Families (1990-1993)

[DRW50]

The old thread is locked, and full of dead links/articles.

 

I created a new one because an episode has, out of the blue, shown up on Youtube. Enjoy it while you can. 

@dc11786 @Vee @Ben @Bright Eyes

 

[Vee]

Intriguing - thanks!

[dc11786]

@DRW50Thank you for the tag! This has been one of those shows that has been incredibly hard to track down any material for. I didn't really think there was an interest here.

This show is quietly insane. This episode is from the transition period where they have basically just written out a majority of the remaining original cast with the Stevens family fading into obscurity (barring Diane Stevens Vaughn who has relocated to Westbury with her husband to run the wine bar). The cast intergration and story crossover is nice with Diane's past catching up to her in the present being the catalyst that propels Margot Leicester's Jane Richards to confess the truth to her "daughter" Louise. Leicester was a real stand out in this and marvelous at taking some of this truly over the top material and grounding it in real emotions and avoiding playing up the melodrama. A few weeks earlier, Jane had had a miscarriage, kidnapped a baby from the hospital, and then tried to convince her sister Jackie to let her and Larry raise baby Sam (Jackie's son by an affair with Australian businessman Don McLeod) just as Jackie had let Jane and Larry raise Louise. To further complicate this plot, Louise (in the tailend of the Australian story) was determined to stay in Australia. To do so, she had first tried to marry Andrew (who chose his sister Amanda instead) before Louise was able to convince Don to marry her instead. 

Russell T. Davies plays a bit with this story (the revelation that Louise is not Jane's daughter) in his later soap "Springhill," but on a much grander scale when Nick, Sue, and Trish Freeman learn that their mother isn't frumpy religious zealot Liz Freeman but the recently returned Eva Morrigan. Drippy Sue Freeman has a similar reaction to Louise, while Liz, who has had moments of mania since Eva's return, is a much more calming force. Nick has also a rather deliciously "Families" embraced story as he has decided to dump his girlfriend Debbie so that he can pursue older woman Eva, who had befriended the young man before revealing her true identity.  

The other story, the destruction of the marriage between Anton and Diane, is equally fun. Diane desperately trying to convince herself that Amanda couldn't possibly have left town pregnant with her half-brother Andrew's baby borders deliciously on soap parody. I would drink too if I were Diane. Juliette Bannerman's flirtation with Anton is both intriguing, slightly disturbing, and thematically in character for the show as I struggled to tell the differnce between Anton and Simon Bannerman, Juliette's brother. Juliette ends up taking over the wine bar once Anton leaves Diane and a drunken Diane has a nasty confrontation with Sue Thompson, who returns just long enough to drop off Amanda's child (who we are told is Neil Brooks' son) off and to get one final dig to Diane by implying she knows where Diane's son Andrew is, before Diane gets killed when her car gets stuck on the railway tracks and she gets hit by an oncoming train. The Sue return sequence is still online in very poor quality. 

The final story, which is only starting to begin, is posh Simon Bannerman sporting an incurable crush on his sister Juliette's pal Fiona Lewis, who has been living life in Manchester in a flat paid for by her wealthy older married lover. While both Simon and Juliette are aware at this point that she has a sugar daddy, they (nor the audience) know that said man is their father Charles Bannerman (the lawyer who is said to be representing Larry Richards in the July 1992 episode). When the show ends the following August, Simon and Fiona have married, separated, and are on the verge of reuniting when Fiona decides to overdose, but calls the Bannerman home for help only for Helen Bourne's Isabelle Bannerman (Charles' wife) to answer and drive over to Simon and Fiona's to tell Fiona she made the right choice as she lets Fiona slip into an unconscious state. Wicked stuff. 

Within the last year, there was another (partial) episode from the final weeks in 1993 that included some of the story with the Harvey family, the working class family who took over the bar after the Richards and Williams crew was mostly shipped off. The episode was after the son Gary had already come out to his parents and I believe James Proctor had also informed the Harveys that he was their actual son (he and Gary I believe had been switched at birth). The show definitely led the audience to think that it was possibly there might be a romantic attraction on the part of Gary towards James, while James certainly was determined to take over Gary's position in the Harvey family. I didn't post it because the thread was closed and I imagined there wouldn't be much interest. Now I wish I had.

