Where the Heart Is (UK TV series)

Last updated

Where the Heart Is
GenreFamily drama
Created by Vicky Featherstone
Ashley Pharoah
Starring the cast
Opening theme Prefab Sprout  – "Where the Heart Is"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series10
No. of episodes110
Production
Producer(s)United Productions (later Granada) with:
Anglia Television (1997–2001)
Meridian Broadcasting (2002–2005)
Granada Television (2006)
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original network ITV
Picture format 4:3 (1997)
14:9 (1998)
16:9 (1999–2006)
Audio format Stereo
Original release6 April 1997 (1997-04-06) –
10 September 2006 (2006-09-10)

Where the Heart Is is a British television family drama series set in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite. First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone and focuses on the professional and personal lives of the district nurses who work in the town. The original leads were Sarah Lancashire and Pam Ferris, who played sisters-in-law and colleagues at the Skelthwaite Health Centre. Both actresses had left the series by 2000, but the format of at least two female leads continued with various actresses until the show's end. A typical episode would focus on one or two medical storylines interwoven with personal stories featuring one or both nurses.

Yorkshire Historic county of Northern England

Yorkshire, formally known as the County of York, is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Due to its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as a geographical territory and cultural region. The name is familiar and well understood across the United Kingdom and is in common use in the media and the military, and also features in the titles of current areas of civil administration such as North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Ashley Pharoah is a British screenwriter and television producer. He is best known as the co-creator/writer of the successful drama series Life on Mars, which began on BBC One in 2006, and creator/writer of the family drama Wild at Heart, which aired on ITV1 from 2006 until 2012.

Vicky Featherstone is a theatre and artistic director. She has been artistic director of London's Royal Court Theatre since April 2013. Prior to that she was founding artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland, and before that artistic director of the UK new writing touring theatre company Paines Plough. Her career has been characterised by significant involvement with new writing.

Contents

One of ITV's longest-running shows, Where the Heart Is was known for being what has been described as a haven for former soap stars, including Lancashire, Philip Middlemiss, Samantha Giles, Kerrie Taylor, Brian Capron and Shobna Gulati. In October 2006, the series was cancelled after nine years, despite viewing figures of well over 7 million. [1]

ITV (TV network) TV network in the United Kingdom

ITV is a British free-to-air television network with its headquarters in London, it was launched in 1955 as Independent Television under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to BBC Television, that was established in 1932. ITV is also the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time, namely BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. In part, the number 3 was assigned because television sets would usually be tuned so that the regional ITV station would be on the third button, with the other stations being allocated to the number within their name.

Philip Middlemiss is an English television and radio actor, who played bookmaker Des Barnes in ITV's Coronation Street. He subsequently appeared in ITV's Where the Heart Is.

Samantha Elizabeth Giles is an English actress, probably best known for playing Bernice Blackstock in Emmerdale, a role which earned her a TV Quick Award for Best Actress and a nomination for a National Television Awards for Most Popular Actress, and Sally Boothe in Where the Heart Is (2003–2005).

The theme song "Where the Heart is" was performed by Prefab Sprout (written and sung by Paddy McAloon). It was released as a single and appears on the band's 38 Carat Collection .

Prefab Sprout are an English pop band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Nine of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart. The band formed in 1978 in Newcastle.

Patrick Joseph McAloon is an English singer-songwriter and a founder of the band Prefab Sprout.

<i>38 Carat Collection</i> 1999 compilation album by Prefab Sprout

38 Carat Collection is a compilation album by the English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in October 1999 by Columbia Records. It was issued in a double CD version. Each disc is arranged in chronological order, with most of the group's singles appearing on disc 1 and tracks from their six previous studio albums on disc 2.

The series has been repeated on ITV3.

Synopsis

The show follows the lives of the people of Skelthwaite, a fictional small Yorkshire town; particularly the work of the district nurses at the town's health centre. It originally focuses on the extended Snow and Goddard family — sisters-in-law and close friends Peggy Snow (Ferris) and Ruth Goddard (Lancashire) who work together as district nurses, while Ruth's husband and Peggy's younger brother Simon (Thomas Craig) is the town's main employer through his paper products factory. Peggy's husband Vic (Tony Haygarth) and her children Stephen and Lucy provide family-focused storylines which sit alongside the medical-based plots.

Thomas Craig is an English actor. He is known for his roles in Murdoch Mysteries, Where the Heart Is, Hidden, Coronation Street, and The Navigators.

Tony Haygarth English television, film and theatre actor

George Anthony David Haygarth was an English television, film and theatre actor.

