TAKE THREE GIRLS
Drama series devised by Gerald Savory about three single girls sharing a London flat between the end of the 'swinging' sixties and the start of the 'glam' seventies. They were: posh cello-playing deb Victoria Edgecombe (Liza Goddard), failed actress Kate (Susan Jameson) and Cockney art student Avril (Angela Down). Each week the story concentrated on the ups and downs of one girl in particular (episode titles would sometimes reflect this-the first one was titled 'Kate, Stop Acting', episode three was 'Requiem For Cello In SW3') giving the series something of an anthology feel. Successful enough to return for a second series although when it did only Victoria remained (Kate had got married and Avril had taken a job in Paris) and she was now joined by new flatmates Jenny (Carolyn Seymour), a young journalist, and American psychology graduate Lulie (Barra Grant). A host of guest stars appeared in the series, among them Stephanie Cole, Peter Bowles, Sally Thomsett, Anthony Valentine and Maurice Denham were all on their way to television immortality. Eleven years later the original girls (and actresses) were reunited for 'Take Three Women' - four episodes shown on BBC2. Victoria was a widow with a young daughter, single Kate had a 13-year old son and Avril owned an art gallery. Gerald Savoury produced the later series and the reunion was completed when the group Pentangle, who performed the original theme music ('Light Flight') reformed to provide the music once more.
15 episodes of 50 minute duration 1969-1971
THREADS
A chillingly realised and intense drama-documentary that harrowingly depicted the unimaginably grim events of the aftermath of a nuclear attack on Britain. Concentrating on a single city, Sheffield, the production presented the all too grim story of the nuclear strike from the a trio of viewpoints, two ordinary Sheffield families, the Beckett's and the Kemp's, and that of the city's peacetime Chief Executive and harried wartime controller, Clive Sutton. As the story unfolded, it deftly backtracked to trace the events of the four weeks that led up to the devastating nuclear exchange, as the East and West power blocs all too believably became drawn into war due to a crisis of control in the Middle East. In disturbingly, but never sensationally, graphic detail, it depicted the nightmarishly plausible inferno of suffering and chaos inflicted on the city and its population, before taking the scenario through the first post holocaust decade as the 'threads' of civilisation slowly unravelled before the audience's eyes. Writer Barry Hines and producer/director Mick Jackson employed masses of detailed scientific studies to chillingly telling effect to ensure that the production emerged as factual and starkly realistic as possible, in contrast to the high profile gloss of the similarly themed, American TV movie 'The Day After'. 'Threads' effortlessly evoked the haunting images of the banned BBC film 'The War Game'. The city of Sheffield and its citizens also rose to the occasion by providing the production with more than 1000 volunteers to be 'victims'.
115 minutes A BBC Production. 1984.
THREE LIVE WIRES
Comedy series that chronicled the merry misadventures of the employees of a London based TV sales and repair shop. Most of the stories revolved around chief technician Mike, actor Michael Medwin, who had sprung to fame as Springer in the popular Granada series 'The Army Game'. His two co-workers were fellow Londoner George played by George Roderick and Northerner Malcolm, played by Bernard Fox who later gained TV fame in the USA, first as Malcolm Meriwether on 'The Andy Griffith Show' and then as the bumbling Col. Crittenden on 'Hogan's Heroes'. All three actors had appeared in an earlier sitcom called 'The Love Of Mike'. A fourth TV repairman was Higgenbottom played by Derek Benfield and Deryck Guyler (most famously the school caretaker, Potter, in Please Sir!) was the shop manager. Unusually for a British sitcom the series run to a continuous 26 episodes and each of them featured a special guest star of the calibre of Peter Vaughan, Dudley Moore, Dickie Henderson, Arthur Lowe, and a young Ronnie Corbett.
26 episodes of 30 minute duration. Black and white. ITV. 1961.
THRILLER
Series of twist-in-the-tail dramas designed to keep its viewing audience guessing and at the edge of their seat right up to the final scene, 'Thriller' was devised by Brian Clemens and offered to Michael Grade who initially turned it down but suggested that his uncle, Lew, might be interested. The series outline was sent to the elder Grade but Clemens heard nothing for months. When the call finally came Clemens was summoned to the ATV chief's office and, as was customary with Grade, a contract was agreed on the strength of a handshake. When Clemens enquired about how much money was to be spent on the series, and indeed how much he himself would make out of it, Lew Grade simply told him, "I promise you - you won't be disappointed." And according to Clemens, he wasn't! The deal that Grade struck involved the sale of the show to the USA for $100,000 per showing from the ABC Network. Each show was then budgeted at $100,000 per episode which meant that the series had broken even before it had been sold anywhere else. With so much money coming from the USA it was only right that each show would have a star approved by ABC, and that meant that either an American or a well-known European star was cast as the main character each week. When the series was shown in the USA it went out under the title of 'ABC Mystery Movie' and the distinctive opening titles and moody Laurie Johnson theme music which helped set the atmosphere were inexplicably dropped, even so it was still a big hit and a second series was promptly ordered. Brian Clemens believes that the strength of the series lay in the fact that it avoided any form of overt terror or graphic violence, relying on the simple premise of allowing the imagination of the viewer to create it's own terrors. And the series certainly ran the whole gamut of horrors be they supernatural, murder or straightforward thrillers. Stars who appeared included Britain's own Helen Mirren, Diana Dors, Denholm Elliot and Stanley Baxter. British born actress Judy Carne, who had made a name for herself on the American comedy series Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, also appeared, as did international film star Diane Cilento. 'Thriller' was a superior anthology series of the 1970s and through Network DVD viewers can chill and thrill once more to the complete series. It is highly recommended.
43 stories of approx. 80 minute duration. ITV 1973-76.
TOMBSTONE TERRITORY
The files of the oldest weekly newspaper in the American South-West provided the material for 'Tombstone Territory'. Pat Conway starred as Sheriff Clay Hollister whose quickness on the draw was said to be legendary in Tombstone (the town too tough to die), Arizona. The actor, a 6ft 2in. Californian of Irish descent had previously appeared at the Old Vic in a Shakespearian production. Richard Eastham appeared as the newspaper (Tombstone Territory) boss Harris Claibourne as well as lending his voice as host/narrator of the series. ABC cancelled the series in 1959 but it continued for one more year in syndication.
91 episodes of 30 minute duration. ABC. Black and white. 1957-59.
