Where the Heart Is (British TV series)

Last updated

Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (British TV series).jpg
Genre Drama
Created by Vicky Featherstone
Ashley Pharoah
Starring Cast
Opening theme Prefab Sprout  – "Where the Heart Is"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series10
No. of episodes110 (List of episodes)
Production
ProducersUnited Productions (later Granada) with:
Anglia Television (1997–2001)
Meridian Broadcasting (2002–2005)
Granada Television (2006)
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Network ITV
Release6 April 1997 (1997-04-06) 
10 September 2006 (2006-09-10)

Where the Heart Is is a British drama television series set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone. The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 6 April 1997. The show focuses on the lives of a group of district nurses and their families who reside in the town. The show was created after Featherstone visited the Yorkshire town of Meltham. She was intrigued by the tight-knit community, particularly those connected to the local district nursing office. She approached Pharoah with her ideas, and they pitched the show to ITV; after the network ordered production of the first series, they – along with producer Kate Anthony – began creating the show. The series was filmed in the Colne valley of West Yorkshire, mainly in the villages of Marsden and Slaithwaite and the town of Meltham.

Contents

Where The Heart Is focuses on the stories that occur in small communities without being sentimental. Pharoah wanted to explore the hidden conflicts that occur within the families and friends. Margaret Tiffany, a real-life Meltham district nurse, provided Featherstone with the premise of the show. She was employed as a script advisor and coached the cast and helped the production create an authentic representation of life in the Colne Valley communities. Where The Heart Is initially focuses on five main characters from the Snow and Goddard family. In later series it expanded its focus to additional characters using an ensemble cast format. On 12 October 2006, ITV announced that the tenth series was the last as they decided to focus on creating other shows. The final episode was broadcast on 10 September 2006.

Plot overview

Where the Heart Is focuses on the personal lives of two district nurses in the small Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite. [1] The official ITV website described the series as "an engaging story of life, love, family and people’s ever-changing fortunes in rural England. Set against the rugged landscape of Yorkshire, it follows the busy professional and family lives of District Nurses, as they bring nursing and emotional care to young and old alike." [2] Initially, it mainly concentrated on the lives of two of the district health nurses, Peggy Snow (Pam Ferris) and Ruth Goddard (Sarah Lancashire). [1] The story expands to focus on the lives of more Skelthwhaite residents, particularly those related to the nurses as well as those working in a local toilet paper factory. [3]

Production

Where The Heart Is was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone. [4] [5] The show is a drama series and was made for ITV's "prime time" television slot. [2] The series was filmed in the Colne valley of West Yorkshire, mainly in the villages of Marsden and Slaithwaite, and the town of Meltham. [6] [7] The production team would also use Huddersfield Town Hall as an occasional filming location. [6] The show's theme song, also titled "Where the Heart Is", was performed by the band Prefab Sprout. [8]

The Yorkshire town of Meltham became the premise for the show's setting and stories. Meltham & Lower Holme Valley.JPG
The Yorkshire town of Meltham became the premise for the show's setting and stories.

Featherstone's inspiration for the series came from a visit to the Colne Valley, where she attended a wedding. [9] Featherstone was intrigued by a close-knit community based in Meltham, particularly the district nurses working in the town. Featherstone had previously worked with Pharoah writing for the BBC television drama Silent Witness . [9] She recalled that he was keen to create a story about a teenager who wanted to break away from a tight-knit community, [10] and thought that the two stories could be combined. When Featherstone approached Pharoah with her idea, he was uninterested in the concept because he believed it "sounded soft and sentimental". [11] She convinced Pharoah to accompany her to Meltham where they visited a small district nursing office. After conversing with the staff, Pharoah realised they had valid stories which had the potential to be explored fully on a television series. [11] After two days in Meltham, Pharoah was determined to create the show. He had even envisioned all the characters based on the people he had met and thought of storylines. [12]

