''Springhill'' was a British

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 ...

created by Paul Abbott, produced by Granada Television, and broadcast from 1 October 1996 to 18 June 1997 on the Sky One satellite channel, and later on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. It consisted of 2 series, each containing 26 episodes. Set in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, ''Springhill'' based its main theme on the battle between good and evil, entwined around a complex family drama. Issues covered included adoption revelation, genetic sexual attraction,

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, infertility, surrogacy and murder. Aside from this there was a supernatural aspect, which included elements of religion,

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

apparitions Apparition may refer to: Supernatural *Apparitional experience, an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience * A vision, something seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy *Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear ...

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

and the Second Coming of Christ.

Cast

Gilly Coman Gilly Coman (13 September 1955 – 13 July 2010) was an English actress, who played Aveline in the first four series of Carla Lane's sitcom '' Bread''. She also appeared in '' Scully'', '' Coronation Street'', ''Brookside'', ''A Touch of Fr ...

as Liz Freeman * Jonathan Barlow as Jack Freeman *

Katharine Rogers Katharine Sarah Rogers (born 21 December 1960) is a British television actress. Rogers was born in Addiscombe, Croydon, London. Her first major television role was that of firefighter Josie Ingham in three series of '' London's Burning''. She ...

as Eva Morrigan *

Scot Williams Scot Williams (born 29 November 1972), is an English actor, writer, and producer for stage, film and television. Early life Williams is a native of Liverpool, Merseyside and grew up around Penny Lane, a street made famous by the Beatles song. H ...

(series 1) and Stephen Donald (series 2) as Nick Freeman *

Sharon Byatt Sharon Byatt (born in Liverpool), is a British actress who has appeared on TV as Irenee in Carla Lane's ''Bread'' and Sue Freeman in '' Springhill'', and on stage as both Linda and Mrs. Johnstone in '' Blood Brothers''. Biography Byatt attend ...

as Sue Freeman *

Christine Tremarco Christine Tremarco (born 1977) is a British television actress whose career began in 1992. She is best known for portraying the role of Davina Shackleton in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' (2007–2009) and also in BBC ...

as Trish Freeman * Kevin Knapman as Anthony Freeman * Paul Culshaw as John Paul Freeman *

Stephen Walters Stephen Walters (born 22 May 1973) is an English actor. A regular in British television and film, he has played a wide range and variety of character roles in both drama and comedy. Walters is most commonly associated with unpredictable, compl ...

(series 1) and

Matthew Dunster Matthew Dunster is an English theatre director, playwright and actor.Dominic Cavendish for The Telegraph. 17 Mar 201Matthew Dunster: From teenage kicks to dramatic hits/ref> He was the Associate Director of the Young Vic from 2005 to 2009 and t ...

(series 2) as Jamie Johnson * Bill Speed as Father Peter McGinley *

Vickie Gates Ondrea "Vickie" Victoria Gates (previously Ondrea Victoria Gates-Lewis born September 25, 1962) is a professional female bodybuilder from the United States. Early life and education Ondrea Victoria Gates was born on September 9, 1962 in San Ant ...

as Meryl Cartlege * Crissy Rock as Anita Cartlege * Samantha Lavelle as Pat Lombard * Paul Warriner as Greg Metcalfe * Emma Lucy Vaudrey as Greta Mullaney * Claire Robinson as Debbie Nixon * Judy Holt as Marian (series 2)

DVD releases

The first series of ''Springhill'' was released on Region 1 DVD on 18 June 2013. The second season has not had any official release.

References

External links

*
School hosts TV film crew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springhill (Tv Series) 1996 British television series debuts 1997 British television series endings 1990s British television soap operas Sky UK original programming British television soap operas Channel 4 television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television Television shows written by Russell T Davies LGBT culture in Liverpool English-language television shows British fantasy television series