Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)

This article is about the Australian television show. For other uses, see Sons and Daughters.

Sons and Daughters
File:Sonsanddaughters.jpg
Created by	Reg Watson
Starring	Rowena Wallace Tom Richards Leila Hayes Brian Blain Pat McDonald Ian Rawlings Belinda Giblin Sarah Kemp Abigail Peter Phelps Ally Fowler Kim Lewis Alyce Platt Lyndel Rowe
Country of origin	Australia
No. of episodes	972
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Original release
Network	Seven Network
Release	1981 – 1987

Sons and Daughters was an Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation. It screened on the Seven Network in an early evening timeslot, running from December 1981 until 1987. The series commenced in Melbourne with the first three episodes screened in a 90 minute format on Monday 18 January 1982 at 7pm.A repeat run on the Seven Network in Australia ran from October 2006 to March 2007. A DVD marking the 25th Anniversary of Sons and Daughters was released in October 2006.

Love and laughter

The initial premise introduced handsome working-class John Palmer (Peter Phelps) from Melbourne who, while on the run for murder, moved to Sydney and fell in love with defiant rich girl Angela Hamilton (Ally Fowler). It was soon learned that John and Angela were in fact brother and sister, twins who were separated at birth and raised separately. John had initially been raised by the wise former prostitute Fiona Thompson (Pat McDonald) before returning to his father, and Angela raised by her mother who had married into money.

The parents of the twins had each married other people and raised families which at the time the series started had other adult children. In Melbourne the Palmer family comprised John's father David (Tom Richards), a truck driver; David's wife Beryl (Leila Hayes), a warm-hearted, down-to-earth housewife. Their children together were Susan (Ann Henderson-Stiers) and Kevin (Stephen Comey), who were both engaged. Susan to Bill Todd (Andrew McKaige) and Kevin to Lynn Hardy (Antonia Murphy). Bill had committed the murder for which John was accused. John was soon cleared and Bill convicted.

In Sydney Angela had grown up with her mother Patricia (Rowena Wallace), Patricia's husband Gordon (Brian Blain) who was a successful businessman, and Gordon's son from an earlier marriage, the spiteful Wayne (Ian Rawlings). Other original characters were Jill Taylor (Kim Lewis), a young former prostitute who lived with Fiona and Rosie Andrews (Anne Haddy), the Hamiltons' housekeeper.

Subsequent new characters who would emerge as major players in the series included Barbara Armstrong (Cornelia Frances) who married Gordon after his divorce from Patricia, and Barbara's niece Amanda Morrell (Alyce Platt). Patricia's best friend, the dizzy socialite Charlie Bartlett (Sarah Kemp), was introduced as a minor figure during the show's early months as someone Patricia could recite expository dialogue about her latest scheme to, but soon emerged as a key character. Andy Green (Danny Roberts), the long-lost son of Barbara's former husband Roland (Tony Ward), also became a key character in the series, and Charlie and Andy would continue through to the final episode. Other notable characters to arrive during the show's middle period were Rob Keegan (Noel Hodda), who married Angela, Dr. Irene Fisher (Judy Nunn) who became a close friend of Fiona Thompson, Patricia's estranged sister Margaret Dunne (Ilona Rodgers) and Terry Hansen (Andrew Clarke), a drifter who turned out to be Fiona's long-lost son and who, in a highly politically incorrect storyline, raped Jill but was still treated in the scripts as a sympathetic character after a spell in prison.

Storylines explored the romantic entanglements of the various characters, various instances of family instability linked to the breakdowns of both David and Patricia's marriages after they renewed their love affair, and the big-business intrigue surrounding Gordon's company. The series also widened its focus by introducing two more families such as the rest of Barbara Hamilton's clan including her brother and Amanda's father Stephen Morrell (Michael Long), who married Patricia, and their elderly but formidable mother Dee (Mary Ward) and the working-class O'Briens - Mike (Ken James), Heather (Rona Coleman), Katie (Jane Seaborn) and Jeff (Craig Morrison) - written into the show as next door neighbours to the Palmers. Sons and Daughters was highly successful for several years and many of the cast became major television stars through their roles in the show.

Pat The Rat

The show's most famous character was the neurotic bitch Patricia, played by Rowena Wallace. Dubbed "Pat the Rat", the character became a major cult figure through her bitchiness and scheming. Wallace decided to leave the series after a little over three years in the part, and in 1985 she won a Gold Logie for the role just as her final episodes were being transmitted. Patricia fled to Rio de Janeiro to escape a murder charge after tangling with shady businessman Roger Carlyle (Leslie Dayman) and his son Luke (Peter Cousens).

Attempts to mitigate against the loss of Patricia saw the introduction of new strong female characters including Karen Fox (Lyndel Rowe), David Palmer's duplicitous but troubled niece Leigh (Lisa Crittenden), and Caroline Morrell (Abigail), the ex-wife of Stephen and Amanda's mother. All were conceived as bitchy replacements for Patricia, but Karen was soon killed off (thrown off a small bridge at the end of the Hamilton's driveway at Dural) and Caroline's character was softened.

Such was the popularity of Patricia, the producers of the show took the unusual step of recasting the role, with former The Box star Belinda Giblin stepping into the part. The writers explained the new facial features as being the result of extensive plastic surgery, and even made it a focal point of Patricia's return: calling herself Alison Carr, Patricia returned to Sydney after several months in South America to exact revenge on all her enemies, who would not know who they were dealing with. Milking the story for all it was worth, simultaneous with Patricia's return, David travelled to Rio de Janeiro to search for her. He brought back a timid woman, Sarah Hunt (Christine James), who had recently had plastic surgery and who was suffering from amnesia, believing that she was Patricia. She tried to come to terms with her "villainous" past, but soon vanished once it was learned she was not actually Patricia.

