Forever Green
Encyclopedia
Forever Green is a television programme originally broadcast on ITV
in the United Kingdom
from 1989 to 1992. It was made for London Weekend Television
by Picture Partnership Productions, now named Carnival Films
.
The 18 episodes contain plots dealing with their adapting to life in the country and touches on environmental themes, alternative healing and alternative lifestyle choices.
though place names mentioned in the series point to it being further south in Somerset
. For example the fictional address of Geoff Bate's Handcross Garage is 'Handcross, Somerset' and Shepton is mentioned frequently, presumably a reference to Shepton Mallet
. The exact location of the house has not been publicly disclosed.
Lady Patricia's house is Nether Winchendon House, Nether Winchendon
, Buckinghamshire
.
The village of Nether Winchendon
, with its distinctive cylindrical stone pillar box on the village green, is seen briefly in episodes 1 and 2 of series 1, as Jack rides home on his motorbike after giving up his job in London, and as he and Geoff Bate discuss a classic car that they are going to view.
The pub where Jack meets Geoff Bate in episode 2 series 1 is the Stirrup Cup in Bisley
, Gloucestershire
.
The pub that the Boults visit at the end of episode 5 in series 1 is the Bedford Arms in Chenies
near Rickmansworth
, Hertfordshire
. On their way to the Bedford Arms they pass the Red Lion in the same road in Chenies, where they wave to Ted Hubbard.
In episode 1 of series 2, Jack meets Harriet at Seer Green
railway station, which is given the name Fourbridge.
Handcross Garage, owned by Geoff Bate, is North's Garage in Lane End
, near Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
and series 2 and 3 were shown as a continuous 12 episode second series in 1992.
All episodes have since been released on DVD by Network DVD
. The first series was re-released on a 2 disc set in June 2009. The remaining 12 episodes were released as a 3 disc series 2 DVD in April 2010.
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...
in the United Kingdom
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...
from 1989 to 1992. It was made for London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
by Picture Partnership Productions, now named Carnival Films
Carnival Films
Carnival Films is a British television production company, founded by Brian Eastman in 1978 as Picture Partnership Productions Limited and run by Gareth Neame since 2005. The company swiftly built up a strong reputation as an independent production company of theatre, film and television drama...
.
Cast
- Pauline CollinsPauline CollinsPauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
- Harriet Boult - John AldertonJohn AldertonJohn Alderton is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and Please Sir!. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.-Early life:...
- Jack Boult - Daisy BatesDaisy Bates (actress)Daisy Bates is a British actress.She was born in London, the daughter of Ralph Bates and actress Virginia Wetherell and also the sister of actor & musician Will Bates...
- Freddy Boult - Nimer Rashed - Tom Boult
- Paola Dionisotti - Lady Patricia Broughall
- Wendy van der PlankWendy van der PlankWendy van der Plank is a British actress best known for playing Wizadora in the ITV series of the same name.Born in Hampton near Leeds in Yorkshire, her first television appearance was in the BBC comedy series Spin Off...
- Hilly - Alan Rowe - Geoff Bate
- Ian Lindsay - Ted Hubbard
Plot
Jack, a former racing driver and Harriet Boult, a nurse, live in a London flat with their two children Freddy and Tom. Freddy suffers from asthma which Harriet believes could be due to the city pollution, and after a serious attack begins to think leaving the city could be the best treatment available. Soon after, a letter arrives advising Harriet of an inheritance from one of her old patients, a run-down house in the country. It only takes one visit to persuade them to move.The 18 episodes contain plots dealing with their adapting to life in the country and touches on environmental themes, alternative healing and alternative lifestyle choices.
