The Newcomers (TV series)

The Newcomers was a late 1960s BBC soap opera which dealt with the subject of a London family, the Coopers, who moved to a housing estate in the fictional country town of Angleton. It was broadcast in bi-weekly half-hour episodes from October 1965 until November 1969. It was initially produced by Verity Lambert.

The Newcomers
GenreSoap opera
Created byColin Morris
Theme music composerJohn Barry
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes430
Production
Producers
Production locationsRiverside 1, BBC Birmingham
Camera setupVideo, multiple-camera setup
Running time25 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC One
Picture format4:3 576i
Original release5 October 1965 (1965-10-05) –
13 November 1969 (1969-11-13)

Series outline

A fictional light industrial manufacturing company called Eden Brothers decides to relocate to the rural location. There are conflicts with the older members of the existing community, as well as some lighter moments as urbanites encounter "country characters". Many of the relocated workers have trouble living outside the city. As the series progresses, problems on the factory floor spill over into the community. Throughout this the Coopers strive to raise their daughter and two sons, who are having their own issues. The Cooper and Harker families were the initial focus of the series. The on-screen sudden death of the character of Ellis Cooper led to a gradual shift away from the Coopers, who by the end of the serial barely featured.

A change of the managing director of Eden Bros to Andrew Kerr heralded the arrival of his daughter Kirsty, played by Jenny Agutter, but only during her school holidays.

Only five complete editions are known to have survived:

  • Episode 51 – Original transmission 29 March 1966.
  • Episode 59 – Original transmission 26 April 1966.
  • Episode 166 - Original transmission 5 May 1967.
  • Episode 172 – Original transmission 26 May 1967.
  • Episode 222 – Original transmission 7 December 1967.

Cast

Production

The show was recorded principally in the BBC's West London studios, mainly Riverside 1, and also at BBC Birmingham Studios, with external scenes filmed in Haverhill, a town in South-west Suffolk, which itself expanded rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s through residents moving from London. The opening sequences of the first episode showed the Cooper family driving to their new home, this was actually Thaxted in Essex. The cast included several actors who later achieved wider fame, including Alan Browning (later seen in Coronation Street), Maggie Fitzgibbon, Judy Geeson, Jenny Agutter and Wendy Richard. In two episodes the group Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions were featured and appeared at the pub. (They were billed as "the New Dimensions"). They performed their new Decca 45 'I Just Can't Get Over You'.

References
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