The programme underwent major changes at the end of series three and the beginning of series four, with first Lancashire and then Ferris departing. Ruth and Simon split, with Ruth moving to Australia and Peggy tragically dies following a road accident involving a horse which also left her daughter Lucy fighting for her life. Storylines continued to focus on the rest of the family, with Simon and Vic adjusting to life as single men and for Vic, as a single father, whilst old friends Anna Kirkwall (Lesley Dunlop) and Karen Buckley (Leslie Ash) take over at the health centre. Anna begins a romance with Simon, but rejects him just before their wedding day, knowing that he wants to be with Ruth and Alfie in Australia. Karen's marriage to her husband David (Philip Middlemiss) crumbles when she chooses to focus on helping her long-lost son recover from his drug addiction, leading to Ash's departure from the series in 2003. Anna and David later become a couple, marry and remain the show's lead characters for the rest of its run.

Lesley Jane Dunlop is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Anna Kirkwall in Where the Heart Is, Zoë Angell in May to December and her current role as Brenda Walker in Emmerdale.

Leslie Ash is a British actress. She is best known for her roles in C.A.T.S. Eyes. (1985–1987), the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1992–1997), ITV drama Where the Heart Is (2000–2003), and BBC medical drama Holby City (2009–2010). Her book My Life Behaving Badly: The Autobiography was published in 2007.

Several other nurses work alongside Anna during this time, most notably Sally Boothe (Samantha Giles), whose family becomes the focus of many of the non-medical storylines after the remaining members of the Snow family departed in 2002. In an echo of the Snow family's development, Sally is also killed off, with later storylines focusing on her family's attempts to cope without her.

Over the years the cast was expanded and the show became more of an ensemble drama, with typically three major nurse characters at any one time alongside other townsfolk, usually workers at Goddard's Paper Products and their families.

Production

Thirteen of the episodes were written by the character actress and screenwriter Cecily Hobbs.

The series was filmed in the Colne and Holme valleys of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire using the real life villages of Marsden, Golcar, Slaithwaite and Meltham for many of the external shots. The first series was mostly filmed in Slaithwaite, with some exterior shots filmed in the village of Baildon, but from series 2 onwards, Marsden was used as the principal filming location.

Cast

Final cast

Notable ex-cast members

Episodes

Series One (1997)

  1. "Skelthwaite" (6 April 1997)
  2. "Things Fall Apart" (13 April 1997)
  3. "Summoned by Bells" (20 April 1997)
  4. "A Place in the World" (27 April 1997)
  5. "King Walter" (4 May 1997)
  6. "Dream" (11 May 1997)

Series Two (1998)

  1. "The Final Curtain" (19 April 1998)
  2. "The Healing Game" (26 April 1998)
  3. "Fresh" (3 May 1998)
  4. "Gone Fishing" (10 May 1998)
  5. "Darkness Follows" (17 May 1998)
  6. "Family Matters" (24 May 1998)
  7. "Ice Pops" (31 May 1998)
  8. "No Place Like Home" (7 June 1998)
  9. "She Goes On" (21 June 1998)
  10. "Love" (5 July 1998)

Series Three (1999)

  1. "Expansions" (18 April 1999)
  2. "Learning the Game" (25 April 1999)
  3. "Flesh and Blood" (2 May 1999)
  4. "Letting Go" (9 May 1999)
  5. "Moving On" (16 May 1999)
  6. "Home" (23 May 1999)
  7. "Reach for the Stars" (30 May 1999)
  8. "New Moon Arising" (6 June 1999)
  9. "Not My Brother" (20 June 1999)
  10. "A Special Language" (27 June 1999)
  11. "A Higher Duty" (4 July 1999)
  12. "Runaway" (11 July 1999)
  13. "Union" (18 July 1999)
  14. "The Letter" (25 July 1999)

Series Four (2000)

  1. "Breaking the Ice" (30 April 2000)
  2. "No Regrets" (7 May 2000)
  3. "The Dead Zone" (14 May 2000)
  4. "Shifting Sands" (21 May 2000)
  5. "Visiting Rights" (28 May 2000)
  6. "The Leaving Party" (4 June 2000)
  7. "A Foreign Field" (11 June 2000)
  8. "Unforgettable" (9 July 2000)
  9. "A Good Day" (16 July 2000)
  10. "Friends in Need" (23 July 2000)
  11. "Idle Hands" (30 July 2000)
  12. "Over the Rainbow" (6 August 2000)
  13. "Modern Love" (13 August 2000)
  14. "Legacy" (20 August 2000)
  15. "Getting Better" (27 August 2000)
  16. "The Field" (3 September 2000)

Series Five (2001)