Edited September 17, 2022 by dc11786

[DRW50]

Thanks so much @dc11786 I was hoping you'd see this and share more of your thoughts and the plot rundowns. I'm sorry about missing that partial episode as the Gary and James material sounds interesting (and is something soaps have rarely if ever done with gay characters, even to this day). I agree Leicester was fantastic in this episode - those scenes were much more powerful than I had expected. She was on Corrie a few months back in a generic comic relief "mother  from hell" role. It's too bad the soaps didn't do more with her talents. The same happened with Emma Davies and her short Emmerdale run.  That's why I'm sorry the UK soap market has  basically dried up, meaning less  chances for new talent and  creative writing.

[victoria foxton]

This soap sounds fascinating. I hope more episodes pop up. I also had no idea Russell T Davies wrote for a soap. @dc11786 your soap knowledge is fierce.

Edited September 17, 2022 by victoria foxton

[dc11786]

James Proctor integrated himself into the Harvey family. I'm not even sure if they ever revealled positively he was their son. There may have been a blood test, but I think there seemed to just be an overwhelming sense that Steve Harvey didn't care if James was or wasn't his son, he wanted it to be true. The scene I watched was from (I believe) June 1993 with Louise Plowright's Lynda Harvey blaming herself for her son being gay. Gary made sure that she knew that wasn't the case and then he went off to have a drink with James. 

Leicester was introduced as Jane Richards in late April/early May 1991 when the show had decided that they were going to shift away a bit from the upper crust Thompson crew by having John Thompson stab his brother Mike to death in the office before later torching himself to death (something that would be revisited on Russell T. Davies' soap "Revelations"). John Bowe's Larry Richards was intended to be a Den Watts type. When the show was originally conceived, it was envisioned as a bit of a mix of American, English, Austrailian, and Latin American soaps. Creator Kay Mellor implied that stories would have beginnings, middles, and ends. The Richards and the Williams were just the next chapter in the story. Louise Richards, the central of the latest paternity drama, was introduced until October 1991. 

 It's a shame Margot Leicester's recent role was so thin. The humanity she bestows to Jane makes the character remarkable and is such an interesting contrast to Briony Behets neurotic, alcoholic Diane Vaughn. I admire actors who give a character a quiet strength like Leicester has with Jane. 

I hope more shows up as well. The first months are a bit meandering from what I've heard. Mike leaves for Australia in April and doesn't return to England until September for his daughter Amanda Thompson's aborted wedding to Neil Brooks. They do eventually marry even though Amanda has a compelling attraction to Andrew Stevens, who has arrived in Westbury and takes a job alongside his grandfather, George Davidson, at the Thompson auto garage. Andrew has flirtations with both Corinne Todd (who gets pregnant in a who's the daddy story with Andrew's brother, Christian) and Lisa Shepherd (the secretary at the garage). The big secret about Andrew being Mike's son doesn't really come to light until March 1991 and Mike's offed less than two months later.

I'd still be curious to see how the show evolved to a point where Isabelle Bannerman kneels at Fiona Bannerman's bedside while she dies of an overdose. This really is one of Davies and crew's favorite story moments as I believe the "Families" crew worked several shows together. On "Springhill," Eva stands by Debbie Nixon Freeman's side when she takes her life. On "Revelations," Judy Loe's deliciously wicked Jessica Rattigan goes one step further and injects her posh, but bland, daughter-in-law Rachel with a hypodermic filled with air. 

[dc11786]

The generous soul who posted the July 1992 episode posted several other partial episodes:

 

 

And a trailer:

 

[DRW50]

Thanks so much @dc11786 !!

[dc11786]

It was wonderful getting a chance to see different periods of this series. The April 1990 episode (the third episode of the series) is quite a treat. I've got quite a bit of summaries from TV listings from this period, but the dramatic tension isn't really captured as well as it is here. The Thompson household is ripe for drama. The pressures mounting from Mike's disappearance, questions about who is the new alpha male in the household (Mike's cagey brother John or his son Mark), the revelations of unknown debts, and the wedding planning all give the sense that the show has a lot of story to tell. I'm not sure if the dramatic tension continues. I know there are a few more revelations to come (Nathan ends up involved in a scuff at school and is nearly expelled). 