Tears and sadness and happiness

The later years of Sons and Daughters saw regular cast reshuffles occur, with the departures of long-running characters like Barbara Hamilton, Jill Taylor, Irene Fisher and Amanda Morrell and the demise of unsuccessful cast additions such as the O'Brien family. New characters were brought into the show, such as Amanda's younger sister Samantha (Sally Tayler), Charlie Bartlett's long-lost son Adam Tate (Adam Briscomb), elderly rascal Arthur "Spider" Webb (Willie Fennell), Jenny Turner (Joanna Lockwood), a new love interest for Stephen Morrell after he had divorced Patricia, Gordon's wayward brother James Hamilton (Nick Tate) and Mary Reynolds (Tessa Humphries), a vulnerable young woman claiming to be the long-lost daughter of Patricia.

They in turn were written out to make way for handsome hunk Glen Young (Mark Conroy), teenager Craig Maxwell (Jared Robinson) and his girlfriend Debbie Halliday (Shannon Kenny), Fiona's puritanical niece Janice Reid (Rima Te Wiata), May Walters (Georgie Sterling), an old friend of Fiona's from her days as a brothel madam, Ginny Doyle (Angela Kennedy), a vivacious young fashion designer, and businessman Doug Fletcher (Normie Rowe), who became a love interest for Caroline Morrell. After a long absence the character of Susan Palmer was written back into the series, now played by Oriana Panozzo, and she played a key role in many of the later storylines, marrying the increasingly evil Wayne but carrying a torch for Glen.

As the series progressed, increasingly melodramatic and bizarre storylines were explored, and the cliffhanger situations became more and more ostentatious. Storylines made repeated use of such elements as long-lost children and siblings, lookalike impostors, blindness, mistaken paternity, amnesia, murder plots and suicides. End of episode cliffhanger situations included a bomb-in-a-wheelchair, a character falling down a well, a character falling down a cliff, and a plane crash.

As ratings went into decline Rowena Wallace was lured back to the series for a ten week return, and there was much press speculation as to how the writers would pull this off. It transpired that Patricia was in fact an identical twin, and the returning Rowena would play the new character of Patricia's long-lost twin sister Pamela Hudson. Pamela was introduced into the series as having been released from prison and in true convoluted Sons and Daughters style, turned out to have some long-lost children of her own - Greg (Tom Jennings) and Sarah (Melissa Docker). Unfortunately this return appearance did little to halt the show's dwindling popularity and the series was cancelled while Rowena was taping her scenes.

When the series finished in 1987 the characters of Fiona, Wayne, Beryl, Gordon, Andy, Charlie, Caroline and Alison remained. David Palmer who had departed after five years in the show returned for the final episode. The various characters get their deserved happy endings or comeuppances and the series ends as it began with a young couple arriving at Fiona’s house asking for help, with the pregnant girl giving birth to twins.

Cliffhangers

During the original Australian transmission run of Sons and Daughters, the series left the air each year with a suitably suspenseful cliffhanger that rivalled even the excesses of Dallas and Dynasty. They are, in order:

• 1982 season: David stops Patricia from going to John and Angela's joint 21st birthday party at the Palmers' house, and Patricia taunts him with the bombshell that he isn't the twins' father after all. (Episode 174).
• 1983 season: David and Beryl are held at gunpoint at Woombai (the Hamiltons' country estate) by escaped criminal Joe Parker (Danny Adcock). The second cliffhanger is Patricia and Margaret coming face to face for the first time since Margaret was released from prison. (Episode 352)
• 1984 season: A sedated, helpless Patricia lies on a hospital operating table, about to be operated on by murderous surgeon Dr. Ross Newman (Robin Stewart). The other cliffhanger is Fiona about to give an answer to Barney Adam's marriage proposal. (Episode 528)
• 1985 season: Beryl is terrified when Doris Hudson (Carole Skinner), the emotionally unbalanced and jealous housekeeper of her boyfriend Rod Campbell (David Bradshaw), locks her out of the Palmer house and advances menacingly towards her baby son Robert with a pillow to smother him, whilst Alison and James are involved in a plane crash as they rush to stop Wayne from getting (incestuously) married to Mary. Meanwhile Caroline is locked in the cupboard by Duncan Phipps after a bungled robbery at Dural and Irene (Judy Nunn) tells Fiona that she has cancer. (Episode 696)
• 1986 season: Alison is locked in a room with a venomous snake when she breaks into a safe at the Hamilton mansion, while a sailing trip on a yacht ends in danger when both Glen and “Tick” McCarthy (Haydon Samuels), a young boy being fostered by Wayne, are wounded, and Wayne, swimming for help, is pursued by a shark. Meanwhile Craig is knocked out by a horse and Caroline finds out that Doug is already "married" (Episode 868).

Credits sequence

The opening and end credits sequences of the series were distinctive. The credits at start of each episode featured sepia-toned portraits of the main characters. The end credits sequence was also in sepia tone; as each episode reached the end-of-episode cliffhanger the screen image went into a freeze-frame and faded to sepia tone as the popular theme song played and the credits rolled.

The theme tune was eventually released in the UK as a single.

Deceased cast members

Actor	Year of death
Pat McDonald	1990
Brian Blain	1994
Anne Haddy	1999
Michael Long	????

Sons and Daughters : Cast album

In the early-'80s, when Australia's Seven Network was broadcasting both Sons and Daughters and A Country Practice, it decided to cash in on the shows' success - and provide the shows with some publicity - by producing and releasing a cast album.

The album was called 'All My Friends', and featured the cast of Sons and Daughters on the A-side and the cast of A Country Practice on the B-side.

