''Compact'' is a British

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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 ...

shown by BBC Television from January 1962 to July 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and

Peter Ling Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

; the partnership devised '' Crossroads'' while ''Compact'' was still running. In contrast to the

kitchen sink realism Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "angry young men" w ...

of '' Coronation Street'', ''Compact'' was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took viewers into the office, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's ''Coronation Street'' on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Outline and synopsis

The idea came to Hazel Adair when she submitted a commissioned feature article for ''

Woman's Own ''Woman's Own'' is a British lifestyle magazine aimed at women. Publication ''Woman's Own'' was first published in 1932 by Newnes. In its early years it placed women's rights and social problems firmly in the foreground. Its first "agony aunt" was ...

''. After the BBC decided to produce the project, she formed a working partnership with Peter Ling. When ''Compact'' began, the editor was female, Joanne Minster (Jean Harvey), she was replaced after the first six months by Ian Harmon (

Ronald Allen Ronald John Allen (16 December 1930 – 18 June 1991) was an English actor. He is most well known for playing David Hunter in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Crossroads'', a role he played from 1969 to 1985. Biography Allen was born in R ...

), the son of the magazine's owner. ''Compact'' featured the first regular Black character in a British soap opera, photographer Jeff Armandez (Horace James), who appeared in 26 episodes from August to October 1964. Adair managed to persuade the BBC to retain an unmarried mother in the series (also a first), according to her granddaughter. Despite being criticised by reviewers, ''Compact'' was a success. In 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays.

Morris Barry Morris Randolph Barry (9 February 1918 – 20 November 2000) was born in Northampton, England. He was a producer and director for the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s, and also worked as an actor. He made his name as a producer and director o ...

, actor and BBC director – he directed three '' Doctor Who'' stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. The BBC dropped the series in 1965. Adair believed the BBC was embarrassed by its high audience figures.

Cast

When the series ended, several cast members appeared in similar programmes. Ronald Allen was a regular in the soap opera '' Crossroads'' between 1969 and 1985. Australian actor

Vincent Ball Vincent Martin Ball OAM (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian retired character actor of radio, stage and screen, active in the industry for nearly 55 years (with a brief return) firstly in Britain and then his native Australia. He has also ...

also featured in ''Crossroads''.

Marcia Ashton Marcia Ashton (born 1 July 1932 in Sheffield, England) is an actress best known for her soap opera roles as Lily in '' Compact'' and as Jean Crosby in ''Brookside''. She has made numerous other television appearances including; '' EastEnders'', ...

, who played Lily, appeared in soap opera ''

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...

'' many years later.

Carmen Silvera Carmen Blanche Silvera (2 June 1922 – 3 August 2002) was a British comic actress. Born in Canada of Spanish descent, she moved to Coventry, England, with her family when she was a child. She appeared on television regularly in the 1960s, and ...

played Madame Edith Artois in the sitcom ''

'Allo 'Allo ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French ca ...

'' from 1982 to 1992. One of the directors, David Giles, for whom ''Compact'' was his first television assignment, had an extensive career in the medium. Only four out of 373 televised episodes exist in the BBC archive. (See

Wiping Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

References

External links

Action TV
*
"Soap - ''Compact'' in 1962"
– short extract with appearance by

Ted Willis Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young ...

, 12 November 1962 {{Soap operas in the United Kingdom 1962 British television series debuts 1965 British television series endings 1960s British television soap operas BBC television dramas British television soap operas Lost BBC episodes Black-and-white British television shows English-language television shows