''Compact'' is a British television

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

shown by

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

from January 1962 to July 1965, created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling.

Production and release

The idea came to Hazel Adair when she submitted a commissioned feature article for '' Woman's Own''. Adair and Ling devised the long-running soap '' 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" ...

of ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', ''Compact'' was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. The show 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. 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 best known for playing David Hunter in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Crossroads'', a role he played from 1969 to 1985. Early life Allen was born in Reading ...

), 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. In 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, actor and BBC director – he directed three ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' 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. Only four out of 373 televised episodes exist in the BBC archive. (See Wiping.)

Reception

Despite being criticised by reviewers, ''Compact'' was a success.

Cast

* Frances Bennett * Robert Desmond *

Vincent Ball Vincent Martin Ball, (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian retired actor of film, theatre and radio active in the industry for nearly 55 years (with a brief return) firstly in Britain starting in the late 1940s and then his native Australia ...

* Beryl Cooke *

* Jackie Lane * Penelope Keith * Moray Watson * Naomi Chance * Jan Miller 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

also featured in ''Crossroads''. Marcia Ashton, who played Lily, appeared in soap opera '' Brookside'' many years later. Carmen Silvera 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 Frenc ...

'' 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.

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 (UK), Labour Party. He created several television serie ...

, 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 soap operas British television soap operas Lost BBC episodes Black-and-white British television shows British English-language television shows