''Andy Robson'' is a 1982 British children's television series, produced by

Tyne Tees Television ITV Tyne Tees, previously known as Tyne Tees, Channel 3 North East and Tyne Tees Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV television franchisee for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. Tyne Tees launched on 15 January 1959 from stu ...

, which aired on the ITV network for two series in 1982 and 1983. It was based on Frederick Grice's novel ''The Courage of Andy Robson'', published in 1969.

Plot

Set in

Edwardian England In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

and starring Tom Davidson as the eponymous hero, the series concerned the adventures of Andy, who had been sent from a

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

town in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

, to live with his aunt and uncle in rural

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

after his father was injured in a pit accident. The series also starred Stephanie Tague and Stevie-Lee Pattinson as Victoria and Alec, two of Andy's friends in his new surroundings.

Cast

Production

Music

The series' theme tune, "Best of Friends" was written by

BA Robertson Brian Alexander Robertson (born 14 June 1949) is a Scottish musician, composer and songwriter. He had a string of hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s characterised by catchy pop tunes and jaunty humorous lyrics, including "Kool in the Kafta ...

and Alan Parker and sung by

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...

. A full song running 3'20" was recorded but never commercially released, although it can be heard on Dickson's official YouTube channel. An abridged version accompanied the closing credits of the television series.

External links

* 1982 British television series debuts 1983 British television series endings 1980s British children's television series British children's drama television series Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Tyne Tees Television ITV children's television shows British English-language television shows {{UK-kids-tv-prog-stub