Morag Hood is a real gem here as the overwrought Sue Thompson. She is definitely unable to handle all of the things coming at her. I think Sue's story progresses very nicely with her being forced to build her independence and creating a life on her own (with a professional and romantic alliance with her brother-in-law John). It's a shame that she couldn't have been kept on. 

Laura Girling as the romantic lead is a choice. Not my choice, but a choice none the less. 

In Australia, things seem much calmer. I do appreciate that there seems to be a deliberate attempt to distinguish the two realms of the show (set in Sydney and in Westbury) by the color choices. The Australian sets are much brighter in color. I think that's probably the nicest thing I can say. Mike's story in Australia moves forward, but there isn't much actual story progress. Mike is running from creditors and this is pushed again in his refusal to pay the hotel bill right away. Throwing away his clothes in the trash can was a nice symbolic moment especially in the sense that he is still the same man escaping from paying his bills. 

Tessa Humphries' Corrine seems like a low level schemer, but I know she ends up upping the ante by sleeping with both Andrew and his brother Christian, who must have appeared earlier in the episode based on the conversation and the credits. Andrew leaving home just as Mike is coming to Australian was a nice setup for the viewer to follow two people as outsiders into the two worlds of the show. Andrew being upset that Diana is leaning on a younger man after leaning on him has the potential to be interesting, but I don't think it goes anywhere...

The man in question, though, was Anton Vaughn, who is seen with Diana in the October 1992 episode during their turbulent marriage. Diana and Anton's hostile breakup is a nice contrast to the breakup of Charles and Isabelle's fractured marriage with Charles carrying on with Fiona, his daughter's friend and now his son's girlfriend, while Isabella beds down with the gardener. I didn't realize how young Isabelle's lover actually was until seeing him in the recap. 

The Bannermans now have control of the Thompson's old house (which I believe belonged to Sue's family the Grandbys). The kitchen scenes in both episodes were nice. I like the little breakfast chatter between the Bannermans as this sort of plain domestic drama that is immediately complicated by Simon's visit to Fiona only to learn that Fiona's sugar daddy (his own father) is allowing her to stay on in the flat that he has been paying for. 

I almost wonder if Sue Thompson couldn't have returned at some point and become involved with Charles Bannerman had the show lived on past 1993. I think Morag Hood and Helen Bourne would have been fun as rivals. 

@DRW50 Since you are probably the only one interested, another kind soul has uploaded the 13 episodes of "Revelations" that were released on DVD several years back. "Revelations" is the follow up work of Russell T. Davies after he was in charge of a bit of the final year or so of "Families." The posh Rattigans definitely feel like they would have mingled easily with the Bannermans and Thompsons. 

 

 

[Vee]

I'd forgotten all about this thread. I'll look at all of the above.

@dc11786 thank you as well for Revelations. I thoroughly enjoyed the rare Springhill material + finale that turned up recently as well; the show was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Paul Abbott, RTD and others. I linked it in the lost media thread, I think.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Vee

[dc11786]

I'm glad you will enjoy "Revelations." It's truly a shame that more of RTD's soap work hasn't made it in complete form online. "Springhill" was released on DVD several years back, but only season one. Acorn later briefly released the second season online. It wasn't as strong as the second and I don't think I made it all the way through, though I did catch the wild ending both on Acorn and on YouTube. I'll give the lost media thread a look anyway. 

The only episode of season 2 that made it online for "Revelations" also gave the impression that the second season of that show may have been a little bit of a bore. From what I gather, Gabriel and Edward are both sidelined for most of the season, while there is an interesting mystery regarding a dead body found on the estate from years ago. There is also a lesbian storyline that I would be interesting in seeing.  Judy Loe's Jessica does take center stage as she seduces the newly arrived Steve Whittaker, Rachel's brother, who has come to determine the fate of his sister (who I think is said to disappear after Jessica murders her). Amanda Wenban, who played Jackie on "Families," comes on I believe as Mark's mother, a scheming cleaner for the church. 

