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Bread (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Bread was a British television
sitcom, written by Carla Lane
, produced by the BBC
and screened on BBC1
from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991.
The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool
, in the district of Dingle
, led by its matriarch Nellie (Jean Boht
) through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher
's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds
and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related.
Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie (Ronald Forfar
), left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill' (Eileen Pollock
). Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud
and the sale of stolen goods.
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 the parking places outside the terraced house for the family's many vehicles being kept free by some illicitly-acquired police traffic cones.
One of the main reasons for the show's success was its use of soap opera
-style cliffhanger
s. This meant that viewers had to tune in 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, for example in the NBC
sitcom Friends
.
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 5th series of the show.
After the series had finished, a stage play of the show entitled "Bread - The Farewell Slice" toured the UK.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
sitcom, written by Carla Lane
Carla Lane
Carla Lane, OBE is an English television writer responsible for many successful sitcoms, including The Liver Birds , Butterflies , and Bread ....
, produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and screened on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991.
The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, in the district of Dingle
Dingle, Liverpool
Dingle is an inner-city area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is located to the south of the city, bordered by the adjoining districts of Toxteth and Aigburth...
, led by its matriarch Nellie (Jean Boht
Jean Boht
Jean Boht is an English actress.She is most famous for the role of Nellie Boswell in Carla Lane's comedy Bread....
) through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds is a British situation comedy, set in Liverpool, Merseyside, North-West of England, which aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1978, and again in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpool housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents...
and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related.
Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie (Ronald Forfar
Ronald Forfar
Ronald Forfar is a British-based actor who has appeared in many roles since the 1970s, including the role of Freddie Boswell in Carla Lane's comedy Bread....
), left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill' (Eileen Pollock
Eileen Pollock
Eileen Pollock is a Northern Irish actress.-Career:She is probably best known for playing the part of 'Lilo' Lill in Carla Lane's comedy Bread, she has also appeared in such productions as Play for Tomorrow , After You've Gone , Far and Away , and most recently, Wild About Harry, in 2000.Other...
). Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud
Benefit fraud
Benefit fraud is a form of welfare fraud as found within the system of government benefits paid to individuals by the UK welfare state.- What is benefit fraud? :...
and the sale of stolen goods.
Characters
- Joey (Peter HowittPeter HowittPeter Howitt is an English actor and film director. He grew up in Eltham, London and Bromley, Kent, Peter used to be a part of the Priory Players in the Priory behind Christ Church, Eltham. He studied at the Drama Studio London. He has two children, Luke and Amy...
until series 4; Graham BickleyGraham BickleyGraham John Bickley is an English actor. He is probably best known for playing Joey Boswell in Bread from 1989, until 1991 taking over from Peter Howitt, who played him from 1986, until 1989.Career=...
up to series 7) was the eldest of the offspring, dressed in head-to-toe leather clothing, using the earliest (that is, enormous) mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
and drove a classic JaguarJaguar (car)Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
, despite having no obvious source of income. He contributed large sums to the family kitty and was often his mother's spokesman. He had an on/off relationship with a woman named Roxy (Joanna Phillips-LaneJoanna Phillips-LaneJoanna Phillips-Lane is a British based actress who among other parts, played Roxy in Carla Lane's sitcom Bread.-External links:...
) of whom his mother disapproved because Roxy had a child and had broken Joey's heart in the past. At the end of the show, it shows Joey having a go at Nellie about him and Roxy as man and wife, determining he had gotten married in Scotland, just like Adrian and Irenee.
- Jack (Victor McGuireVictor McGuireVictor McGuire is an English actor perhaps best known for playing Jack in series 1–3 of Carla Lane's Bread as well as Ron Wheatcroft in Goodnight Sweetheart, and Sean Hughes' neighbour Tony in Sean's Show .McGuire appeared as Gary, of the pair of "scouser thieves", in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and...
) had no aspirations to have a glamorous job but just wanted to make a reasonable living. Mainly, he dealt in anything that would fit into the battered van he drove. He left the family home to visit the USA in series 4 (McGuire took a break from the show) and came back wiser but still not rich. He had little luck with women until the older Leonora Campbell (Deborah GrantDeborah GrantDeborah Grant is an English actress.She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and appeared on stage at the Bristol Old Vic and in the West End of London. She has had a successful television acting career....
) moved in further down Kelsall Street and the two had a relationship; his mother disapproved of due to the age gap. At the end of the show, Jack is taking a shower, when Leonora walks in and tells him she's pregnant.