A-Side:

1. Sons and Daughters Theme

2. Some Kind of Friend (Ian Rawlings)

3. Bosom Buddies (Pat McDonald and Rowena Wallace)

4. The More I See You (Peter Phelps and Kim Lewis)

5. Behind Closed Doors (Tom Richards and Leila Hayes)

6. Sometimes When We Touch (Stephen Comey)

7. Help Me Make It Through the Night (Leila Hayes)

8. Friends (Rowena Wallace)

International and cult success

Starting in the early 1980s the series was broadcast in various regions of the UK, usually in daytime slots. The series had debuted on different dates in different regions and was broadcast at varying rates, meaning that its storylines were not concurrent between different UK ITV companies, with as much as over 6 years' difference between different regions of the UK.

Through the 1990s the programme was also repeated in various regions of Australia, usually in early morning and daytime slots. A rerun of the series up to the 1985 season ran until December 2000 on Australian television. The full series was also shown by pay-TV operator Foxtel on the UK.TV Channel in the late 1990s.

Between 1992 and 1996, the programme was repeated on the UK satellite channel UK Gold. It screened from its launch on November 1st 1992, and completed its run on July 15th 1996. It was shown at 8am and 12midday for the entire repeat screening.

Between 1998 and 2005 a repeat run of the series ran in the UK on Channel Five in a late-night timeslot. The entire series was repeated with the final episode screened in November 2005. This last showing led to a resurgence of the series' cult popularity in the UK.

From October 2006 the series started being re-run on the Seven Network in Australia, weekdays at 10.00am. This was discontinued earlier in 2007.

UK Regional ITV transmissions

The 14 members of the UK's ITV network all screened the series at their own varying pace. Each ITV contractor purchased the show and inserted one commercial break at approximately halfway into the episode. Due to legal obligations the end credits always had to be played without the various captions for Australian sponsors such as Ansett.

Central Television screened the first episode as part of a 90 minute pilot on Sunday 6 February 1983, continuing in the 15.30 slot Wednesdays - Fridays. This was increased to Mondays - Fridays in 1987 before reducing to Tuesdays - Fridays ending the series on Tuesday 13 December 1988. The Young Doctors replaced the show in this slot in early 1989.

Yorkshire Television commenced with the pilot as a 75 minute episode on Monday 11 July 1983 continuing the series on Mondays and Fridays at 15.30 until a daily Monday to Friday broadcast started in September. As with most other regions Network commitments at on Monday and Tuesday at 15.30 from Jaunuary 1984 reduced Yorkshire's output to Wednesdays to Fridays. In February 1988 Yorkshire resumed five episodes a week with the final episode being screened on Friday 10 March 1989. Half episodes of A Country Practice filled the vacant slot on the following Monday.

Granada Television chose a prime time slot of 18.05 for the show starting on Monday 5 September 1983 shown on Mondays and Fridays. UK soap Crossroads filled the Tuesday - Thursday slot. Granada's pace was far slower than that of Central and Yorkshire and Granada dropped their Friday screening in November 1983. The show was then later switched to Fridays evenings. During 1985, Granada switched the show to a Monday and Tuesday 15.30 slot with The Young Doctors occupying the other days. The series was eventually increased to a Wednesday slot. Mondays to Thursdays were used from September to Novmeber 1993 then Wednesdays to Fridays until February 1994. Then daily Monday to Friday slots were used until the climax on Thursday 28 April 1994. New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street replaced the show.

Television South started the programme in the Wednesday and Thursday 15.20 slot on Wednesday 19 October 1983. This was increased to Wednesday to Friday at 15.30 from January 1984. The show moved to a slot of 17.15 in September 1984 before reverting to the 15.30 slot with differing days. The final episode aired in early 1992. New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street replaced the show.

Television South West started screening the programme on Monday 14 November 1983 with a Monday, Wednesday and Friday 15.30 slot. Channel Television had a direct feed from TSW for all their regional programmes. The Monday episode was switched to Thursdays in alignment with most other regions in 1984. Later in 1986 the Friday screening was changed to Tuesdays. Daily Monday to Friday episodes used in from late 1988 at 15.27 ending in October 1989. Less than three hours after it's first play, a second showing of Home and Away replaced the show in a daily 15.25 slot.

Channel Television followed TSW's schedules until January 1986 before changing to follow what TVS were showing. Channel had to re-show 83 episodes of Sons and Daughters as TVS were behind TSW.

The main feed to the ITV Network came from Thames Television whose Sons and Daughters schedule was followed by Tyne Tees Television and Anglia Television. The three regions started the show on Tuesday 15 November 1983 with a Tuesday - Friday screening. The Tuesday episode was withdrawn temporarily in 1984 due to a Networked (except Central and TVS) programme Miracles Take Longer from January until May. From September 1984 the regions adapted the familiar Wednesday to Friday routine with all three regions showing The Young Doctors at their own pace on Mondays and Tuesdays. Network commitments caused the Wednesday episode to be dropped in September 1989 in favour of Coronation Street repeats. After the end of the show in July 1990, Anglia and Thames replaced the show with an increase in The Young Doctors episodes with Tyne Tees choosing to screen US soap Santa Barbara.

