''Weavers Green'' is a British television
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 ...
, made in 1966 for
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
by
Anglia Television
ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
. It was notable for being one of the first television programmes to be shot on location using
videotape
Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...
and
outside broadcast
Outside broadcasting (OB) is the electronic field production (EFP) of television or radio programmes (typically to cover television news and sports television events) from a mobile remote broadcast television studio. Professional video camera ...
equipment, rather than film, as had usually been the case for non-studio shooting until this point. It was the first rural soap opera.
Its budget was £500,000.
The series dealt with life in a small country town and provided an early TV role for
Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara (born Francesca 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 ...
as a student vet, a far cry from her later TV roles.
49 half hour episodes were produced, all written by
Peter Lambda and his wife
Betty Paul.
The village of
Heydon, north of
Reepham, Norfolk
Reepham () is a market town and civil parish in the Broadland district of Norfolk, England. Reepham is situated on the B1145 road between the Bure and Wensum valleys. The town is northwest of Norwich.[County School railway station
''County School railway station'' is on the Mid-Norfolk Railway in Norfolk, England; it will serve the villages of North Elmham and Guist once services resume. It is 17 miles 40 chains (28 km) down the line from Wymondham and is the norther ...]
was also used for some scenes.
Cast:
Eric Flynn
Eric William Flynn (13 December 1939 – 4 March 2002) was a British actor.
Early life
Flynn was born on 13 December 1939 on Hainan Island, China, where his father was a customs officer for the Hong Kong government. After the outbreak of war a ...
,
Megs Jenkins
Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins (21 April 1917 – 5 October 1998) was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.
Life and career
Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of a construction ...
,
Grant Taylor,
Georgina Ward,
Richard Coleman
Richard Coleman (20 January 1930 – 16 December 2008) was a British film, television and stage actor.
Early life
Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He was educated at Wilson's Grammar School, Peckham. A ...
,
Susan Field,
Vanessa Forsyth,
John Glyn-Jones
John Glyn-Jones (28 August 1908 – 21 January 1997) was a British stage, radio, television and film actor.
His father, William Glyn-Jones, was a Member of Parliament and he was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and Oxford University. He ...
,
Maurice Kaufmann
Maurice Harington Kaufmann (29 June 1927 – 21 September 1997) was a British actor of stage, film and television, who specialised in whodunits and horror films, from 1954 to 1981, when he retired.
Personal life
He was married to Honor Blackm ...
,
Marjie Lawrence
Marjie Lawrence (21 January 1932 – 16 June 2010) was an English theatre, film and television actress. She spoke the first words uttered on ITV.
Early life
Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Marjie undertook weekend acting classes from ag ...
,
John Moulder Brown
John Moulder-Brown (born 3 June 1953) is an English actor of television and film, known for his appearances in the films '' Deep End'', ''First Love'', '' Ludwig'' and '' The House That Screamed''.
Biography
Moulder-Brown was born in London an ...
,
Pat Nye
Patricia Dorothy Nye, OBE (11 February 1908 – 11 April 1994) was an English actress-manager.[Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara (born Francesca 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 ...]
,
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 soa ...
, Gerald Young,
Brian Cant
Brian Cant (12 July 1933 – 19 June 2017) was an English actor of stage, television and film, television presenter, voice artist and writer. He was best known for his work in BBC television programmes for children from 1964 onward, most notably ...
,
Edward Underdown
Charles Edward Underdown (3 December 190815 December 1989) was an English theatre, cinema and television actor. He was born in London and educated at Eton College in Berkshire.
Notable work
Early theatre credits include: Noël Coward's '' Words ...
,
Susan George.
Unlike many ITV series of the 1960s, the series survives intact in the archives except for the untransmitted pilots.
References
External links
*
''Weavers Green''at the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
'
Screenonline
{{Soap operas in the United Kingdom
1966 British television series debuts
1966 British television series endings
1960s British television soap operas
British television soap operas
ITV soap operas
Television series by ITV Studios
Television shows produced by Anglia Television
Black-and-white British television shows
English-language television shows