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*Families*
Families
Genre	Soap opera
Created by	Kay Mellor
Starring	Malcolm Stoddard; Morag Hood; See 'Main cast' section for longer list
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	323
Production
Running time	30 mins
Production company	Granada Television
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	23 April 1990 –; 24 August 1993

Families was a daytime soap opera, broadcast on the ITV network from 1990 to 1993. Created by writer Kay Mellor, it followed two families; the Thompsons, based in Cheshire, England (in the fictional market town of Westbury), and the Stevens, living in Sydney, Australia. It was produced and recorded at Studio 6 at Granada Studios in Manchester.^[1]

History

Debuting on 23rd April 1990, the series aired twice per week (Monday and Tuesday). Both episodes were also repeated on Thursdays at 10.40pm in the Granada TV region as part of their late night strand. The show was unusual for a daytime soap, regularly tackling subjects that at the time would have been deemed controversial for a prime time soap. These included murder, suicide, incest, drugs, adultery, prostitution, mental health problems and homosexuality. It also contained some strong language and scenes of a sexual nature, all of which were screened, in most ITV regions, mid-afternoon immediately prior to children's programming. The theme music was composed by Matthew Scott.

In July 1994, after 324 episodes, the series ceased production, to be succeeded by daytime repeats of Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The final episode, aired in August 1993, was a dramatic feature length finale involving a birth, a possible suicide and a large and unexpected inheritance.

Several of those who worked on the series later went on to greater success: Jude Law was a regular cast member for two years (as Nathan Thompson) and Russell T Davies wrote for the programme. Amanda Wenban later joined Yorkshire Television soap Emmerdale before heading back to Cheshire to play the role of Ruth Tyler in the second series of Russell T Davies' camp and ironic late night soapy-drama Revelations.

Storylines

The link in the storyline was businessman Mike Thompson (Malcolm Stoddard), who walked out on his family on his birthday and flew to Australia to be with his true love Diana Stevens (Briony Behets), whom he had left years earlier. Unbeknownst to Mike, Diana had given birth to his son Andrew (Tayler Kane) and as complications ensued over the abrupt life changes for both families, Andrew travelled to England, where he met Mike's daughter, Amanda (Laura Girling), by his English wife Sue (Morag Hood), and they fell in love, unaware that they were half-brother and sister. This plot line was somewhat similar to the opening storyline of the popular Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters which had successfully aired on ITV daytime since 1983.

After two years, stories involving the Thompson and Stevens families—and the UK-Australian crossover angle—had run their course, with several characters either dead or left for pastures new (typically Brighton or Canberra). In their place came the wealthy Bannerman family, who were introduced during the summer of 1992, as they moved into the Thompsons' Cheshire mansion from a suburb of Manchester. In addition, some of the remaining Australian-based characters (including Diana Stevens and her husband Anton Vaughan) were re-located to England.

The series subsequently followed the intrigues involving the new family. Head of the Bannerman household was successful barrister Charles (Terence Harvey). The rest of the family comprised Charles' decorative wife Isabelle (Helen Bourne) and their four children—upstanding heir to the family law firm Simon (Thomas Russell), irresponsible teenager Matthew (Oliver Milburn), angelic countrywoman Rebecca (Karen Westwood) and beautiful go-getting vamp Juliette (Emma Davies). Juliette's best friend and Simon's fiancée Fiona Lewis (Claire Marchionne) also appeared, and turned out to be Charles' mistress.

To add balance to the series, the Richards family, who ran the local pub (The Railway), were also prominently featured, having been introduced during the latter Thompson family era in April 1991. They comprised: Larry (John Bowe), Jane (Margot Leicester) and daughters Chelsea (Tara Moran) and Louise (Victoria Finney). A son David was mentioned but never seen on-screen, as he lived in the US. Also present was Jane's sister Jackie Williams (Amanda Wenban) who had emigrated to Australia years earlier but was visiting Jane when the Richards family was first introduced. On her return to her own family in Sydney, she helped continue the UK-Australian crossover angle for a further year.

Main cast

Mike Thompson – Malcolm Stoddard
Sue Thompson – Morag Hood
Mark Thompson – Martin Glyn Murray
Nathan Thompson – Jude Law
John Thompson – Tim Woodward
Amanda Thompson – Laura Girling
Diana Stevens – Briony Behets
Christian Stevens – Simon Edward Stokes
Andrew Stevens – Tayler Kane
Justine Stevens – Imogen Annesley
George Davidson – Harry Littlewood
Ruby Davidson – Madge Ryan
Rachel Grandby – Anna Welsh
Corinne Todd – Tessa Humphries
Barbara Todd – Lyn Ashley
Lisa Shepherd – Jane Hazlegrove
Jackie Williams – Amanda Wenban
Brian Williams – Kim Knuckey
Paul Williams – Craig Black
Jade Williams – Sascha Huckstepp
Don McLeod – Bruce Hughes
Anton Vaughan – Rhett Walton
Larry Richards – John Bowe
Jane Richards – Margot Leicester
Chelsea Richards – Tara Moran
Louise Richards Victoria Finney
Neil Brooks – Patrick Cremin
Charles Bannerman – Terence Harvey
Isabelle Bannerman – Helen Bourne
Rebecca Bannerman – Karen Westwood
Simon Bannerman – Thomas Russell
Juliette Bannerman – Emma Davies
Matthew Bannerman – Oliver Milburn
Fiona Lewis – Claire Marchionne
Steve Harvey – Terence Hillyer
Linda Harvey – Louise Plowright
Gary Harvey – Jim Shepley
Daniel Fielding – Gary Turner
Dot Downing – Joan Campion
James Proctor – Harry Shearer
Dex – Harry Van Gorkum
Chris Harrison – Richard Standing

Filming

The show was filmed in north east Cheshire and Altrincham. Much of the UK/Australia plot was directed by Nicholas Ferguson, with all of the interior scenes shot in the Granada studio in Manchester. Cicely Mill in the village of Rostherne, Cheshire, was used as the Thompson/Bannerman house. The stables where Amanda and subsequently Rebecca ran their business were in the nearby Tatton Park estate (the stables have since been converted into a coffee shop/restaurant). The Thompsons' garage was Ashley Smithy Garage in Ashley and The Railway Pub can be found in Heatley. Fiona Lewis and Simon Bannerman got married in St Oswald's church, Lower Peover (which also featured in Revelations) and the aborted first wedding of Amanda Thompson and Neil Brooks was in St Mary's church, Nether Alderley.

Repeats

The series was repeated in full on analogue satellite channel Granada Plus when it launched on 1st October 1996. The run concluded on Friday 26th June 1998, replaced by Emmerdale from Monday 29 June 1998, beginning with episodes dating from 1989. Sky Soap also broadcast the series, weekdays at 1.15pm, from 1st September 1997 to 26th November 1998.

Notes

^ There were actually 324 episodes, with episodes 323 and 324 making up the final episode, subsequent repeats on Granada Plus and Sky Soap showed these as separate episodes