During the Sons and Daughters run, a strike was held by technicians at Thames Television during August 1984 resulting in Tyne Tees and Anglia being forced to show alternative programmes for a one week period. Other shows fed to other regions by Thames similarly had to be replaced. Thames suffered another round of industrial action in October 1984 lasting for a longer period. Initially Thames was blacked out completely, however management then ran a limited service supplying only Thames-made programmes and their own imports. These programmes were only aired in the Thames region. During this time other regions had no access to Thames' shows and similarly Thames had no access to other regions' shows and the ITN News. Thames ran Sons and Daughters episodes in their regular slot for three weeks whereas Tyne Tees had to show Benson and Anglia filled in with Happy Days. It seems that after a week (three episodes' worth) of playing Benson and Happy Days Anglia and Tyne Tees screened Sons and Daughters. As Thames had no way of providing the episodes to them it is likely that they obtained them / had them played to them from another region which was at a similar point in the serial. TSW were only slightly behind the Thames trio and would have likely had the episodes on hand that Anglia and Tyne Tees needed. In order to remain on the Thames Sons and Daughters schedule, Anglia and Tyne Tees were forced to be 3 episodes behind Thames with the episodes to their own regions when Thames resumed a full network service. Thames allowed these two to catch up though at the end of 1984 by Anglia and Tyne Tees screening another three Sons and Daughters and CHiPs whereas Thames had Christmas films. When Thames chose to have a regional fundraising afternoon on Wednesday 30 October 1985 they cleared their whole schedule for the event. Again Anglia and Tyne Tees viewers were affected and they had to miss their episode on that day.

Scottish Television started the series on Tuesday 3 April 1984 with a 14.00 slot on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays while all other regions were screening STV's daytime soap Take The High Road. Then they used a weekly Tuesday 15.30 slot until the Monday and Tuesday 15.30 slot was used from September 1984 until 1986 when the Monday slot was switched to Thursdays. The Thursday slot is later switched to Fridays. The Tuesday slot is later switched to Thursdays. Due to Scottish TV's heavy commitment to locally made programmes, the transmission of acquired material suffered a great deal more than in other regions. In the early 1990s STV dropped the programme with a returns on Saturdays afternoons before shifting to early Sunday mornings and then early Thursday mornings from January 1995. Series eventually ended in mid/late 1995 making STV the slowest region to complete the series.

Grampian Television began with a weekly Tuesday 15.30 slot from 22 May 1984. From September the usual Wednesday to Friday 15.30 pattern was followed reducing their until Network commitments dropped the Wednesday screening in 1989. The series ended in May 1991 with The Young Doctors replacing the show.

HTV screened the show in the Wednesday to Friday 15.30 slot from 11 July 1984 reducing to Thursday and Friday in 1989 and ending in May 1991. The Young Doctors replaced the programme.

Border Television began on Monday 1 July 1985 in the Monday and Tuesday 15.30 slot increasing this to three times a week in 1993. 81 Episodes were skipped at the end of December 1993 as from that point Border began to screen exactly as Granada were. Concluded Thursday 28 April 1994 14.50 as Granada. New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street replaced the show.

Ulster Television began showing the series in July 1986 on Mondays and Fridays at 15.30. Had Monday to Thursday episodes from 1990 before increasing to daily episodes at 13.45 ending in October 1992.

It was perfectly possible to view three different episodes of the programme simultaneously in ITV overlap areas such as Central / Yorkshire / Anglia.

