Bread (TV series)
Bread | |
---|---|
![]() Elswick Street: Where the exterior shots were filmed. | |
Created by | Carla Lane |
Written by | Carla Lane |
Directed by |
Susan Belbin (1986–1988) Robin Nash (1987–89) John B. Hobbs (1990–91) |
Starring |
Jean Boht Peter Howitt Nick Conway Victor McGuire Jonathon Morris Gilly Coman Kenneth Waller Ronald Forfar Bryan Murray J. G. Devlin Graham Bickley Melanie Hill Pamela Power |
Opening theme | David Mackay |
Country of origin | England |
No. of series | 7 |
No. of episodes | 74 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Robin Nash (1986–91) |
Producer(s) |
Robin Nash (1986–91) John B. Hobbs (1990–91) |
Production location(s) | Dingle, Liverpool, England |
Editor(s) |
John Dunstan (1986–91) Chris Wadsworth (1987) |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 30 mins |
Production company(s) | BBC |
Distributor |
BBC Worldwide 2entertain Universal Pictures ABC (Australia, home video) |
Release | |
Original network | BBC1 |
Original release |
1 May 1986 – 3 November 1991 |
Bread is a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, about a struggling Catholic, working-class family in Liverpool, England. It was produced by the BBC and screened on BBC One from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991.[1]
Plot
The series focused on the extended Boswell family of Liverpool, in the district of Dingle. The family were Catholic and working class, and led by matriarch Nellie (Jean Boht). Each episode was centred around her children attempting to make enough money to support the family through various means.[2][3][4]
The show's title is a reference to "bread" meaning "money"; though this is not a Liverpudlian Scouse expression but cockney rhyming slang ("bread and honey"). A regular scenario in each episode was that of Nellie opening a cockerel-fashioned kitchen egg basket prior to the evening meal into which the family would place money for their upkeep. The amount of money placed in the pot by each depended on how successful a day they'd had. The pot would be at the forefront of the screen at the end of each episode as the credits rolled.
Other frequently-seen scenarios included Nellie answering a cordless phone (a newfangled item in the mid-1980s) which she kept in the pocket of her pinny (she always said "Hello yes?" when answering); and ensuring the parking places outside the terraced house were kept free for the family's many vehicles, by putting out some illicitly-acquired police traffic cones.
The show featured soap opera-style cliffhangers. This meant that viewers had to watch each week to see how the previous week's cliffhanger would be resolved. This also meant that each episode was not self-contained, but the plot unfolded as the series progressed. This was very unusual for a comedy at the time, but has been used to great effect by comedies since.
Characters
Regular characters
Actor | Role | Episodes | Duration | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jean Boht | Nellie Boswell | 74 | 1–7 | 1986–91 |
Ronald Forfar | Freddie Boswell | 62 | 1–6 | 1986–90 |
Peter Howitt | Joey Boswell | 39 | 1–1988 Christmas Special | 1986–88 |
Graham Bickley | 35 | 5–7 | 1989–91 | |
Victor McGuire | Jack Boswell | 61 | 1–3, 5–7 | 1986–87, 1989–91 |
Jonathon Morris | Adrian Boswell | 74 | 1–7 | 1986–91 |
Gilly Coman | Aveline Boswell | 39 | 1–1988 Christmas Special | 1986–88 |
Melanie Hill | 35 | 5–7 | 1989–91 | |
Nick Conway | Billy Boswell | 74 | 1–7 | 1986–91 |
Kenneth Waller | Grandad | 73 | 1–7 | 1986–91 |
Bryan Murray | Cousin Shifty | 49 | 4–6 | 1988–91 |
Pamela Power | Martina | 37 | 1–7 | 1986–91 |
Eileen Pollock | Lilo Lil | 43 | 3–7 | 1987–91 |
Caroline Milmoe | Julie Jefferson | 12 | 1–2 | 1986–87 |
Hilary Crowson | 41 | 3–5 | 1987–89 | |
Giles Watling | Oswald Carter | 49 | 4–7 | 1988–91 |
Rita Tushingham | Celia Higgins | 11 | 4 | 1988 |
Deborah Grant | Leonora Campbell | 19 | 6–7 | 1990–91 |
Cameo appearances
- Linda McCartney was friends with Lane and had a guest appearance in one episode of series 4. Her husband, Paul, appeared briefly at the end of the episode, offering Linda a lift home.[5]
Episodes
Series | Original broadcast date |
---|---|
1 | 1986 |
2 | 1987 |
3 | 1987 |
4 | 1988 |
Christmas special | 25 December 1988 |
5 | 1989 |
Christmas special | 25 December 1989 |
6 | 1990 |
Christmas special | 25 December 1990 |
7 | 1991 |
Spin-offs
The theme tune was sung by the cast members and was released on BBC Records but failed to make the UK singles chart. The theme was re-recorded for the fifth series of the show, due to BBC1's transition from mono to NICAM stereo sound – the original theme had been recorded in mono.
A comic strip based on the series featured in the BBC's Teen magazine Fast Forward, although the overall tone was altered for the magazines younger readership.
After the series had finished, a stage play of the show entitled "Bread – The Farewell Slice" toured the UK.
Criticism
Though the show was popular, and received audiences over 21 million, Bread was criticised for mocking Liverpudlian culture and people, who had suffered significant economic downturn and unemployment in the 1980s. Lane countered these criticisms saying that her characters were cartoonish and one-dimensional, and were not intended to be a serious social comment on the state of Liverpool.[2]
DVD releases
All seven series of the sitcom were released onto DVD in 2014.
References
- ↑ "BBC – Comedy Guide – Bread". 29 December 2004. Archived from the original on 29 December 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- 1 2 Jones, Bronwyn (3 June 2016). "Carla Lane's sitcom Bread and its legacy in Liverpool". Retrieved 6 February 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ Newcomb, Horace; Newcomb, Lambdin Kay Distinguished Professor for the Peabody Awards Horace (3 February 2014). "Encyclopedia of Television". Routledge. Retrieved 6 February 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Huq, Rupa (15 August 2013). "Making Sense of Suburbia Through Popular Culture". A&C Black. Retrieved 6 February 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Badman, Keith. The Beatles : After the Break Up. Omnibus Press. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-711-97520-0.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02zm1qc/episodes/guide
External links
- Bread at BBC Online
- Bread at BBC Programmes
- Bread on IMDb
- Bread at British Comedy Guide
- Bread at Phill.co.uk
- Bread Illustrated article on Collecting Books and Magazines website