Pharoah was soon hired by United Productions, where Featherstone was already employed, to write a script. [12] The pair knew the show would need to be suitable for a pre-watershed time slot and were mindful to exclude profanity and nudity. [12] Pharoah was adamant that Where The Heart Is would not be sentimental and would include conflict. [3] The decision to make the two main characters female was made to give the show a "maternal heart". Pharoah decided to make certain characters related to add to the conflict that arises from family disagreements. [3] Pharoah observed a toilet paper factory in Meltham and decided to incorporate it into the scripts because it dominated the town's employment. He told Deborah and Anthony Hayward, in their book Where The Heart Is, that "I thought it would be good to have that sense of industry. It gave us a workplace for the men that added a completely different angle from the women's nursing storylines." [3] The show also features a local rugby team, with their story providing the more comedic elements of the series; Pharoah was a keen rugby fan and thought it added good balance to some of the show's "dark storylines". [13] The story which set the tone for the show was the issue of euthanasia. In the opening episode the lead characters help their patient to die. [13] Originally ITV was not keen on exploring the issue, but changed their stance after reading Pharoah's scripts. [14] The network was also concerned about the show's structure in regards to its equal focus on all of the characters. They believed the programme better suited a "pyramid structure", in which the matriarchal character of Peggy was at the top. [14]

Simon Lewis took on the role of the executive producer of Where The Heart Is. [15] Kate Anthony was hired as the show's producer and was intrigued by the story of a woman choosing how she wanted to die. [16] She met with Featherstone and Pharoah to discuss the series and travelled to the Yorkshire towns of Meltham, Marsden and Slaithwaite, which she decided to use as filming locations for the show. [16] Naming the show's main town Skelthwaite was inspired by the real village of Slaithwaite. [3] Anthony recalled watching the sun gleam over the Yorkshire moors and feeling that the show had found its home. [16] She then set about finding the show's cast with the help of Lewis and casting director Gail Stevens. [15]

One of Featherstone's biggest inspirations for the series was Margaret Tiffany, a district nursing sister based in Meltham. Tiffany had twenty-three years experience working her role in the Colne Valley area. [14] She helped Pharoah research information for the stories included in the first series of the show and assisted cast members with their research as well, particularly Ferris. Tiffany also acted as a nursing advisor, providing information on medical practises and procedures, coaching the cast in how to perform first aid, apply bandages, and take a patient's blood pressure. [14] Filming began in the British winter of 1996. [16] They soon discovered they had to exclude the use of medical aprons in scenes because they affected on-set lighting. Ferris told Hayward that "we decided to take liberties with that sort of thing", noting it was a drama rather than a factual documentary. [17] Where The Heart Is debuted on ITV on 6 April 1997. [18] The first episode was watched by more than ten million viewers during its first broadcast in the United Kingdom. [19]

On 12 October 2006, it was announced that ITV had decided to not renew the show for an additional series. [20] The show was dropped despite high ratings, averaging more than six million viewers per episode. A publicist from the channel stated "Where The Heart Is has been a very successful series for ITV1. But the decision has been taken in order to create some flexibility for new programme ideas in that 8pm Sunday slot." [20] The show's producer, Ian Hopkins, said he was "sorry" the show had been cancelled and added "I would like to thank you for all your support for the programme over the last 10 years." [20]

Cast and characters

Pam-Ferris.jpg
Sarah Lancashire 2013.jpg
Pam Ferris and Sarah Lancashire play the original female leads, Peggy Snow and Ruth Goddard.

The series initially focused on the Snow and Goddard family, which was headed by matriarch Peggy Snow. The character was based on Pharoah's mother Maureen, sharing her "decency, warmth and down-to-earth humanity." [3] Peggy's role in the series was to drive the stories featured in each episode by being an investigator. Anthony told Hayward that Peggy's characterisation could be interpreted as nosiness but her "caring and inquisitive" nature allowed her to "wheedle out the stories". [3] Anthony wanted to find an actress who could portray Peggy's "tremendous strength and resolve" alongside her "warmth and humour". The casting team decided to approach actress Pam Ferris for the part. [15] Ferris had previously played matriarch Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May . She had previously refused other similar roles but liked the scripts for Where The Heart Is. She explained that the show was "daring" for portraying euthanasia and which made her want the role. [15]