[JamesF]

It has been at least 20 years since I saw any of season 2 but you're triggering memories and I'm trying to patch it all together...

I seem to recall Edward had a heart attack and died while Gabriel was possibly in rehab or a mental hospital? I also think that Jessica buried Rachel on the estate with the help of the housekeeper Mary. I do vividly recall the murder being shocking - she pretended to reach an emotional truce with Rachel, opened her arms to hug her and then injected her with an air bubble. It's shame the show was so under the radar because Judy Loe was great in the role.

Thanks so much for the Families findings too - I'll definitely watch!

[dc11786]

I believe Rachel died at the end of season one. When the secretary was dead, Edward started to unravel. He was slowly losing his mind. I think some of this may pop up by the end of the first thirteen episodes. Rachel takes sympathy on Edward. She may have even started working in Anne's position in the church. Anyway, Edward eventually revealed his, and possibly Jessica's, involvement in Anne's death. Or maybe Rachel just discovered that Gabriel was a bisexual drug addict. Anyway, this lead to the eventual murder, which was a staple for Russell T. Davies. 

In season two, I think Edward was committed to an asylum. I believe this may have been what brought  Sue Holderness' lesbian vicar Joan to the canvas. Joan developed an attraction to the family maid, Mary. Mary may have been involved in the burial plot, but I think a second body was discovered on the estate in season 2. This one belonged to a baby. I believe it was eventually revealed that the baby had belonged to Mary and Edward. 

I remembered another detail about season 2. Wasn't Ruth Tyler, Mark's mother, embezzling funds from the church? She had stolen checks and cashed them.

Also, did Charlie turn to prostitution? Or am I simply placing a bunch of "Families" stories onto "Revelations" characters. 

I think Edward was coaxed into taking his own life by Jessica. Edward lit the cottage on fire and sat there and died. It was a replay of John Thompson's death on "Families" in June, 1991. I want to say Steve Whittaker had also been left for dead in the fire after being knocked out by Jessica. 

I have notes somewhere I collected years ago from the old primetime soap board where I first heard about this show. @JamesF, you may have been even been the one who posted on it. Anyway, I cannot seem to locate them at this point as they must have been with my "Springhill" notes which are also missing. If I find them, I will make sure I repost what I find. 

 

@Vee As I think I stated above, the entire first season was released on DVD probably about 10 years back by Acorn Media. I think it sells very cheap right now. It is a fun show that I would recommend. Abbott credits Russell T. Davies for the supernatural elements stating that without Davies it would have basically been a dry run for "Shameless." The housing estate is similar to that Chatwin of "Shameless" and the Freemans are definitely a more cleaned up version of the Gallaghers. 

The first season of "Springhill" is fairly strong and sort is the final attempt at the kind of stories RTD told on "Families" and "Revelations." The religious and supernatural elements are interconnected into the story fairly well in those first season episodes. Katharine Rogers (Eva) like Judy Loe was marvelous as the mystery figure at the center of the story. 

[dc11786]

And since there seems to be some interest, I started gathering episode information from TV listings and soap opera summary columns from British newspapers. This is what I have for the first month or so of the show. They aren't very detailed, but they give a sense of the pacing... which seems glacial. 

Italicized information is one of two things. Most likely, it appeared in a weekly summary for the show, but was not listed in an individual episode spot so I chose which episode I attached it to. This means it could be in the other episode that week. The second possibility, which is less likely, is information I've included based on the general sense of the story or from future plot details that seem to suggest what something might be. For example, Justine realizes she has met a mystery man in one episode and in the next she is speaking with Mike and Diana. I've drawn the conclusion that Mike is the mystery man so it is italicized. 

Families (April/May 1990)

 

Episode 001 [Monday, April 23, 1990]

Mike Thompson, a garage owner out of Cheshire, is plagued by mounting financial issues yearns to relive his youth and a romance with his old flame in Australia. Meanwhile, the Thompsons involve themselves in planning a birthday surprise for their soon to be wayward patriarch. As a result, Mike makes a decision that will impact his family for months to come as he departs for Australia.

