Barrières

So nice to read reviews of Barriers. I loved it, I was hooked on it. The theme music was sooo haunting and Benedict Taylor was so gorgeous (I was so in love with him, I think I was 13). Only one other girl in my whole school, watched it. I'm 41 now and was also starting to think I'd imagined the series, because no knows of it. Does anyone know how it ended? I don't know if I missed the final episode (cant imagine I would have) or if I cant remember the outcome or if they never screened it. Billy was such a loner and you just wanted to be the girl to take care of him, lol. I would love to watch that series again. Would be interesting to see what we all think of it now.

For some reason I always seem to remember this being shown on Channel 4 when it first started back in 1982.

It never came across to me as a children's drama (even though it was) and I always felt that I was watching something that the adults wouldn't want me to. The opening credits always fascinated me, which I suppose me being an 11 year old at the time was not hard to do.

It's a dark night on the Austrian/Hungarian border in 1963 as a car drives through some woods. This is inter-cut with the present day (well as present a day as 1980 England could be) and Billy Stanyon (the character played by Benedict Taylor).

Back at the woods, and after some more cutting back and forth, the car crashes first of all through some nasty looking soldiers with machine guns and then through some BARRIERS (get it!). Naturally the car is fired upon, crashes and bursts into flames but not before a solitary figure rolls out into the woods before making their escape.

This whole sequence had me glued to the episode week-in, week-out, when our adopted hero Billy Stanyon would try and discover the truth behind his real parents' death.

I just remember that not only were the opening credits and music haunting but the show was too. Billy Stanyon was always one step behind the truth and because of this permanently had a look of complete dejection etched onto his face.

Unfortunately I never got to find out what the whole damn thing was about. Maybe I missed the last couple of episodes or maybe it is lost in the mists of my mind. Or maybe there never was any ending.

Looking back on it, the closest I could describe it was as a The-Fugitive-meets-a-Cold-War-Film-Noir-Children's-Television-Series.

Loved that show. Shame it's not on DVD.I have tracked down the Barriers theme tune on Youtube for those that were looking to hear it again.....just key in Barriers TV show. It's quite a moving piece of music and quite an eerie opening, set around the war but I don't remember much about the storyline at all. All I know is the series starred Benedict Taylor as Billy Stanyon, a teenager facing up to the loss of his parents in a sailing accident only to discover that he was adopted. Billy then set off on a journey to find his real parents that takes him across Europe. The series was filmed on location in Scotland, Germany and Austria. But I remember watching it every week. I remember Benedict Taylor well, the start of career. The last time I saw him on TV was in Darling Buds of May. It would be great to see this series again, so if anyone knows if it's available on DVD, I'd appreciate it. Like many great children's TV shows of the era, it's gone without a trace.

I am glad to have found as much information as this! I've been searching the 'net about once a year trying to find a recording of the theme to Barriers. At least now I have the composer's name (Bert Grund) thanks to this website. I spent several Sundays trying to record the theme on a tape player, but none of the tapes survived my childhood. Anyone who can direct me to a sound-clip will be very gratefully thanked :-) Hero Billy Stanyon was a flautist, although I don't recall that he actually ever played this piece of music. He attended a music college of some kind in Austria, from what I remember, possibly Vienna. Other than that most of what I remember has already been covered in other posts.

And yes - as Karencole remarked - it was the blonde hair that I remember best about him/Benedict Taylor.

37 years ago on a Sunday afternoon this was required viewing.! Just finished watching it again after all these years, and well! Each week, great! Back to back, and in hindsight, this series has more holes than a Swiss cheese. Billy wants a damn good slap; Robert Addie, dressed as a purple crested spaceman, haggling with a drunk in a Newcastle Cafe (spam I think?). The drunk, considering it was 1981, was haggling pre decimalisation, was it tanner or tenner! I don't think these are spoilers, they just made me laugh! Throughout, I kept thinking that I'd missed an episode, I hadn't. The continuity of everything back to back was excruciating, laughable, and innocently beautiful. Mr Whittaker and Pricey were wonderful, and considering it was TyneTees, I didn't see anyone from Byker Grove or Spender in it! Bravo to TV from a more naive era, and although I've been a little bit critical, I had a great, yet brief period wallowing in a pool of sweet nostalgia. Well done!!