- Adrian (Jonathon MorrisJonathon MorrisJonathon Morris is an English actor and former television presenter.-Career:Morris is best known for his role as Adrian Boswell in Carla Lane's comedy Bread, in which he starred for the series' entire five-year run between 1986-1991, and which made him a well-known face on British Television.Prior...
) was baptised James and called Jimmy as a child but decided the name was too common and changed it. He was the artistic, idealistic one of the family and continually pointed out that he was the only one with a proper, honest job (in an estate agencyEstate agentAn estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
) until he was made redundant. He became a published poet and artist and also worked as a modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, but his successes were tempered by his extraordinary inferiority complex, especially around women. He had a relationship with a nymphomaniac called Carmen who broke his heart. He frequently emphasised his panicky outlook on life with the phrase "Hanging by a thread!". Eventually, he found happiness with a woman called Irenee (Sharon ByattSharon ByattSharon Byatt is a British based actress born in Liverpool, who played Irenee in Carla Lane's Bread. She has also appeared in such programmes as Mersey Beat, Holby City, Springhill and Dream Team.-References:...
), whom he married in Scotland just like Joey.
- Aveline (Gilly ComanGilly ComanGilly Coman was a British based actress, who played Aveline in the first four series of Carla Lane's sitcom Bread....
until series 4; Melanie HillMelanie HillMelanie Hill is an English actress from Sunderland, County Durham.-Television:Hill replaced Gilly Coman as the character of Aveline in the last two series' of Carla Lane's BBC television sitcom Bread...
up to series 7) was the only daughter and was therefore overprotected by her mother and brothers, who vetted all her boyfriends and made her wear a whistle around her neck at all times in case of attack. She had aspired to be a model and had a bit of success, but she temporarily gave up her ambitions when she married Oswald (Giles WatlingGiles WatlingGiles Watling is an English actor.Giles is the son of actor Jack Watling and actress Patricia Watling, and the brother of actresses Dilys Watling and Deborah Watling...
). Oswald was a local Protestant vicarVicarIn the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
, which stirred up his new mother-in-law's religious prejudices, but his new brothers-in-law liked him. After the birth of their first daughter, Tracy Ursula, Aveline became pregnant again and had problems in the late stages of the pregnancy, but didn't lose the baby.
- Billy (David Renhard) was the youngest and daftest of the quintet. He had a variety of jobs, including running his own sandwich-delivery business. Despite his youth and immaturity, he was the first Boswell to marry, leave home, and reproduce, thanks to a fiery on/off relationship with the astute and cynical Julie (Caroline MilmoeCaroline MilmoeCaroline Milmoe is an English stage, film and television actress best known for playing Julie in the first two series of Carla Lane's Liverpool-based BBC sit-com Bread and Lisa Duckworth in ITV's long-running soap opera Coronation Street.-Career:Milmoe attended Manchester's Contact Youth Theatre...
until series 2; Hilary Crowson thereafter upto series 5:) (who lived across the road during the first five series). Billy moved in with Julie and they had daughter Francesca, but the proximity to his mother's home made it tough for him to escape her apron strings; Julie regularly kicked him out. Billy drove a Volkswagen BeetleVolkswagen BeetleThe Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
which frequently emitted loud bangs from the exhaust system as he drove across the road to visit his wife and daughter.
- Nellie and her children all took turns visiting and delivering meals to Grandad (Kenneth WallerKenneth WallerKenneth Waller was an English actor.-Career:His first role was in the 1959 production Room at the Top, but it was not until 1981 when he played the part of "Old" Mr. Grace in Are You Being Served? that he found real fame. He played the elder of the Grace brothers, after the departure of "Young"...
) who lived next door in a house that used to belong to the Boswells. Grandad and the Boswells swapped houses so each could charge the other rent and then claim it back from the DHSS. He was Nellie’s father (Series 1, episode 5, when Joey comes to tell him that Freddie’s brother Cyril has died: “I know you never cared much about Dad’s side of the family”); however even Nellie and Freddie called him Grandad. He was referred to by non-family members as Mr Boswell, therefore it could be assumed he was Freddie's father. However, in an episode from series 3, Grandad's name is revealed as William Thomas Duvall. Nellie once refers to Freddie as Grandad's only son-in-law, which would mean that Grandad was in fact her father and, in the companion book to the series, Mrs Boswell's Slice of Bread, her maiden name is confirmed as Duvall and she refers to Grandad as 'my father.' He was a cantankerous and obnoxious man at times, never appearing grateful for the way the family kept him, but they all doted on him and he was always willing to hand out serious advice. His wife, referred to by everyone as Granny, had long since died and Grandad mourned her although he had always reserved love for another woman (the never-seen Edie Mathieson). He did not speak with a 'Scouse' accent, indicating that he was probably from elsewhere in the north of England - possibly Yorkshire. - Freddie's girlfriend, Lilo Lill (Eileen PollockEileen PollockEileen Pollock is a Northern Irish actress.-Career:She is probably best known for playing the part of 'Lilo' Lill in Carla Lane's comedy Bread, she has also appeared in such productions as Play for Tomorrow , After You've Gone , Far and Away , and most recently, Wild About Harry, in 2000.Other...