Episode 002 [Tuesday, April 24, 1990]

In Sydney, Andrew Stevens and his mother, Diana Stevens, attempt to find some sort of middle ground. In Cheshire, Mike Thompson’s absence starts to concern his family.

Episode 003 [Monday, April 30, 1990]

In Cheshire, Sue Thompson is asked to perform a gruesome task. Meanwhile, Sue’s daughter, Amanda Thompson, relays to her mother the nasty shock she received when she went for her final wedding dress fitting in preparation for her wedding to Neil Brooks.

Episode 004 [Tuesday, May 1, 1990]

The Thompson family are becoming increasingly aware of the trouble that Mike Thompson has left behind in Cheshire while he is off in Australia.

Episode 005 [Monday, May 7, 1990]

Sue Thompson and the rest of her family continue to see the mess that Mike Thompson was running from in Cheshire. In Sydney, scheming Corinne Todd notes that widowed Diana Stevens continues to grow closer to younger restauranteur Anton Vaughn. Upon arriving in Cheshire, Andrew Stevens reconnects with George Davidson, his maternal grandfather and a mechanic for the Thompson garage.

Episode 006 [Tuesday, May 8, 1990]

In Cheshire, Sue Thompson’s is slowly seeing her fears come true regarding the family’s financial situation. In Sydney, Mike Thompson arrives on the doorstep of his first love, Diana Stevens. Diana and the rest of the Stevens clan is celebrating. Diana doesn’t take to kindly to Mike appearing on her doorstep after so many years.

Episode 007 [Monday, May 14, 1990]

In Cheshire, Mark Thompson and his uncle John Thompson clash over how to handle Mike’s garage business in Mike Thompson’s absence. Sue Thompson is feeling the stress from her husband Mike’s departure as well. George Davidson and his lady friend Dot Downing show Andrew Stevens, George’s grandson, the Cheshire countryside.

Episode 008 [Tuesday, May 15, 1990]

In Sydney, Diana Stevens continues to forge ahead in her business plans with Anton Vaughn. Justine Stevens, Diana’s daughter, is upset to learn the identity of the stranger she had met earlier on the beach, Mike Thompson. In Cheshire, John Thompson and his nephew Mark Thompson continue to remain at odds on how to handle the garage.

Episode 009 [Monday, May 21, 1990]

Justine Stevens challenges her mother, Diana Stevens, and Mike Thompson, Diana’s first love, leading to tempers running high in Sydney.

Episode 010 [Tuesday, May 22, 1990]

In Sydney, Diana Stevens’ mother, Ruby Davidson, tries to dissuade her daughter from giving Mike Thompson, Diana’s old flame, any hope of a reconciliation. While in Cheshire, Sue Thompson is called to her son Nathan Thompson’s school and learns several shocks; not only is Nathan in trouble for his poor behavior, but her husband hadn’t paid the school bill in quite some time.    

Episode 011 [Tuesday, May 29, 1990]

In Sydney, manipulative Corrine Todd believes that Diana Stevens is in pursuit of Anton Vaughn, while Diana and Anton continue to redesign Vaughan’s, Anton’s restaurant. Mike Thompson comes to the conclusion that there is nothing left for him in Sydney. Meanwhile, in Cheshire, Nathan Thompson offers to help his mother Sue Thompson by dropping out of school.  

Note: The show was preempted on Monday, May 28, 1990, for a telethon.

[JamesF]

I think it most likely was me! But you've a far better memory because you've filled in so many details I'd forgotten so thank you! I think everything you've written is bang on the money, the only exception being Charlie which I just don't recall. It would feel on brand for the series though. Yep Ruth was embezzling and I think Lenny was having an affair with her husband's brother or somesuch.

This is a great read although I share your assessment. It sounds as though Sue was busy doing a lot of hand wringing and on paper, the Mike/Diana reconnection sounds little more than an embarrassing mid-life crisis. If you compare the pace of this to the first month of Sons and Daughters which loosely had a similar premise, that packed far more of a punch.

It's such a shame the series isn't easily available. Like Revelations and Springhill, it was helmed by writers who broke through into some level of public consciousness here (Kay Mellor, Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright, Paul Abbott) and there would be a niche audience for it if ITV put it up on their streaming service.