Episodes
| Series | Episode | Plot summary | First broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Freddy's asthma is getting worse and Harriet suspects city life might be the cause. A lucky inheritance makes an escape to the country a possibility but can they really just go? | 26 February 1989 |
| 2 | The Boult family is upset by the rural pastime of badger baiting. Freddy has a severe attack of asthma. But what can they do? Jack realises there's a way he can settle the score - using his skills at the wheel of a car. | 5 March 1989 | |
| 3 | Jack comes across some horse rustlers and Freddy is hit by a new asthma attack, the Boults also discover more about Hilly. Maybe she is sitting on some hidden assets which could be worth a lot of money. | 12 March 1989 | |
| 4 | Jack is late home after a hippy convoy blocks the local roads. Harriet and Hilly find the travelling life attractive and discover some secrets in Jack's past. | 19 March 1989 | |
| 5 | The Boult family is struck with headaches and ulcers. Only Freddy seems immune. | 26 March 1989 | |
| 6 | A day trip to London for Harriet, Freddy and Tom serves to reinforce the joys of Meadows Green Farm. But Hilly's musical talents bring a twist of fate to Freddy's apparent return to health. | 2 April 1989 | |
| 2 | 1 | Freddy is studying for her GCSEs, Harriet hopes to qualify for Shiatsu massage and Jack has his own test. | 8 March 1992 |
| 2 | Hilly and her animals invade the Boults' house, but their arrival coincides with a pair of barn owls who are brought to nest in a nearby barn. Suddenly, the place seems overcrowded. | 15 March 1992 | |
| 3 | Freddy decides to find out what has caused the local river to be unable to support much wildlife anymore. | 22 March 1992 | |
| 4 | Lady Pat organises a walk to keep local footpaths open. | 29 March 1992 | |
| 5 | Jack and Harriet are at odds over plans to convert a barn into flats. | 5 April 1992 | |
| 6 | Freddy and Hilly get to show their riding skills at the Oaksey races. | 12 April 1992 | |
| 7 | Freddy's local history project uncovers a mystery surrounding the ownership of Meadows Green Farm. | 19 April 1992 | |
| 8 | The Boults find a skeleton in their garden, a poltergeist in their house, and Freddy discovers a talent for automatic writing. | 26 April 1992 | |
| 9 | Jack and Harriet are tempted to move to Wales, while Freddy discovers that Lord Corwen plans to hold a hare coursing meet. | 3 May 1992 | |
| 10 | A mysterious Polish stranger and a majestic rogue stag arrive on Lady Broughall's estate. | 10 May 1992 | |
| 11 | Harriet's reluctance to talk about her deceased father is challenged when Ellen, his companion in his final years, turns up. | 17 May 1992 | |
| 12 | Ted needs a new barn and Freddy has an idea about how to build one. But someone is determined to burn it down. And is there room for a fox hunter and a fox enthusiast in the same family? | 24 May 1992 | |
Filming locations
The Boult family home Meadows Green Farm is sometimes said to have been in the CotswoldsCotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
though place names mentioned in the series point to it being further south in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. For example the fictional address of Geoff Bate's Handcross Garage is 'Handcross, Somerset' and Shepton is mentioned frequently, presumably a reference to Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...
. The exact location of the house has not been publicly disclosed.
Lady Patricia's house is Nether Winchendon House, Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border of Oxfordshire, about five miles west of Aylesbury and three miles south of Waddesdon.The village name 'Winchendon' originates from Anglo Saxon, meaning 'hill...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
The village of Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border of Oxfordshire, about five miles west of Aylesbury and three miles south of Waddesdon.The village name 'Winchendon' originates from Anglo Saxon, meaning 'hill...
, with its distinctive cylindrical stone pillar box on the village green, is seen briefly in episodes 1 and 2 of series 1, as Jack rides home on his motorbike after giving up his job in London, and as he and Geoff Bate discuss a classic car that they are going to view.
The pub where Jack meets Geoff Bate in episode 2 series 1 is the Stirrup Cup in Bisley
Bisley, Gloucestershire
Bisley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, approximately east of Stroud. The parish is today united administratively with the adjoining parish of Lypiatt and the two are usually referred to as Bisley-with-Lypiatt...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
The pub that the Boults visit at the end of episode 5 in series 1 is the Bedford Arms in Chenies
Chenies
Chenies is a village in the very eastern part of south Buckinghamshire, England, near the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated to the east of Chesham and the Chalfonts. Chenies is also a civil parish within Chiltern district....
near Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles west of Watford.The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley regional park.Rickmansworth is a small town in...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. On their way to the Bedford Arms they pass the Red Lion in the same road in Chenies, where they wave to Ted Hubbard.
In episode 1 of series 2, Jack meets Harriet at Seer Green
Seer Green and Jordans railway station
Seer Green and Jordans railway station lies close to the village of Seer Green in Buckinghamshire and also serves the nearby village of Jordans...
railway station, which is given the name Fourbridge.
Handcross Garage, owned by Geoff Bate, is North's Garage in Lane End
Lane End, Buckinghamshire
Lane End is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is just south of the M40 from High Wycombe, about two miles west of Booker. The village is twinned with Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron in France....
, near Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
Other information
Originally filmed as 3 series, broadcast of the second series was delayed by coverage of the Gulf WarGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and series 2 and 3 were shown as a continuous 12 episode second series in 1992.
Home video and DVD
Series 1 was originally released by Granada Ventures LTD on VHS and DVD.All episodes have since been released on DVD by Network DVD
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
. The first series was re-released on a 2 disc set in June 2009. The remaining 12 episodes were released as a 3 disc series 2 DVD in April 2010.