), was an Irish woman of a similar age to the Boswell parents, but with a more flamboyant sense of style and a self-confessed desire for passion in her relationships, which she claimed in her frequent confrontations with Nellie (who called her a "tart" to her face, and to others) was the main reason Freddie preferred her. That said, Freddy often tried to return to his wife before finding Lilo Lill too tempting. She was often heard to scream publicly: "I love you, Freddie Boswell!"
- Derek (Peter ByrnePeter ByrnePeter Byrne may refer to:* Peter Byrne , English actor who played Andy Crawford in Dixon of Dock Green * Pete Byrne, British musician-See also:*Peter Burns, Australian Rules footballer...
) was a widower who befriended Nellie when he met her in a park and tried, unsuccessfully, to forge a relationship with her. Nellie was tempted by him but couldn't bring herself to have another relationship while she was still technically married. If he phoned her home while she had visitors (she told no one of his existence), she would say "Thank you!" in a comedically high-pitched voice and hang up. - Two local businessmen and small-time thugs and crooks were the monosyllabic Yizzel (Charles LawsonCharles LawsonCharles Lawson is a Northern Irish film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,...
) and his partner who, despite being the brains and voice of the duo, was never named in dialogue and was therefore always credited as 'Yizzel's mate' (Simon RouseSimon RouseSimon Rouse is an English actor, best known for playing the role of Superintendent Jack Meadows in the long-running ITV police drama The Bill....
). They ran a limousineLimousineA limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
company called Occasion Cars and were acquaintances of Joey.
- Father Dooley (J. G. Devlin) was the local Catholic priest to whom Nellie—and, less regularly, other family members—-would go to confess or to seek advice.
- Mongy was the family dog (short for "Mongrel"). He was usually seen in outdoor scenes shot on location, seldom in studio scenes (most notably series 2, episode 6, when he was recovering from an operation). He met his end when a storyline required him to be run over and killed, reuniting the Boswells in grief.
- In series 4, Cousin Shifty (Bryan MurrayBryan Murray (actor)Bryan Murray is an Irish actor.As a stage actor he began his career in Dublin at The Abbey Theatre where, as a member of The Abbey Company, he appeared in over 50 productions. He has appeared many times at the Gate Theatre in Dublin most recently in Celebration by Harold Pinter for the 2010 Dublin...
) turned up after leaving prison and moved into Grandad's house while occupying Jack's seat at mealtimes. Initially this was to compensate for Jack's absence, but the character was retained after Jack's return. He was apparently Grandad's favourite grandchild (although he was referred to several times as Shifty Boswell, which would have made them unrelated), despite being a career criminal (hence the nickname). He combined dead-end jobs and failed business interests (including running a mobile green-grocery from the back of a hearse) with more petty crime. His ex-girlfriend Celia (Rita TushinghamRita Tushingham-Career:Born in Liverpool, Tushingham began her career as a stage actress at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her screen debut was in A Taste of Honey...
) turned up briefly, before he began a relationship with Boswell nemesis/DHSSDepartment of Health and Social SecurityThe Department of Health and Social Security was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Social Services.-History:...
clerk Martina (Pamela Power), who had spent the previous series fending off attempts by various Boswell members to get more financial aid from the Government. This relationship with Shifty allowed Martina, a popular character, to be seen beyond her working environment.
Other elements
The show's title is a reference to the use of 'bread' as a slang term for money (CockneyCockney
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...
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 the parking places outside the terraced house for the family's many vehicles being kept free by some illicitly-acquired police traffic cones.
One of the main reasons for the show's success was its use of soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
-style cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
s. This meant that viewers had to tune in 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, for example in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
The theme tune was sung by the cast members and was released on BBC Records
BBC Records
BBC Records is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation founded in the 1960s to exploit the corporation's audio archive for both educational and commercial purposes....
but failed to make the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The theme was re-recorded for the 5th series of the show.
After the series had finished, a stage play of the show entitled "Bread - The Farewell Slice" toured the UK.
External links
- People of ‘Bread streets’ likely to lose their view
- Bread at Phill.co.uk
- Bread Illustrated article on Collecting Books and Magazines website