When the Boat Comes In (1976) is a drama web series in English. On MovieLinkBD: full story, cast, ratings, season & episode guide, official trailer and where to watch When the Boat Comes In online in HD.
When the Boat Comes In — Storyline
When the Boat Comes In is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 8 January 1976 and 21 April 1981. Taking place between 1919 to 1937, Jack Ford is a veteran of The Great War who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshield in the North East of England. It dramatises the interwar political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s, and explores the impact of national and international politics upon Ford and those around him.
Cast & Crew
- Created by: James Mitchell
- Starring: James Bolam
When the Boat Comes In — Series Details
| First Air Date | 1976-01-08 |
| Seasons | 4 |
| Episodes | 51 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Network | BBC One |
| Status | Ended |
| Rating | 7.7/10 (3 votes) |
When the Boat Comes In — Episode Guide
Series 1
- E1: A Land Fit for Heroes and Idiots (1976-01-08) — 1919: Jack Ford returns to Gallowshields on Tyneside after service in the Great War. He befriends the Seaton family—parents Bill and Bella, and their children: attractive schooltea
- E2: Say Hello… Say Tirra (1976-01-15) — Billy, Tom and old army pal Matt try to involve Jack in the Labour movement but he seems uninterested. Bella takes in Harry, a young orphan. Father Keenley, the local priest, tells
- E3: Fish in Woolly Jumpers (1976-01-22) — Times are hard as the miners strike over a pay claim and Tom, now married with a son to keep as well as Mary, who has tuberculosis, borrows money from the seemingly flush Jack. Jac
- E4: Swords and Pick Handles (1976-01-29) — Jack visits Sir Horatio Manners, father of his late commanding officer, to gift him a sword. Manners knows this is a ploy for Jack to ingratiate himself but is regardless impressed
- E5: Coal Comfort (1976-02-05) — As the strike continues, Bill approaches an old friend, regarding the location of a mine shut down fifty years earlier. Tom pursues two children who have stolen leeks from his allo
- E6: Empire Day on the Slag Heap (1976-02-12) — The strike ends with no concessions won by the colliers. Jack triumphs at the factory and Manners suggests that he could do better than Jessie. Jessie goes on a date with the older
- E7: A First Time for Everything (1976-02-19) — Encouraged by French onion seller Pierre, Bella turns the front of the house into a shop, using some of Bill's compensation. Bill, still bound to a wheelchair, is initially hostile
- E8: Paddy Boyle's Discharge (1976-02-26) — Mary dies.
Jack is in a pub when he meets old army colleague Sid Hepburn, still a professional soldier who suggests that Jack re-enlist as soldiers' pay is very good. Paddy Boyle,
- E9: Angel on Horseback (1976-03-03) — Nurse Rosie Trotter returns to Gallowshields and is mutually attracted to Tom, though, out of respect for Mary, they agree to postpone their nuptials for a year. Meanwhile, Bella's
- E10: King for a Day (1976-03-11) — Dolly is pregnant and Jack jobless so he agrees to a proposition from Manners, who wants to buy a house from Lord Calderbeck. Jack, posing as a parvenu car parts tycoon, will act a
- E11: Happy New Year, Some Say (1976-03-18) — It is New Year's Eve and Glaswegian socialist lecturer Sandy Lewis joins Jack, whom he tells that the Labour Party is in the ascendancy, at the George Hotel, where Billy is bartend
- E12: Heads You Win, Tails I Lose (1976-03-25) — To the annoyance of her husband, Jessie has been nominated for the Labour Party executive and Jack antagonises Dolly – who senses an ulterior motive in backing her. Jessie's nomina
- E13: Kind Hearted Rat with a Lifebelt (1976-04-01) — Tom is caught and remanded. Jack becomes the deputy branch secretary of the union, getting the miners on side to dissuade them from strike action. The widow Downey – who actually i
Series 2
- E1: Ask for Twopence, Take a Penny (1976-10-29) — Jack starts his new job as District Secretary but he has to contend with trouble from within his union and he meets up with his old friend Sir Horatio Manners.
- E2: Tram Ride to the Bluebell (1976-11-05) — Tom is released from prison, however, when a Scottish stranger comes looking for him and Jack there is going to be trouble.
- E3: A Pillowful of Buttercups (1976-11-12) — Billy returns home as a qualified doctor whilst Jack has a visit from an old army pal who is in trouble.
- E4: Roubles for the Promised Land (1976-11-19) — Billy is unable to get medical work due to his socialist principles. Tom, living in a hostel, befriends Kaganovich, a Russian Jew hoping to travel to Palestine and looking for Jack
- E5: Some Bulbs to Keep the Garden Bright (1976-11-26) — Les Mallow wants Jack to help him expose a local scandal and help secure him a place on the council and he is prepared to use any means to secure Jack's help.
