We Are Seven (TV series)
We Are Seven is a British television drama series set in Wales and based on the 1955 book of the same name by Una Troy. It was produced by HTV Wales and shown on ITV. It ran for 2 series between 11 June 1989 and 17 July 1991.
We Are Seven | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Based on | We Are Seven by Una Troy |
Written by | Robert Pugh |
Directed by | Alan Clayton (1989) Ken Horn (1991) |
Starring | Helen Roberts Christopher Mitchum Julianne Barron James Bird Beth Robert Jürgen Morche Gudrun Gabriel Howell Evans Dafydd Hywel Terence Bennett Beth Morris Huw Ceredig |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Producer | Alan Clayton |
Production locations | Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion, Dyfed, Wales, UK |
Running time | 58 minutes |
Production company | HTV Wales |
Release | |
Original network | ITV |
Original release | 11 June 1989 – 17 July 1991 |
History
The show's first season routinely received eight million viewers for each episode.[1] At the 1990 edition of the New York International Film and TV Festival, the show season received a gold medal.[1] The children in the cast largely are HTV Wales Junior Drama Workshop participants.[2] The youngest child in the series was played by Gwilym, the 18-month old son of Helen Roberts, who plays the main character Brenda Morgan.[3]
Cast and characters
Actor | Character |
---|---|
Helen Roberts | Brenda Morgan |
Christopher Mitchum | Tommy Morgan |
Elen Carys Jones | Sissy Morgan |
Andrew Powell | Willie Morgan |
Julianne Barron | Pansy Morgan |
James Bird | Toughy Morgan |
Beth Robert | Mary Morgan |
Jürgen Morche | Paul Hauptmann |
Gudrun Gabriel | Sabina Hauptmann |
Howell Evans | William Price |
Dafydd Hywel | Jamesy James |
Terence Bennett | Peter Morgan |
Beth Morris | Rose Price |
Huw Ceredig | Jim Powell |
Episodes
Series 1 (1989)
- "Episode 1" (11 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton
- "Episode 2" (18 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton
- "Episode 3" (25 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton
- "Episode 4" (2 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton
- "Episode 5" (9 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton
- "Episode 6" (16 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton
Series 2 (1991)
- "Episode 1" (29 May 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 2" (5 June 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 3" (12 June 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 4" (26 June 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 5" (3 July 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 6" (10 July 1991); director: Ken Horn
- "Episode 7" (17 July 1991); director: Ken Horn
Analysis
The television series stars a woman who had seven children by six men. The Daily Post said, "In Sunday night family viewing time it hardly preaches the sort of morality that would get the Mary Whitehouse sort of approval."[6]
Reception
In a negative review, Moira Petty of The Stage and Television Today wrote, "It is quite astonishing that so many clichés could have been packed into one hour of television drama" and "To say that the pace was leisurely would be an understatement. Virtually every scene was strung out to tedious length as if, confronted by the quaint Hovis ad set pieces, the crew was afflicted by a mass breakout of catatonia."[7] Sean Day-Lewis said in Broadcast that the series was "very Welsh and HTV" and "is amusing in an obvious sort of way".[8] The Daily Post's John Williams said the series "fairly bristles with dialogue calculated to make any Welsh expatriot hurry back and joyfully submit to lyrical character assassination."[9]
See also
References
- Driscoll, Rob (26 May 1991). "Return of the seven". Wales on Sunday. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Return of the hussy!". South Wales Echo. 29 May 1991. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "... And baby came too". Lincolnshire Echo. 3 June 1989. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Amazon listing for "We Are Seven Series 1 (1989)" VHS
- Amazon listing for "We Are Seven Series 2 (1989)" VHS
- "Baby talk that stunned the gossips". Daily Post. 10 June 1989. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Petty, Moira (6 June 1991). "ITV: We Are Seven". The Stage and Television Today. No. 5747. p. 19. ProQuest 962497108.
- Day-Lewis, Sean (14 June 1991). "Offair: Dramatic interlude". Broadcast. p. 36. ProQuest 1673742832.
- Williams, John (17 June 1989). "Enjoyable Bridget ... The Week on TV". Daily Post. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- We Are Seven at IMDb