to national prominence for his portrayal of the barman Dave Harris in the 1970s–1990s British television comedy-drama ''Minder' ...

as George Harbottle *

Hilda Braid Hilda Braid (3 March 1929 – 6 November 2007) was an English actress who had a long career on British television. She became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon on the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders''. Early lif ...

as Mrs Harbottle * Stephen Grives as Tim Harbottle *

Margaret Nolan Margaret Ann Nolan (29 October 1943 – 5 October 2020) was an English actress, visual artist and glamour model. She appeared in '' Goldfinger'', '' A Hard Day's Night'' and six '' Carry On'' films, and also regularly appeared on screen from t ...

as Mercedes * Michael Standing as Tom Lloyd * Helen Cotterill as Betty Lloyd * Keith Smith as Dick Alderbeach *

Naomi Chance Naomi Chance (born Naomi Freeman, December 1927 – 18 March 2003) was an English film and television actress. Chance was at one time married to the film director Guy Hamilton. She appeared in many television shows, including The Plane Makers, ...

as Amelia Claythorne * Anthony Verner as Sydney Huxley *

Mark Eden Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''Coronation Street'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life Mark Ede ...

as Jeremy Crowe *

Patsy Smart Patsy Smart (14 August 1918 – 6 February 1996) was an English actress, best remembered for her performance as Miss Roberts in the 1970s ITV television drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in: ''Danger Man'', '' Only When I Laug ...

as Mary Grange * Megs Jenkins as Mrs Penrose * Eileen Helsby as Prudence Penrose * Victor Platt as Charles Penrose

Production

The show was recorded principally in the BBC's West London studios, mainly Riverside 1, and also at BBC Birmingham Studios, with external scenes filmed in Haverhill, a town in South-west

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, which itself expanded rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s through residents moving from London. The opening sequences of the first episode showed the Cooper family driving to their new home, this was actually Thaxted in Essex. The cast included several actors who later achieved wider fame, including

(later seen in ''

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 ...

''),

and

. In two episodes the group Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions were featured and appeared at the pub. (They were billed as "the New Dimensions"). They performed their new Decca 45 'I Just Can't Get Over You'.

References

External links

*
''The Newcomers'' at BFI Screenonline''The Newcomers'' at Lost Shows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newcomers, The British television soap operas BBC television dramas 1960s British television soap operas 1965 British television series debuts 1969 British television series endings Black-and-white British television shows English-language television shows Lost BBC episodes