- E6: God and Love and Wellesley Street (1976-12-03) — Tom meets a rich lady who is looking for her father and agrees to help. Meanwhile, Billy starts work as a doctor at the local surgery in Wellesley Street.
- E7: Whatever Made You Think the War is Over? (1976-12-10) — Sir Horatio Manners calls in his favour from Jack, who pays him back with interest.
- E8: Ladies, Women, Sweethearts and Wives (1976-12-17) — Bill sets up another shop in Gallowshields and Jack and Dolly get ready for a night out with the Duke of Bedlington.
- E9: After the Bonfire (1977-01-07) — Dolly leaves Jack to be with Tom. Jack gets them both jobs on the duke's staff. He becomes increasingly friendly with Lady Caroline and buys land from her to spite Manners. Billy f
- E10: A Wreath with Our Names On (1977-01-14) — There is an accident at the Lewis Bishop Ship Yard and one of the fitters is fatally injured. He was unfit to work so Jack tells Billy to keep quiet about it in order that the wido
- E11: The Way it Was in Murmansk (1977-01-21) — Jack is in demand to speak up for Geordie Watson, the local Labour candidate in the forthcoming election.
- E12: In the Front Line You Get Shot At (1977-01-28) — Union head office wants Jack to force Colfax, the local employer, to allow the union into his factory, but Jack has split loyalties. Bella is taken ill.
- E13: The Simple Pleasures of the Rich (1977-02-04) — Jack steps down as secretary for the union and everybody is upset about the potential demolition of the country house, Mandrake Place.
Series 3
- E1: A House Divided (1977-09-08)
- E2: A Tiger, a Lamb and a Basket of Fruit (1977-09-15)
- E3: My Bonnie Lass, Goodbye (1977-09-22)
- E4: A Ticket To Care For The Wounded (1977-09-29)
- E5: Travel Light, Travel Far (1977-10-06)
- E6: Requiem For A Loser (1977-10-13)
- E7: Debts Owed, Debts Paid (1977-10-20)
- E8: The Empire Builders (1977-10-27)
- E9: Look Up & See The Sky (1977-11-03)
- E10: Letters From Afar (1977-11-10)
- E11: The Father Of Lies (1977-11-17)
- E12: Diamond Cut Diamond (1977-11-24)
- E13: A Marriage & A Massacre (1977-12-01)
- E14: High Life & Hunger (1977-12-08)
- E15: Please Say Goodbye Before You Go (1977-12-15)
Series 4
- E1: Back To Dear Old Blighty (1981-02-17)
- E2: A Gift From Heaven (1981-02-24)
- E3: A Medal For The Argentine (1977-03-03)
- E4: Flies & Spiders (1981-03-10) — Smuggler Doughty introduces Jack to his supplier, German Captain Bauer, who offers Jack work guarding an air-strip in South America against local tribes. However, on learning that
- E5: Oh, My Charming Billy Boy (1981-03-17) — Jack is visited by former schoolmate, teacher Sid Meek, who is in touch with Bill Pierce, Matt's nephew, now a brilliant law student at Oxford and in financial straits. Sid, secret
- E6: Friends, Romans, Countrymen (1981-03-24) — Jack has been in London for three years with Imogen, but, despite still having feelings for him, she leaves to avoid scandal as her aunt is a standing Labour member for Gallowshie
- E7: The Bright Young Things (1981-03-31) — Having made a huge sum from his deal with the oil company, Jack is mixing in London high society. He is sought by his land agent Frank to help broker the sale of an expensive emera
- E8: Action! (1981-04-07) — Lady Caroline invites Jack to visit her and her family back in Gallowshield. He finds Sarah about to marry agent Stan Liddell, who is involved in anti-fascist politics as the Black
- E9: Comrades in Arms (1981-04-14) — Jack is dating Tania, whose mother, the communist Lady Leamington, has a party to raise funds for the victims of Franco in the Spanish Civil War. At his London practise, Billy trea
- E10: Roll of Honour (1981-04-21) — Jack learns that Scott-Palliser plans to have him arrested for gun-running, so he sends Tania home and gets the ship's captain to put ashore elsewhere to avoid the Nationalist gunb
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seasons does When the Boat Comes In have? 4 season(s) with 51 episodes.
Who created When the Boat Comes In? James Mitchell.
Where can I watch When the Boat Comes In? See the Where to Watch section above for current streaming options.
