Backs to the Land is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 sitcom

Situation comedy

A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...

 that aired on ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 from 1977 to 1978. Starring Philippa Howell, Terese Stevens and Marilyn Galsworthy

Marilyn Galsworthy

Marilyn Galsworthy is a British actress, who acted for 15 years in the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing opposite Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina. She is also known for a number of television and movie roles including a small role in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as the...

, Backs to the Land is set during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was written by David Climie. It was made for the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 network by Anglia Television

Anglia Television

Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...

.

Cast

• Philippa Howell - Shirley Bloom
• Terese Stevens - Jenny Dabb
• Marilyn Galsworthy
  Marilyn Galsworthy
  Marilyn Galsworthy is a British actress, who acted for 15 years in the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing opposite Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina. She is also known for a number of television and movie roles including a small role in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as the...
  
   - Daphne Finch-Beauchamp (first 7 episodes)
• John Stratton - Tom Whitlow
• Della Paton - Ethel Whitlow
• David Troughton
  David Troughton
  David Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father...
  
   - Roy Whitlow (series 1)
• Michael Troughton
  Michael Troughton
  Michael Troughton is an English actor and teacher. He is the son of actor Patrick Troughton and the younger brother of David Troughton....
  
   - Eric Whitlow (series 1)
• Jeremy Child
  Jeremy Child
  Sir Coles John "Jeremy" Child, 3rd Baronet is an English actor.He was born in Woking, England and educated at Eton College, as well as trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After appearing in repertory theatre, he was cast in a significant role in the 1967 film Privilege...
  
   - Captain Truscott (series 2)
• Pippa Page - Bunny Burroughs (from series 2)
• Charles Lamb
  Charles Lamb (actor)
  Charles Lamb was a British film and television actor.His longest role was as Mrs Dale's gardener, Monument, in the radio soap opera Mrs Dale's Diary.-Selected filmography:* Once a Crook...
  
   - Wally
• Geraldine Newman
  Geraldine Newman
  Geraldine Newman is an English film and television actress who has acted in more than 30 television programmes and films.Her most notable television performance was on the sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles.-Biography:...
  
   - Miss Rainbow
• Peter Tuddenham
  Peter Tuddenham
  Peter Tuddenham was a British actor, best known for providing the voices of Zen, Orac and Slave, computers on the science fiction TV show Blake's 7....
  
   - Landlord

Plot

Backs to the Land starts in 1940 with three young women who are in the Women's Land Army

Women's Land Army

The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...

 going to work in a farm to replace the men who have gone to war. The three women are Daphne, Cockney

Cockney

The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...

 Jenny and Jewish, down to earth Shirley. They end up at Crabtree Farm in Clayfield, Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

. The owner is Tom Whitlow, and his sons are Roy and Eric.

Series One (1977)

1. "Miss Is As Good As A Male" (15 April 1977)
2. "Nymph and Shepherd" (22 April 1977)
3. "Alarms, Excursions and Day Trips" (29 April 1977)
4. "Sons and Lovers, God Forbid" (6 May 1977)
5. "We Shall Fight Them In The Breeches" (13 May 1977)
6. "All Is Somehow Gathered In" (20 May 1977)

Series Two (1977–78)

1. "Enter Flirting" (2 December 1977)
2. "All Mod Con-Tricks" (9 December 1977)
3. "Nickers In The Woodpile" (16 December 1977)
4. "The Warsaw Overture" (23 December 1977)
5. "The Magnetic Pole" (30 December 1977)
6. "New Broomsticks" (6 January 1978)

Series Three (1978)

1. "Rainbow Around My Neck" (21 July 1978)
2. "Remains to be Seen2 (28 July 1978)
3. "Let's Talk Turkey" (4 August 1978)
4. "Waits and Desperate Measures" (11 August 1978)
5. "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" (18 August 1978)
6. "A Day Dog and Doris" (25 August 1978)
7. "Right Royal" (1 September 1978)

DVD release

The first series of Backs to the Land was released on 28 June 2010. The second series is scheduled for 6 February 2012, with the third series to follow.

DVD	Release date
The Complete Series 1	28 June 2010
The Complete Series 2	6 February 2012
The Complete Series 3	TBA 201?
The Complete Series 1 to 3 Box Set	TBA 201?