  1. "Happiness" (22 April 2001)
  2. "Runaways" (29 April 2001)
  3. "Sanctuary" (6 May 2001)
  4. "Choices" (13 May 2001)
  5. "The Ties That Bind" (20 May 2001)
  6. "Home to Roost" (27 May 2001)
  7. "Faith" (3 June 2001)
  8. "Pound of Flesh" (17 June 2001)
  9. "Damage" (24 June 2001)
  10. "Too Much Too Young" (1 July 2001)
  11. "Temptation" (8 July 2001)
  12. "As Time Goes By" (15 July 2001)
  13. "Declaration" (22 July 2001)
  14. "Sticks and Stones" (29 July 2001)
  15. "Cats and Dogs" (5 August 2001)
  16. "The Team" (12 August 2001)

Series Six (2002)

  1. "No Turning Back" (21 April 2002)
  2. "Relative Strangers" (28 April 2002)
  3. "Happy Returns" (5 May 2002)
  4. "Trust" (12 May 2002)
  5. "In Your Dreams" (19 May 2002)
  6. "United We Stand" (26 May 2002)
  7. "Hold My Hand" (2 June 2002)
  8. "Don't Let Go" (9 June 2002)
  9. "Never Alone" (16 June 2002)
  10. "Flesh and Blood" (23 June 2002)
  11. "Count on Me" (30 June 2002)
  12. "Extra Time" (7 July 2002)

Series Seven (2003)

  1. "My Way" (6 July 2003)
  2. "The Games We Play" (13 July 2003)
  3. "The Need Of You" (20 July 2003)
  4. "Love Hurts" (27 July 2003)
  5. "Not Waving But Drowning" (3 August 2003)
  6. "A Time To Dance" (10 August 2003)
  7. "Coming Home" (17 August 2003)
  8. "Mister And Missus" (24 August 2003)
  9. "Archangel" (23 December 2003)

Series Eight (2004)

  1. "Bowl Of Cherries" (11 July 2004)
  2. "Stormy Weather" (18 July 2004)
  3. "Moon River" (25 July 2004)
  4. "The Games We Play" (1 August 2004)
  5. "Little Boy Blue" (8 August 2004)
  6. "Skin Deep" (15 August 2004)
  7. "Body And Soul" (22 August 2004)
  8. "Never Can Say Goodbye" (29 August 2004)

Series Nine (2005)

  1. "Care" (26 June 2005)
  2. "When All This Is Over" (3 July 2005)
  3. "Stamp Of Approval" (10 July 2005)
  4. "Sisters Under The Skin" (17 July 2005)
  5. "Together" (24 July 2005)
  6. "Legacy" (31 July 2005)
  7. "Brief Encounters" (7 August 2005)
  8. "Peaches And Cream" (14 August 2005)
  9. "So Long" (21 August 2005)
  10. "In A Perfect World" (28 August 2005)

Series Ten (2006)

  1. "RSVP" (16 July 2006)
  2. "Greater Love" (23 July 2006)
  3. "Home Grown" (30 July 2006)
  4. "Walk Of Faith" (6 August 2006)
  5. "Closure" (13 August 2006)
  6. "Finding Heaven" (20 August 2006)
  7. "Don't Look Back In Anger" (27 August 2006)
  8. "Flesh And Blood" (3 September 2006)
  9. "And On The Way I Dropped It" (10 September 2006)

DVD release

DVDs of the series in the UK are listed below, released by Network DVD. So far Series 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been released.

DVD SeasonEp #Original airedRegion 2 (UK)
Series 166 April – 11 May 199727 March 2006 [2]
Series 21019 April – 5 July 199821 May 2012 [3]
Series 31418 April – 25 July 19996 May 2013 [4]
Series 41630 April – 3 September 200010 March 2014 [5]
Series 51622 April – 12 August 2001TBA
Series 61221 April – 7 July 2002TBA
Series 796 July – 23 December 2003TBA
Series 8811 July – 29 August 2004TBA
Series 91026 June – 28 August 2005TBA
Series 10916 July – 10 September 2006TBA

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References

  1. ↑ "Soaps — News - 'Where The Heart Is' axed after a decade — Digital Spy". Digital Spy. 2006-10-12. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  2. ↑ "Where The Heart is — The Complete First Series DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Where the Heart Is: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Where the Heart Is — The Complete Series 2 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Pam Ferris, Tony Haygarth, William Ash, Jessica Baglow, Sarah Lancashire, A. J. Quinn, Nicholas Laughland". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  4. ↑ "Where The Heart Is — The Complete Series 3 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Pam Ferris, Sarah Lancashire, Tony Haygarth, Thomas Craig, Jason Done, Christopher King, Indra Bhose, Mike". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  5. ↑ "Where the Heart Is - The Complete Series 4 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Pam Ferris, Tony Haygarth, Leslie Ash, Philip Middlemiss, Lesley Dunlop, Alan Dossor, David Thacker, Chris Bernard, David Agnew, Christopher King: DVD & Blu-ray". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
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