ITV Regional Scheduling

ITV Region	Programme Schedule Pattern
	Start Date	Days Screened	End Date	Replaced With
Central Television	Sunday 6 February 1983 90 minute pilot at 14.30	15.30 slot Wednesdays - Fridays. The series was then increased to five days a week on Monday 7 September 1987 starting with episode 666 before reducing to Tuesdays - Fridays after episode 907 screened on Monday 22 August. Monday slot then used for Who's the Boss?. Other slots used for Survival	Tuesday 13 December 1988 15.30	The Young Doctors from late December 1988
Yorkshire Television (YTV) fastest	Monday 11 July 1983 75 minute pilot at 14.45	Mondays and Fridays 15.30 until each weekday from September. Mondays and Tuesdays dropped due to Network commitments in these slots after the 3 January 1984 episode. Mondays and Tuesdays resumed from 29 February/1 March 1988.	Friday 10 March 1989 15.30 and can be viewed as transmitted by YTV on Youtube	A Country Practice halves from Monday 13 March 1989
Granada Television	Monday 5 September 1983 18.00	Mondays and Fridays 18.05, Friday dropped in November 1983. Switched to Fridays in January 1985 then moved to Monday and Tuesday 15.30 in mid 1985 just after Border start the series in the same slots. Series comes to a stop for a summer break on Tuesday 29 July 1986 with episode 182 and resumes on Monday September 1 as usual. The 1987 summer break starts after episode 275 airs on Tuesday 4 August. Series resumes on Monday 14 September. Moves to ???? from 23 April 1990, During 1991 double episodes screened on Mondays at 14.20 - 15.15, From 14 April increases to Wednesdays (until at least August 1993) with an extra episode solely for Thursday 15 April 1993. In late 1993 (at the latest November) the series is increased to four episodes a week with a Thursday episode. During the week of 29 November the series is shown on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Thereafter the series is reduced to three episodes a week (Wed - Fri) possibly slowing down to allow Granada to reach a suitable point in the storyline for when Border join Granada on 29 December 1993. January 1994 ???. Increasing again to Mondays - Fridays from February 1994 until the end of the series in April.	Thursday 28 April 1994 14.50	Shortland Street
Television South (TVS)	Wednesday 19 October 1983 15.20	Wednesdays and Thursdays at 15.20, then Wednesdays to Fridays 15.30, Moved to Monday and Tuesday 17.15 slot in September 1984. During 1986 the 17.15 slot had many slots lost due to Bank Holidays, ice skating (17/03 and 18/03), a Royal tour, sudden breaking news events and World Cup preview programming. Other regions were running the daily quiz show Blockbusters which was not as affected due to it being a daily programme rather than twice weekly. During the World Cup as the 16/06 and 23/06 slots were occupied with this WC programme, on Monday 23 June 1986 instead of 17.15, TVS (and Channel) screened 'Sons and Daughters from 13.35 until 14.45 showing three episodes at once (Episodes 273-275). Returned to 15.30 Tuesday and Thursday from Tuesday September 8 1987 starting with episode 396. As of July 1989 different days.	Monday 27 April 1992 15.25	The Young Doctors
Television South West (TSW)	Monday 14 November 1983 15.30	Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 15.30, Mondays changed to Thursdays due to Network commitments in the Monday slot from January 1984. In September 1984 Fridays changed to Tuesdays. In 1985 when the slots of 1 January (New Year), 19 March (Budget) 8 May (ITN News Special) and 5 June (Derby Day) were unavailable, TSW used Friday in each of those weeks to screen the displaced slot's episodes. Monday - Fridays used from Monday 17 October 1988 starting with episode 739 until the end.	Tuesday 19 September 1989 15.27	Home and Away second showings
Channel Television	As TSW	As TSW until end of December 1985. Because it was felt that TSW's scheduling was peculiar, Channel then switched to TVS from January 1986 with episodes from 234 until 316 re-shown in TVS's preferred later 17.15 twice weekly slot. This meant that Channel only showed 14 new episodes during 1986 (317-330)	As TVS	The Young Doctors
Thames Television	Tuesday 15 November 1983 15.30	Tuesdays to Fridays 15.30, Tuesdays dropped due to Network commitments from January to May 1984. Tuesday episode returns from 22 May 1984. Then Friday episode dropped after episode on 29 June. A technicians' strike by Thames TV from Monday 27 August 1984 until the following Monday forced the programme off air for that week on Thames also affecting Anglia and Tyne Tees. From 3 September 1984 until September 1989 Wednesdays to Fridays. An additional episode (619) was screened on Tuesday 29 December 1987. Then from 18 October 1989 Wednesday episode dropped for Network programme - Thursdays and Fridays until end.	Thursday 5 July 1990 15.25	The Young Doctors from Friday 6 July 1990
Anglia Television	As Thames	As Thames (with certain episodes screened a week after Thames from October 1984 when Thames could not provide other regions with material. Along with Tyne Tees they fell behind Thames but had an extra three at the end of 1984 when Thames were screening Xmas films)	As Thames	The Young Doctors from Friday 6 July 1990
Tyne Tees Television	As Thames	As Anglia	As Thames	Santa Barbara from Friday 6 July 1990
Scottish Television (STV) slowest	Tuesday 3 April 1984 14.00	Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 14.00 until episode 35 on Thursday 21 June. Series takes a break and returns on 3 July on Tuesdays at 14.30 until episode 44, then Mondays and Tuesdays 15.30 from 3 September 1984 starting with episode 45, then Mondays were switched to Fridays from January 1985. Tuesday slot dropped once a month for STV community programme Positively Unemployed. After Friday 28 June, Friday episode dropped and returns in January 1986. Every Tuesday is used for Sons and Daughters from 2 July until 24 September. Series returns on 8 October 1985. Tuesday episode temporarily dropped in early 1986. Tuesday episode moved to Thursdays from September 1989. Then after episode on Friday 3 September 1993, series is reduced to once a week on Thursdays until at leats 30 December 1993. Switches to Sunday mornings during January 1994 (04.40 on 23 Jan and 04.20 on 30 Jan). After 30 January episodes series is dropped. In July and August 1994 Tuesdays at 14.50 used until 30 August (episode 9??) then dropped the series again. Series resumes on Saturday afternoons at about 15.40 from 24 September up until episode 9?? on 17 December 1994. Next episodes re-appear weekly early Thursday mornings from 5 January 1995 (no episode 12 January as schedule full) (start times varied from 02.30 to 05.00). Considering that the all other regions managed to complete the programme in the afternoon slots AND most of them screened around 700 hours of The Young Doctors AS WELL in the afternoons, viewers in the STV region were very badly treated with STV's treatment of Sons and Daughters.	971 and 972 screened as a double episode Thursday 27 July 1995 (Wednesday night) 02.30 - 03.20	Various night-time programmes
Grampian Television	Tuesday 22 May 1984 15.30	Tuesdays 15.30 until episode 15 on 28 August 1984. From 5 September 1984 the usual Wednesday to Friday 15.30 pattern was followed until Network commitments dropped the Wednesday screening from 18 October 1989 after episode 779 (Fri 13 October 1989). Series moved back to Wednesdays to Fridays at 13.50 for the last few months	Wednesday 22 May 1991 13.50	Various programmes
HTV	Wednesday 11 July 1984 15.30	Wednesdays to Fridays 15.30, Wednesday episode dropped for Network programme from 18 October 1989. Wednesday episode returns on 9/16/23 January 1991.	Thursday 16 May 1991 15.25	A Country Practice
Border Television	Monday 1 July 1985 14.45 75 minute pilot described as Film	Monday and Tuesday 15.30 slot from 2 July 1985. Temporary increase to three a week using Wednesdays for all of August 1986. After 17 April 1990 episode moves to Wednesdays weekly at 14.00 for a period, increasing this to Wednesdays and Thursdays at 13.50 from early 1991(during this time Border lost one slot per month during the sitting of Parliament as they carried live Scottish Parliamentary Question Time from House of Commons 14.20 - 15.20 and the networked 14.50 programme was shown earlier on these occasions - at 13.50 in the only regional slot. 15.20 was not regional as Border took Young Drs from Granada), From 9 September 1993 a Thursday and Friday slot added. Then a Wednesday slot added from 22 September. When Border screened SPQT on Wednesdays, the programme was not screened on Wednesday or Thursday of that week. The Thursday slot was used for the displaced Gardening Time which usually preceded Sons and Daughters in Wednesdays. Such lost slots were on 27/10, 28/10 and 08/12, 09/12. Screened Episode 826 on Wednesday 22 December 1993 followed by Episode 908 on Wednesday 29 December 1993. This happened because Border joined up with the Granada stage of the series from this date and therefore had to skip 81 episodes of the series 827-907. As Granada from 29 December 1993.	As Granada	Shortland Street
Ulster Television	Monday 7 April 1986 15.30	Mondays and Fridays 15.30 until it stops after screening episode 215? on Monday 13 June 1988. Replaced with locally made Password. Series returns on Wednesday 03/08/88 at 15.30 and is shown on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Then Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12.30 from 10 October 1988 in the slot vacated by The Sullivans. After epsiode on Wednesday 28 December 1988 series has two episodes shown on Tuesday 3 January and Wednesday 4 January at 15.30 for only two episode. Series returns on Tuesday 14 February twice weekly at 12.30. One a week in late 1989???, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 14.00 from Wednesday April 25 1990. Monday to Thurs used in 1990/91, then daily at 13.45 in mid 1992	Wednesday 14 October 1992 13.45	A Country Practice

