Four Fathers

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Four Fathers
Genre Drama
Written byBill Gallagher
Directed by Dermot Boyd
Starring Tony Doyle
Tom Bell
Neil Dudgeon
Stuart McQuarrie
Ruth Gemmell
Eva Pope
Jacquetta May
Kate Lonergan
Emma Williams
Composer Alan Clark
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producer Sally Head
Producers Martyn Auty
Carol Wilks
Production locations Sheffield, England, UK
CinematographyKevin Rowley
EditorRichard Milward
Running time50 minutes (eps. 1–2)
100 minutes (ep. 3)
Production companySally Head Productions
Original release
Network ITV
Release9 December (1999-12-09) 
21 December 1999 (1999-12-21)

Four Fathers is a British television drama miniseries, comprising two fifty-minute episodes and one one-hundred minute episode, that first broadcast on ITV between 9 and 21 December 1999. The drama serial focused on a quartet of four very different fathers living in a northern town who all have life changing experiences in store. [1] Two episodes were broadcast each week during Thursdays and third and final feature length episode was broadcast on Tuesday.

Contents

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air dateUK viewers
(million) [2]
1"Episode 1" Dermot Boyd Bill Gallagher9 December 1999 (1999-12-09)6.88
Father-to-be Spud Starkie struggles to keep his nephew on the rails, while Harry Clancy is knocked for six by the arrival of a face from the past, and tensions mount in the household of divorced couple Vince and Nicola Yallop. [3]
2"Episode 2"Dermot BoydBill Gallagher16 December 1999 (1999-12-16)6.31
Dawn is devastated by the revelation that Spud is the father of Kathy's unborn child. [4]
3"Episode 3"Dermot BoydBill Gallagher21 December 1999 (1999-12-21)6.33
Spud is furious when he discovers the identity of Kathy's unborn child; as Harry's daughters meet for the first time, he makes a shocking discovery. [5]

Reception

Critical reception

Accolades

Tony Doyle was won for Best Drama Actor and Phelps for Best Actor at the 2000 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards sharing with TV series Ballykissangel . [6]

References

  1. "Four Fathers (ITV 1999, Tony Doyle, Tom Bell)". Memorable TV. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  2. "Weekly top 30 programmes – BARB". Barb.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  3. "British Film Institute". BFI. 9 December 1999. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  4. "British Film Institute". BFI. 16 December 1999. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  5. "British Film Institute". BFI. 21 December 1999. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  6. "BPG TV & Radio Awards 2000". broadcastingpressguild.org. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2025.