The role of Peggy's sister-in-law Ruth Goddard was given to Sarah Lancashire. She had been approached with the role while she was still appearing in the soap opera Coronation Street as Raquel Watts. [15] Ferris and Lancashire being so well known for other roles worried Pharoah but having watched them perform and learning of their commitment to their new roles, he accepted them. [15] Pharoah scripted Ruth very differently to Peggy; he stated that he wanted "someone who was lively, younger, less experienced and a little disrespectful." Pharoah was inspired to do so having met a nurse with similar characteristics. He decided that they should be best friends and sisters-in-law in order to create tension and conflict in their friendship via family disagreements. [3]

Auditions for the male leads proved difficult for casting directors, who were determined to find actors that matched the strength that Ferris and Lancashire offered their respective role. Anthony auditioned countless actors and was fearful that casting the wrong person as Peggy's husband Vic Snow would ruin the relationship dynamic they envisioned. [15] [21] Tony Haygarth auditioned and was cast as Vic; according to Anthony he stood out because "he had all the qualities of strength and humour - as well as the potential to be a bit grumpy." [21] Vic was scripted as a well loved family man but has never amounted to great success materially. [3] Thomas Craig was selected to play Simon Goddard, Ruth's husband and Peggy's younger brother. Simon was one of the final original characters to be cast, with Thomas receiving the offer weeks prior to filming. [21] He had auditioned for another role and during his audition he tried to sell some cheap fireworks. This caused Anthony to offer him the role of Simon because she thought his behaviour better suited Simon. [21] The character of Simon was pivotal to the show, not only as Peggy's sibling but the owner of the local toilet paper factory. [3] He was characterised as a Thatcherite but also liked being a part of his community. He was portrayed as "ruthless and ambitious" but his role of an employer made him one of Skelwhaite's main providers. [3] William Ash was hired to play Peggy and Vic's son, Stephen Snow. [21] He was transformed into the character that Pharoah had always wanted to create; the teenager keen to move away from a tight-knit community. This characterisation was what initially prompted Featherstone approach Pharoah to create the series. [3] Stephen was portrayed as loath to end up like his father Vic, who had settled for a life time lived in a small community. [3] Jessica Baglow completed the Snow family, playing Peggy and Vic's young daughter Lucy. [3]

Other original characters featured in the series included William Travis as factory worker Dick Lampard, Andrew Knott as Stephen's best friend Henry Green, Maggie Wells as part-time district nurse Patricia Illingworth and Laura Crossley as Deborah Allis. [21] Graham Turner played Walter Charlton, a recurring character created by Pharoah. Anthony disliked his "old man" characterisation and decided to rewrite him. Turner originally auditioned for another role in the series, but Anthony believed he fitted her plans for Walter. [21] He has learning difficulties, which Anthony was keen to portray in Where The Heart Is. She thought that television series were often scared to fully explore learning difficulties and she wanted to show how people like Walter fit into a community. [21]

Cast list

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
166 April 1997 (1997-04-06) [18] 11 May 1997 (1997-05-11) [23] ITV
21019 April 1998 (1998-04-19) [24] 5 July 1998 (1998-07-05)
31418 April 1999 (1999-04-18) [25] 25 July 1999 (1999-07-25) [26]
41630 April 2000 (2000-04-30)3 September 2000 (2000-09-03)
51622 April 2001 (2001-04-22)12 August 2001 (2001-08-12)
61221 April 2002 (2002-04-21)7 July 2002 (2002-07-07)
796 July 2003 (2003-07-06)23 December 2003 (2003-12-23) [27]
8811 July 2004 (2004-07-11)29 August 2004 (2004-08-29)
91026 June 2005 (2005-06-26)28 August 2005 (2005-08-28)
10916 July 2006 (2006-07-16)10 September 2006 (2006-09-10)

Home media

Books

A tie-in book based on the characters of Peggy and Ruth, written by Kate Lock, was released on 7 May 1998. [28] A television companion book was released on 28 October 1999. [29]

VHS releases

The complete first series of Where the Heart Is was released on VHS on 26 October 1998. [30]

DVD releases

DVD titleEp. #Release date
(Region 2 – UK)
Discs # BBFC ratingRef.
The Complete First Series627 March 20062PG [31] [32]
The Complete Second Series1021 May 20123PG [33] [32]
The Complete Third Series146 May 20134PG [34] [32]
The Complete Fourth Series1610 March 20144PG [35] [32]
The Complete Series 1–44610 April 202313PG [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirklees</span> Metropolitan borough in England

Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the ten towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It is governed by Kirklees Council. Kirklees had a population of 422,500 in 2011; it is the third-largest metropolitan district in England by area, behind Doncaster and Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsden, West Yorkshire</span> Village in West Yorkshire, England

Marsden is a large village in the Colne Valley, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the South Pennines close to the Peak District which lies to the south. The village is 7 miles (11 km) west of Huddersfield at the confluence of the River Colne and Wessenden Brook. It was an important centre for the production of woollen cloth. In 2020, the village had an estimated population of 3,768.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meltham</span> Town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

Meltham is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Holme Valley, below Wessenden Moor, 5 miles south-west of Huddersfield on the edge of the Peak District National Park. It had a population of 8,089 at the 2001 census, which was estimated to have increased to 8,600 by 2005. The population assessed at the 2011 Census was 8,534. It has 12 elected council members who meet up around every 6 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Mitchell</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Peggy Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast to Barbara Windsor, who made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 7 November 1994. Peggy became a regular character, and Windsor played the role until she was forced to take a long break due to poor health and departed on 23 May 2003. She returned for two episodes broadcast on 16 and 17 September 2004, before rejoining as a regular character on 8 September 2005. Windsor announced in October 2009 that she would be leaving the show and departed on 10 September 2010. Windsor returned to the show for guest appearances on 20 September 2013, 25 September 2014, 17 February 2015 and 15 January 2016. She then appeared in six episodes between 9 and 17 May 2016, where the character was killed off. Her voice is last heard in the following episode, on 19 May 2016. Peggy's funeral aired on 4 July 2016. An archived recording of her voice was heard on 25 January 2022. On 26 July 2022, it was announced that Peggy would feature in a flashback episode set in 1979, alongside her husband Eric and their children Phil, Grant and Sam. Jaime Winstone played the role of Peggy for this special episode, which aired on 5 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pam Ferris</span> Welsh actress

Pamela Ferris is a Welsh actress. She has starred in numerous British television series, including Connie (1985), The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993), Where the Heart Is (1997–2000), Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006), and Call the Midwife (2012–2016). For her role as Peggy Snow in Where the Heart Is she was nominated three times for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards.

<i>Heartbeat</i> (British TV series) British television drama series (1992–2010)

Heartbeat is a British police procedural period drama series, based upon the Constable series of novels written by Nicholas Rhea, and produced by Yorkshire Television until it was merged with ITV, then by ITV Studios from 1992 until 2010. The series is set in the North Riding of Yorkshire during the 1960s, and takes place in real-life and fictional locations. Most episodes' focus on separate stories sometimes intersect with one another; some episodes focus on a single major incident.

Frederick Feast was a British television actor, best remembered for playing the role of Fred Gee in Coronation Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colne Valley</span> Valley in West Yorkshire, England

The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Colne Valley is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Paul Davies of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigit Forsyth</span> British actress (1940–2023)

Brigit Dorothea Mills, better known by her stage name Brigit Forsyth, was an English-born Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC comedy Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Helen Yeldham in the ITV drama Boon. From 2013 to 2019, Forsyth appeared in the BBC comedy Still Open All Hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Mount</span> English actress (1915–2001)

Margaret Rose Mount OBE was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years in various British towns, learning her craft. In 1955, she got her big break in the comic play Sailor Beware!: she created the leading role in a repertory production and, though unknown to London audiences, was given the part when the play was presented in the West End. She became known for playing domineering middle-aged women in plays, films and television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Barron</span> English actor (1934–2017)

Keith Barron was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Wilks</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Henry Wilks is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Arthur Pentelow. He ran the Woolpack public house alongside Amos Brearly for nearly 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Skilbeck</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Matt Skilbeck is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Frederick Pyne. He is one of the series' original characters and made his debut in the first episode broadcast on 16 October 1972. Pyne was interviewed for the role in 1971 and cast the following year. He came into the show with farming knowledge and an expectation that he would only be in it for five years. Matt is a sheep farmer and married to Peggy Skilbeck at the beginning of the serial. Matt is characterised as mild-mannered, honest, and stubborn, although Pyne thought his character was too nice. Following Peggy's death and those of his children, Matt marries barmaid Dolly Acaster. A change in Matt's personality occurs when quarry owner Harry Mowlem makes advances towards Dolly and Matt attacks him, leading to his arrest for Mowlem's murder. Pyne decided to leave Emmerdale in 1989 to pursue work in the theatre. He was unhappy that the writers chose to split Matt and Dolly up, as they had been one of the few remaining happy families in soap at the time.