The Central pilot was slightly longer than the pilot on YTV and Border because slightly more advertising was permitted at the weekend than in weekday afternoons approaching children's television. In the event that Central had allocated too much time to the pilot, they would have screened a cartoon afterwards.

ITV Annual End of Year Episode Numbers

ITV Region in start date order	End of Year Episode Numbers
	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Central Television	116	264	411	560	747 or 748???	972	First to Complete	Completed	Completed	Completed
Yorkshire Television (YTV)	90	239	386	535	688	923	972	2nd to Complete	Completed	Completed
Granada Television	26	71	127	217	306?	402	496	584	670	had played 760 on Mon 30/11/92
Television South (TVS)	20	137	233 (Mon 23/12/85 16.45)	330	429?	5??	6??	Between 745 and 748 please confrim when last episode of the year was	89?	972
Television South West (TSW)	17	165	316	464	617	791	972	3rd to Complete	Completed	Completed
Channel Television	17	165	316 then this episode and the previous 83 episodes were repeated from the start of 1986 starting with ep 234	330	429?	5??	6??	Between 745 and 748 please confrim when last episode of the year was	89?	972
Thames Television	23	172	318 should have managed to screen one less ep than YTV/HTV/Central as Thames/Ang/TT did not have a 30/10/85 ep.	467	621	776	9??	972	Joint 4th to Complete	Completed
Anglia Television	23	172	318	467	621	776	9??	972	Joint 4th to Complete	Completed
Tyne Tees Television	23	172	318	467	621	776	9??	972	Joint 4th to Complete	Completed
Scottish Television (STV)	Not yet purchased	72	141	2??	3??	4??	5??	6??	7??	8??
Grampian Television	Not yet purchased	60	202	351	503	657	801	917	972	8th to Complete
HTV West & Wales	Not yet purchased	68	215	364	516	671	816	916	972	7th to Complete
Border Television	Not yet purchased	Not yet purchased	51	153	2??	3??	4???	516 ///// 15/11 Will Barbara find out the truth about Gordon? Next ep 22/11 Mitch and Derek are quarrelling	603	695
Ulster Television	Not yet purchased	Not yet purchased	Not yet purchased	73	171	279?	???	594	777	972 If you work out 1992 easily for UTV it works out that if they had it daily they would have reached by following eps by the end of each month Jan 795 Feb 815 Mar 836 Apr 857(no ep Eas Mon, May 876(no ep first and last Mon in May), Jun 897, Jul 920, Aug 940 (no ep last Mon in Aug), Sep 962, Oct 972. MOST GOOD FRIDAYS SAD WAS SHOWN By 1992 Derby Day had been axed

ITV Region in start date order	End of Year Episode Numbers
	1993	1994	1995
Central Television	Completed	Completed	Completed
Yorkshire Television (YTV)	Completed	Completed	Completed
Granada Television	910	972	Joint 12th to Complete
Meridian Broadcasting formerly TVS	Joint 9th to Complete	Completed on TVS	Completed on TVS
Westcountry Television formerly TSW	Completed on TSW	Completed on TSW	Completed on TSW
Channel Television	Joint 9th to Complete	Completed	Completed
Carlton Television formerly Thames	Completed on Thames	Completed on Thames	Completed on Thames
Anglia Television	Completed	Completed	Completed
Tyne Tees Television	Completed	Completed	Completed
Scottish Television (STV)	915?	9??	972 14th to Complete
Grampian Television	Completed	Completed	Completed
HTV West & Wales	Completed	Completed	Completed
Border Television	910	972	Joint 12th to Complete
Ulster Television	11th to Complete	Completed	Completed

• Figures in bold indicate which region was furthest ahead of those still screening the programme at the very end of the year.

1984

• No episodes screened anywhere on Good Friday 20 April.

• Only STV had an episode on Tuesday 8 May 14.00. All 15.30 soaps removed from schedule (as day before, Bank Holiday)

• No episode on Wednesday 6 June (Derby Day)

1985

• The Budget on 19 March along with ITN News Special (VE Day) on 8 May and Derby Day 5 June meant no episodes were screened in any regions on these days in 1985.

• No episodes on Grampian on 8 and 9 August 1985.

• No episodes in any region on 23(only TVS 16.45), 24, 25, 26 and 27 December.

1986

• During 1986, regions intending to screen episodes on 19 March (announcement of engagement of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew) and 2 April (terrorist airline bomb) at 15.30 (15.25 TSW) had last minute changes to their schedule meaning that the episode intended for these dates were in fact screened on the next day (Thursday) instead.

