When the boat comes in

I watched it the first time round, God knows how many years ago but I loved it. If I remember it has James Bolam in it; I was in the Civil Service at the time and was reprimanded for spending too long discussing the latest episode with my colleagues.

I’ve never seen it but have always wanted to. What channel is UK/TV?

It's channel 20.

I remember this from when I was very young - my mum used to watch it. I caught a bit of it a week or so ago and it did seem very dated. I might look at it on catch up one rainy weekend though. (the catchup channel is called UKTV Play).

It was a marvellous series, we both loved it. Fantastic actors and storylines.

Saturday morning then. I must remember to tune in next week!

Oh, now I've got the song as an ear worm!

James Bolam, yes
He became a Likely Lad!

My very best TV prog. It was late 70s and pretty sure it was on Friday nights. My Sister in law and I lived next door to each other and we loved it. We lived opposite a village pub and our men went to the pub and we joined them after WTBCI. No video recorders in those days and we couldn’t bear to miss it.

I also bought the books which I still have somewhere.

Does anyone remember The Forsyte Saga?
Apparently church congregations dropped for Evensong when it was on.

Oh, I was in my teens in the late 70s - I thought I was a child when it was on. I must be misremembering.

Another one from that time was Shabby Tiger. At the time I adored it but I got a DVD of it a few years ago and it was very poor, stiff acting and the sound was bad.

Yes, a lot of the 'issues-led' drama was pretty preachy and lecturing by today's standards. I caught one a while back, which I think was a Ken Loach thing. It was about a man from a very working class background coming back from the trenches in WW1 and not accepting the class system. He ended up in court, and gave a speech about injustice from the dock. The sentiments were laudable, but the grammar, sentence structure, logical argument and so on were not remotely in character for someone who would have left school at 12 or so. It really jarred. I think a lot of the 60s and 70s dramas were a bit like that. Kitchen sink drama was definitely realistic (ie the settings and plots were like real life) but not naturalistic (ie the dialogue wasn't a good fit).

Even in the 80s, Brookside slipped into sociology classes at times. Bobby Grant talking about the unions and Paul Collins arguing the managers' case were real set pieces.

I watched it when it was on the first time around and enjoyed it.
I also watched ‘A Family at War’ which I would like to watch again.

Altogether now! …”who shall have a fishy, on a little dishy, who shall have a fishy when the boat comes in” etc etc

I remember A Family At War, we all watched it and Later in he early 70s Sam starring Mark McManus.
They were iconic series of the times.

I realised a few years ago that the theme music to AFAW was from a Vaughan Williams composition. Very evocative.

They were good family dramas then not like the rubbish today which is mostly reality TV with half naked people

We loved "When the Boat Comes In", my husband particularly, because he was from the North East. We loved the theme tune, 'Dance to your Daddy', too. That song was often sung on the BBC's 'Listen with Mother' programme when I was small, but not in the same, lovely North East way. I shall look for the series when I've done binge watching 'The Repair Shop'.

We lived in Denmark when WTBCO was being broadcast. The streets of Copenhagen were empty on those nights. The accent accorded well to the Danish ear and many non English speakers understood the lingo! Many Geordie colloquial words are clearly from Norse. We absolutely loved this programme but was so sad when Jessie and Jack spilt up.

Loved it back in the day.

Watched this programme from when it was first broadcast in 1976 just after my first child was born. Used to look forward to every episode, I'm also watching it now and I'm enjoying it just as much.

When the Boat Comes In back on the TV.......oh yes!!! Love it. Great actors and great story lines, although I lost interest in the later plots and hated the final episode. I was born in the 50s North East , some years after the period in which the series is set, but the scenes and characters seemed so familiar to me. Guess my family history and stories passed down from older generations made it seem real and personal to me. Can't wait to watch it again. Thank you travelsafar

I now live in the North East, having returned from living in Europe for about 25 years....I am not from here originally, but there is so much to do and see here ...and I can now relate to When the Boat comes in ! I love sea shanties, there is a local group in our old Watch House down by the sea every week ...so much local history connected with the fishing industry, ship building on the Tyne ....the dockside, the quays in Newcastle and all the cargo vessels that still use the Tyne Dock ...the history of local fisherwomen is fascinating ...where I lived was once a thriving fishing village where the catch was landed for many years ...now it is still a thriving industry, but no longer in my village but fishing boats now go into the main docks on the Tyne .....very evocative ...I must re watch it

Well as we are going down Memory Lane, does anyone remember The Cedar Tree and Houseparty?? I think one followed the other and I made sure I put my baby down for her afternoon sleep so that I could watch it with my lunch!
The ladies on House party would discuss making our own Xmas cards, in fact I can still remember one of the participants, her name was Cherry. She is probably long dead.

The Cedar Tree is on YouTube.

What I would like to see again is The Onedin Line.