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"Together" (80s daytime ITV soap): reruns start March 17th!


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Old 11-03-2016, 09:50
chuffnobbler
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"Together" is an all-but-forgotten soap, made by Southern TV in 1980 and 1981. Set in a block of flats in Southampton, it featured a teenage Sarah Greene and well known actors of the old-school such as Victor Maddern and John burgess (Bing Crosbie in Brookside).

Talking Pictures TV (available on Sky) has the Southern TV archive, and Together reruns start on March 17th.

Series one was recorded a couple of days before broadcast, to make it nice and topical. Series two was broadcast LIVE . (Nowadays, soaps get very excited and OTT about live episodes ... "Together" did a whole 20+ live episodes). I've heard a story told about one character redecorating their flat, and the Southern TV set design department re-wallpapered the whole set in the course of a commercial break. You don't get telly like that anymore.

Not every episode still exists, and it's bound to look creaky and dated, but it's a fascinating and rare bit of TV history, and a forgotten footnote in soap history.

I have series linked it.
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Old 11-03-2016, 10:22
davads
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I've heard about this show and it sounds intriguing; sadly Talking Pictures isn't available on Virgin

Hope one or two of the episodes land on YouTube (hint hint OP).
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Old 11-03-2016, 10:23
Lodi
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Thank You for not only bringing this long-forgotten Soap to my attention, but also for discovering this channel. It doesn't look like I'll be doing a lot but sit on my bum watching old British films for the foreseeable!
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Old 11-03-2016, 10:35
little-monster
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I wish i had the channel, as they show old movies as well.
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Old 11-03-2016, 10:45
John Dough
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I watched a couple of episodes of 'Take a letter Mr Jones', another Southern 'gem' from the early eighties. So dated and of its era.
Little wonder it didn't get a second series.

If you have Freeview HD, Talking Pictures is on channel 81. There's not room for it on conventional Freeview apparently.
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Old 11-03-2016, 14:46
chuffnobbler
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Glad this has been appreciated! I wouldn't know how to start Youtubing stuff, tragically. I am not technically minded at all. I'd love to be able to record stuff from my Skybox onto DVD but just can't deal with it ...

Talking Pictures TV is well worth looking at, if available to you. "That Beryl Marston" is a bit creaky and old-hat but diverting nonetheless, and some of the films they are showing are really quite remarkable. I've also series-linked "Spearhead", a British army series from early 70s. "Together" is one that really fires the imagination though ...

Bucketloads of info here: http://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/
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Old 22-03-2016, 17:23
SOAPYFAN
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Has anyone watched any of the episodes?

It's currently on Episode 4 of the first series.

Glad they've included the Southern TV ident, and the break bumpers..

It's quite funny seeing a normal day to day look.

A slice of everyday life.
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Old 22-03-2016, 23:46
John Dough
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I've seen a couple of episodes so far, do they ever leave the residential building or would that be too expensive?
It's quite a cheap looking programme, did it get a national showing or was it just broadcast in the Southern tv area?
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Old 23-03-2016, 16:59
chuffnobbler
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I have it on series link but not watched any yet cos I am looking forward to a bank holiday binge! I am expecting it to be very studio-bound and cheap looking, which will do me nicely.

I think it was shown nationwide. It ended when Southern lost its franchise.
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Old 24-03-2016, 01:55
M. Gambitt
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I checked out this on the ops recommendation , yes I found it terribly dated and had quite poor production values. However there was a charm about it . I'm a big fan of Mark1 crossroads so could see a lot of similarities there.
I've started on episode 4 which was written by Phil Redmond and directed by Matthew Robinson .
I would presume Phil is of Brookside fame and did Matthew go on to produce Eastenders ?
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Old 24-03-2016, 02:27
lloys-strachan
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Loving this. Bringing back memories from being off school after having my appendix out.
Can't wait for the one episode that always stuck in my mind... Broadcast live and asked permission to take Radio 4 news at the top of the hour.
It may be dated by today's standards, but shows just how ITV has descended to the lowest of the low.
Oh, how we were spoiled in the 70's and 80's by an ITV that cared about programming and not just profits.
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Old 25-03-2016, 14:03
Alex_Sullivan
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There is a touch of 'Acorn Antiques' about it - Some obviously cued entrances and stilted exchanges and a few awkward-fitting references to news events.
There is something endearingly quaint about the show - Those seventies-into-eighties colour schemes - Everything seems to be peach, beige, deep green or clashing browns. That beguilingly light theme tune. Also, a story thread based around installing a deep freeze.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of genuine points of interest - Powell/Presburger star Kathleen Byron in one of the main roles, Sarah Greene with dark hair - It takes a moment or two to recognise her, but that RP voice is unmistakable and the overall reminder of how daytime TV looked in 1980.

My favourite dialogue - 'Does your husband indulge himself? Mine is very abstemious, except when it comes to Yorkshire puddings, but that's neither her nor there'.
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Old 21-06-2016, 10:16
chuffnobbler
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Mrs Chuff and I commenced viewing last night, and we're immediately hooked!
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Old 20-10-2016, 17:56
koantemplation
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This is definitely a soap that makes 'Crossroads' look good.

I only caught it because it was shown on the local TV channel.
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