• No episodes in any region on Budget Day 18 March 1986.

• On Monday 21/04/86 a networked programme Happy Birthday Your Majesty meant that no regions screened any soaps at 15.30. Ulster were the only region to move their Sons and Daughters episode to 14.00 on that day. TVS and Channel were not affected as their episode was at 17.15, but their other 15.30 soap was affected.

• Also no regions scheduled to screen an episode on Wednesday 23 July 1986 due to the Royal wedding of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

• No epsodes in any region on 24 December 1986.

1988

• No episode on Border, Central, Channel, Granada, STV, TVS, TSW and YTV on Tuesday 15 March 1988 due to Budget.

• No episodes in any region on Easter Monday 4 April 1988. No episode on Border on 5 April.

• No episodes in any region on Derby Day 1 June 1988

• No episodes in any region on 26/27 December and no episodes on STV on 23 and 30 December 1988.

1989

• No episode on Border on 7 February due to The Young Doctors being moved out of it's Wednesday slot to allow Live Scottish football on 8 February.
• No episode on Grampian on 8 February due to live Scottish football.

1990 No episodes on Granada on 11, 12, 25, 26 June and 10 and 11 December 1990.

1993

• No episodes on Border on 24 and 30 August.

• No episode on Border on Wednesday 13 October due to Live Football. See Border above for other lost slots that year.

• All regions do not screen episodes at 15.30 on Derby Day which was usually the first Wednesday of June. All regions do not screen a 15.30/17.15 episode on the Tuesday where the Budget occurred, usually mid-March. Some Good Fridays episodes are screened, some network films are screened instead. No episodes are ever screened on 25, 26 December, 1 January in any region. Bank Holiday Mondays usually had no episodes screened in the 15.30/17.15/18.05 slots although on odd occasions episodes were screened. In some years Network programming filled the week between Christmas and New Year, on other years regions were free to play their own shows, most choosing Sons and Daughters or The Young Doctors, STV notably did not screen the show over the Xmas / New Year period.

ITV Airdates of Significant Episodes

ITV Region in start date order

Air dates of significant episodes

Ep 124 Rob & Angela's wedding / Beryl's miscarriage

Ep 174 1982 cliffhanger

Ep 252 Martin's suicide

Ep 335 Dee Morrell's death

Ep 352 1983 cliffhanger

Ep 423 Margaret's Funeral

Ep 500 milestone

Ep 501 Luke Carlyle's death

Ep 528 1984 cliffhanger

Ep 536 Patricia's departure

Ep 554 Caroline's arrival

Ep 631 Alison Carr's arrival

Ep 663 Roger Carlyle's death

Ep 696 1985 cliffhanger

Ep 725 Alison, Caroline, Gordon & Barbara's car crash

Ep 801 Wayne & Susan's wedding

Ep 868 1986 cliffhanger

Ep 898 Shooting of Wayne

Ep 905 Pamela Hudson's arrival

Ep 945 Arrival of Todd Buckley

Original Seven Network Airdate

1984

Tue 02/10/84 19.00

Wed 03/10/84 19.00

Fri 09/11/84 19.00

Mon 21/01/85 19.30 (20.00 screened with episode 535 in new twice weekly hour long episodes Sundays and Mondays 19.30)

Sun 24/02/85 19.30 (20.00 screened with episode 553 in hour long slot)

Mon 08/07/85 19.30 (screened with 632)

Sun 08/09/85 19.30 (screened with 664)

Original Seven Network Airdate

Central Television

Thu 19/01/84 15.30

Thu 17/05/84 15.30

Fri 16/11/84 15.30

Thu 20/06/85 15.30

Wed 31/07/85 15.30

Wed 29/01/86 15.30

Wed 06/08/86 15.30

Thu 07/08/86 15.30

Thu 09/10/86 15.30

Wed 29/10/86 15.30

Wed 10/12/86 15.30

Thu 18/06/87 15.30

Wed 02/09/87 15.30

Mon 19/10/87 15.30

Fri 27/11/87 15.30

March 1988 15.30

Tue 28/06/88 15.30

Tue 09/08/88 15.30

Thu 18/08/88 15.30

Wed 26/10/88 15.30

Central Television

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Fri 16/03/84 15.30

Wed 18/07/84 15.30

Wed 30/01/85 15.30

Fri 16/08/85 15.30

Thu 26/09/85 15.30

Good Fri 28/03/86 15.30

Thu 02/10/86 15.30

Fri 03/10/86 15.30

Fri 05/12/86 15.30

Fri 02/01/87 15.45

Fri 13/02/87 15.30

Fri 14/08/87 15.30

Thu 29/10/87 15.30

Thu 21/01/88 15.30

Fri 18/03/88 15.30

Fri 08/07/88 15.30

Wed 12/10/88 15.30

Wed 23/11/88 15.30

Fri 02/12/88 15.30

Wed 01/02/89 15.30

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Granada Television

Mon 16/12/85 15.30

Tue 01/07/86 15.30

May 1987 15.30

January 1990

January 1990

Mon 30/04/90 14.50?

Mon 04/06/90 14.50

August 1990

1991

1991

Mon 06/04/92 15.20?

Mon 27/07/92 15.20

Oct 1993 14.50

Thu 02/12/93 14.50

Fri 17/12/93 14.50

Fri 18/03/94 14.50

Granada Television

Television South (TVS)

Mon 29/10/84 17.15

1985

Tue 11/03/86 17.15 Immediately after this episode was screened the series took a break for a week.

