TV series

Brass

Name: Brass
Released: 1983
Cast: Timothy West, Caroline Blakiston, James Saxon, Gail Harrison, Emily Morgan

1983–1990· 3 seasons· 30 min episodes★ 6.1Ended

On ITV1 · Channel 4 — From Granada Television

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Synopsis

Brass is a British comedy-drama series created by John Stevenson and Julian Roach, and produced by Granada Television for ITV and eventually Channel 4. Satirising the working-class period dramas of the 1970s and the American supersoaps such as Dallas and Dynasty, Brass was unusual for ITV comedies of the time, as there was no laugh track and the humour deliberately kept extremely dry, using convoluted wordplay and subtle commentary on popular culture. Set primarily in Utterley, a fictional Lancashire mining town in the 1930s, two feuding families—the wealthy Hardacres and the poor, working-class Fairchilds, who lived in a small terraced house rented from the Hardacre empire.

Themes

satire parody breaking the fourth wall working class poverty social realism sitcom family dynamics north of england feuding families drama comedy

Episodes

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E1 Hospital DestructionNext upFeb 21, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Bradley Hardacre has risen from poverty to become the wealthy owner of mine, mill and munitions works in Utterly. The Fairchild family live in a poor home, so what is their connection to Bradley and why does he wants to destroy the Cottage Hospital?
Guest stars: Bill Monks (Job Lott)
E2 CambridgeFeb 28, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Austin gets a nasty shock when he walks into his new office. Matthew is excited at the thought of going to Cambridge with Morris and tells his father whilst he is visiting him in the Cottage Hospital; however, he sees Charlotte Hardacre there and the attraction continues, which in turn upsets Morris, who gains revenge by changing Matt's job.
E3 BlacklegMar 7, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Agnes encourages the now-hungry strikers, whilst Charlotte is 'doing good' at the soup kitchen. As Bradley makes sure George can leave the hospital (to use him for the SBD experiments), Jack and Isobel are again found in the stables, and Agnes discovers that Matt has lost his good job and is now digging coal. She then sees her husband George being driven in Bradley's car: a blackleg!
Guest stars: Bill Monks (Job Lott), Malcolm Raeburn (Agitator)
E4 Silent HooterMar 14, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Lady Patience tells Bradley that his daughter is carrying on with a miner. Agnes informs George that the person Isobel is carrying on with is their son Jack. Bradley agrees to talk to the strikers and offers them a silent hooter — the strike is ended. George tests Bradley's anti-tank boot which explodes, and Bradley manages a pit disaster, in which he knows Jack is involved.
Guest stars: Bill Monks (Job Lott), Stephen Bill (Young Scargill)
E5 Pit CollapseMar 21, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
As Agnes and other women awaiting news of the trapped miners, the miners themselves are settling to life underground. Bradley hears that his plans are astray as Charlotte reaches the miners, but though they manage to escape as Jack supports the roof, Austin tricks Jack into shaking hands and the roof collapses.
Guest stars: Peter Ivatts (Armstrong), John Hollis (Arthur), David Bamber (Heseltine), Howard Crossley (Rescuer)
E6 Silent But DeadlyMar 28, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
With Jack unconscious in hospital, Bradley orders Austin to continue with the tunnel, until he reaches the Cottage Hospital, and then let off SBD (Silent But Deadly) to finish him off. Agnes and Isobel fight over Jack but he wakes up besotted with Charlotte.
Guest stars: Alison Lloyd (Nurse Jones)
E7 Back HomeApr 4, 1983 · 30 min
Synopsis
George is home from hospital and Agnes tells him that Matt has gone to kill his father, Bradley, so they both go to the hall to inform Bradley. However, Austin has gone one further: he knocks Bradley out and orders him to be taken to hospital, due to be blown up at midnight with the deadly SBD.
Guest stars: Anthony Smee (Guy Baggers), Annette Farrant (Maid)
E8 Walking Time BombApr 11, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Austin celebrates Bradley's demise, unaware that Bradley has in fact bought himself out of hospital, only to find that George hasn't caused the hospital to blow up by putting the SBD in his tea. Meanwhile, Charlotte and Morris discover Matt in bed with Lady Patience, whilst Bradley and Austin try to wrangle the truth from George as to what happened to the SBD, only to discover that George is a walking bomb.
E9 Poor HeskethApr 18, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Morris, ashamed at Lady Prudence's affair with Matt, decides to shoot himself but instead takes it out on Hesketh, his bear. Bradley and Austin discuss the fate of George and the SBD sugar lumps. McDuff uses a stomach pump to get the SBD from George but instead discovers lots of strange things George has been swallowing.
Guest stars: Bill Monks (Job Lott), Patrick Nyland (Schickelgruber)
E10 Bouncing BombApr 25, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Jack proposes Bradley to sell Isobel off. Bradley agrees but Lady Patience informs him that he'd lost interest in her anyway. Lady Patience tells Matt should he continue to see her, she'll have his poems published in her name. Isobel implores Charlotte to sleep with Jack so that he will lose interest. Austin, McDuff and George experiment with the bouncing bomb, with disastrous results.
Guest stars: Alison Lloyd (Nurse Jones), Wilf Durham (Hillman)
E11 The Forge AngerMay 9, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Everyone's angry with everyone! Bradley with Jack over the forge; Agnes with Jack, again for buying the forge; Isobel also with Jack when Bradley tells her she was sold to him; and Lady Patience when Morris tells her he's taking Matt to Cambridge. Morris appears to Matt in a dress and tells him he is a transvestite, successfully scaring him off.
E12 HypnosisMay 16, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Bradley reluctantly agrees to using Jack's truss ranges to hold up the chimney, Big Tom. Guy arrives to help Morris, who is upset because Matt doesn't fancy him. They discuss plans to blow up the Prince with SBD. McDuff tells Lady Patience that hypnotism will help her to regain the use of her legs, but it backfires. She walks away and kicks Bradley to prove it.
Guest stars: Anthony Smee (Guy Baggers)
E13 The Prince's VisitMay 23, 1983 · 26 min
Synopsis
Bradley and Austin lecture peasants on proper behaviour for the Prince's visit. Lady Patience gives Agnes a book of Matt's poems published under her name. Matt discovers it and attempts suicide atop the big chimney.
Guest stars: Anthony Smee (Guy Baggers), Bill Monks (Job Lott), Peter Settelen (The Prince)