Jason Done is an English actor who appeared as Mordred in the 1998 TV miniseries Merlin, opposite Sam Neill. He is best known for his role as Stephen Snow in ITV drama Where The Heart Is from 1999 to 2001 and Tom Clarkson in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road from 2006 to 2013.

Jessica Baglow is an English actress, known for Gentleman Jack, Where the Heart Is and Waterloo Road.

<i>The Women</i> (1939 film) 1939 film by George Cukor

The Women is a 1939 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor. The film is based on Clare Boothe Luce's 1936 play of the same name, and was adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, who had to make the film acceptable for the Production Code for it to be released.

Vincent Joseph Powell was a British television scriptwriter. He collaborated with a writing partner, Harry Driver, until 1973.

<i>Jericho</i> (2016 TV series) 2016 English TV series or programme

Jericho is a British period drama television series created and written by Steve Thompson; it was directed by Paul Whittington. The eight-part series premiered on ITV between 7 January and 25 February 2016. The series re-imagines the building of the Ribblehead Viaduct as a Western-inspired story. It is set in the fictional town of Jericho, a shanty town in the Yorkshire Dales of England, which springs up around the construction of a railway viaduct in the 1870s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Where the Heart Is". Drama . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Where the Heart Is". itv.com . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hayward 1999, p. 12
  4. "The Living and the Dead: Ashley Pharoah on the Writing Process". BBC. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. "Royal Court names Vicky Featherstone as Cooke successor". BBC News. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Popular TV series at the 'heart' of the town's tourist trade". Huddersfield Daily Examiner . 13 October 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  7. "Skelthwaite on a plate!". Huddersfield Daily Examiner . 4 December 2003. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. Cox, Tom (22 March 2000). "Going for a song". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 Hayward 1999, p. 8
  10. Hayward 1999, p. 9
  11. 1 2 Hayward 1999, p. 10
  12. 1 2 3 Hayward 1999, p. 11
  13. 1 2 Hayward 1999, p. 13
  14. 1 2 3 4 Hayward 1999, p. 14
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hayward 1999, p. 16
  16. 1 2 3 4 Hayward 1999, p. 15
  17. Hayward 1999, p. 19
  18. 1 2 "Sunday 6 April". The Guardian. 6 April 1997. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  19. Culf, Andrew (9 April 1997). "ITV spends to blunt impact of Channel 5". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  20. 1 2 3 Green, Kris (12 October 2006). "'Where The Heart Is' axed after a decade". Digital Spy . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hayward 1999, p. 17
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Skelthwaite Community News". Anglia TV . Archived from the original on 23 April 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  23. "Sunday 11 May". The Guardian. 11 May 1997. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  24. "Sunday 19 April". The Guardian. 19 April 1998. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  25. "Sunday 18 April". The Guardian. 18 April 1999. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  26. "Sunday 25 July". The Guardian. 25 July 1999. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  27. "Tuesday television". The Guardian. 23 December 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2020 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg
  28. Where the Heart Is - Home Paperback – 7 May 1998. ASIN   0747260230.
  29. Where The Heart Is (TV Companion S.) Paperback – 28 Oct 1999. ASIN   0752818198.
  30. "Where The Heart Is". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  31. "March 27th". dvd-fever.co.uk. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  32. 1 2 3 4 "Where the Heart Is". bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  33. "Where the Heart Is: The Complete Second Series". hmv.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  34. "Where The Heart Is - The Complete Series 3 [DVD]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  35. "Where the Heart Is - The Complete Series 4 [DVD]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  36. "Where the Heart Is 1-4". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2023.