Mon 19/01/87 17.15

Mon 23/03/87 17.15

Thu 10/12/87 15.30

1988 15.30

1988 15.30

1988 15.30

1989 15.30

1989 15.30

May 1991

Television South (TVS)

Television South West (TSW)

Tue 11/09/84 15.25

Thu 17/01/85 15.25

Thu 18/07/85 15.25

Thu 13/02/86 15.25

Tue 01/04/86 15.25

September 1986 15.25

Tue 31/03/87 15.25

Wed 01/04/87 15.25

Thu 04/06/87 15.25

Wed 24/06/87 15.25

Wed 05/08/87 15.25

Wed 02/02/88 15.25

Wed 20/04/88 15.25

Thu 07/07/88 15.25

Wed 14/09/88 15.25

Mon 16/01/89 15.25

Fri 21/04/89 15.25

Tue 06/06/89 15.25

Thu 15/06/89 15.25

Thu 10/08/89 15.25

Television South West (TSW)

Channel Television

Tue 11/09/84 15.25

Thu 17/01/85 15.25

Shown twice 1) Thu 18/07/85 15.25, 2) Tue 11/03/86 17.15 Immediately after this episode was re-screened the series took a break for a week.

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

As TVS

Channel Television

Thames Television

Tue 21/08/84 15.30?

Thu 04/01/85 15.30

Thu 11/07/85 15.30

Fri 07/02/86 15.30

Fri 21/03/86 15.30

Thu 11/09/86 15.30

Thu 19/03/87 15.30

Fri 20/03/87 15.30

Wed 27/05/87 15.30

Wed 17/06/87 15.30

Wed 29/07/87 15.30

Wed 27/01/88 15.30

Fri 13/04/88 15.30

Wed 29/06/88 15.30

Wed 07/09/88 15.30

Wed 01/03/89 15.30

Thu 03/08/89 15.30 (Assuming there was no Derby Day on ITV)

Thu 12/10/89 15.30 (Assuming there was no Derby Day on ITV)

Fri 03/11/89 15.30 (Assuming there was no Derby Day on ITV)

Many slots after this ep lost for World Cup

Thames Television

Anglia Television

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

Anglia Television

Tyne Tees Television

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

As Thames

Tyne Tees Television

Scottish Television (STV)

Tue 20/08/85 15.30

1986

1987

February 1990 15.30

Thu 15/11/90 15.30

Thu 21/03/91 15.25

July 1991 15.25

Fri 21/05/93 15.20

Fri 03/09/93 15.20

Thu 21/10/93 15.20

Thu ??/??/95 04.??

Scottish Television (STV)

Grampian Television

Fri 31/05/85 15.30?

October 1985 15.30?

Thu 01/05/86 15.30

Fri 14/11/86 15.30

Fri 02/01/87 15.45

Fri 19/06/87 15.30

Wed 02/03/88 15.30

Fri 18/03/88 15.30

Wed 04/05/88 15.30

Wed 02/11/88 15.30

Fri 13/01/89 15.25

Wed 05/04/89 15.25

Fri 09/06/89 15.25

Fri 29/12/89 15.25

Thu 30/08/90 15.25

Thu 08/11/90 13.50

Fri 23/11/91 13.50

Fri 15/03/91 13.50

Grampian Television

HTV West & Wales

Wed 15/05/85 15.30

Wed 11/09/85 15.30

Good Fri 28/03/86 15.05

Thu 16/10/86 15.30

Wed 26/11/86 15.30

Wed 20/05/87 15.30

Fri 20/11/87 15.30

Wed 25/11/87 15.30

Fri 29/01/88 15.30

Thu 18/02/88 15.30

Thu 31/03/88 15.30

Thu 29/09/88 15.30

Wed 14/12/88 15.30

Wed 01/03/89 15.30

Fri 05/05/89 15.30

Thu 09/11/89 15.30

Fri 06/07/90 15.30

Fri 19/10/90 15.30

Thu 15/11/90 15.30

HTV West & Wales

Border Television

Mon 22/09/86 15.30

1987 15.30

late 1987 or early 1988

Early 1991 13.50

Thu 14/03/91 13.50

Tue 21/04/92 15.20

Mon 24/08/92 15.20

Mon 04/01/93 14.50

1993

Mon 15/11/93

Not screened

Not screened

Not screened

As Granada

Border Television

Ulster Television

Mon 06/07/87 15.30

Mon 11/01/88 15.30

Mon 24/10/88 12.30?

October 1990 13.??

Fri 15/03/91 13.50

Mon 10/02/92 13.50

Mon 18/05/92 13.??

Wed 01/07/92 13.??

Fri 10/07/92 13.??

Mon 07/09/92 13.45?

Ulster Television

• Where the day is shown as Tue or Fri this signifies that this particular episode was the last of the week - meaning the longest gap between episodes.

• The longest amount of time that passed for an episode to be first shown and it's last showing was episode 971. It was first screened by Central on Friday 9 December 1988 at 15.30 and eventually aired on STV over six and a half years later on Thursday 27 July 1995 at 02.30.

Remakes

The series has inspired five remakes, going on fifth produced under license from the original producers and based, initially, on original story and character outlines. These are Verbotene Liebe (Germany, 1995- ); Skilda världar (Sweden, 1996-2002); Apagorevmeni agapi (Greece, 1998); Cuori Rubati (Italy, 2002-2003) Zabranjena ljubav (Croatia, 2004- );

DVD

A DVD marking the 25th Anniversary of Sons and Daughters was released in October 2006.

Umbrella Entertainment have confirmed that they are in planning stage to release the complete series

External links

• Sons And Daughters Unofficial Fan Site
• Aussie Soap Archive: Sons and Daughters — Overview and review
• Classic Aussie Soaps: Sons And Daughters
• Sons and Daughters at IMDb
• Sons and Daughters at the National Film and Sound Archive