''The Newcomers'' was a late 1960s BBC soap opera which dealt with the subject of a London 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.

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, 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 as Ellis Cooper *

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as Vivienne Cooper * Jeremy Bulloch as Phillip Cooper * Judy Geeson as Maria Cooper * Raymond Hunt as Lance Cooper * Gladys Henson 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 as Jimmy Harker * Wendy Richard as Joyce Harker * Robin Bailey as Andrew Kerr * Heather Chasen as Caroline Kerr * Jenny Agutter as Kirsty Kerr * Jack Watling as Hugh Robertson * Mary Kenton as Olivia Robertson * Deborah Watling 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 as Arthur Huntley * Naomi Chance as Amelia Huntley * Sally Lahee as Eunice Huntley * Patrick Connor as Peter Connelly *

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as Jeff Langley *

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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 as George Harbottle * Hilda Braid as Mrs Harbottle * Stephen Grives as Tim Harbottle * Margaret Nolan as Mercedes * Michael Standing as Tom Lloyd * Helen Cotterill as Betty Lloyd * Keith Smith as Dick Alderbeach * Naomi Chance as Amelia Claythorne * Anthony Verner as Sydney Huxley * Mark Eden as Jeremy Crowe *

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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 Alan Browning (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 ...

''),

, Judy Geeson, Jenny Agutter and Wendy Richard. 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