Howards' Way

The reason why there were 'only' six series of 'Howard's Way' was that following the filming of Series 5, prior to it being shown on BBC, Maurice Colbourne died whilst on holiday, so the producers and writers had to decide what to do. It was decided that instead of leaving everything up in the air, it was best to film one final series with the aim of tidying up hanging story lines.

One of the central sets used is the pub. This is 'The Jolly Sailor' at Bursledon on the Hamble River between Farham and Southampton. The outside has not changed much including views of Jack Rolfe's boatyard in real life the Elephant Yard. Inside the pub there is a small memorial to the series in the form of a framed photo of the cast.

The pub was closed to the public during the summer whilst filming went on.

Thirty odd years down the road and I still have a strangely soft spot for this - not always well written, with annoying contradictions, baffling plots and some hurried directing leading to some rather indifferent acting - yet highly entertaining series.

As the title implies, the series depicts the progress of the Howard family through a colourful multitude of sub-plots, ranging from believable, interesting and touching to baffling, infuriating and preposterous. The central theme is the collapse of the marriage of Jan and Tom Howard, who - despite their difficulties - continue to be devoted to each other. I believe that the producers' original intention was to show their passage from divorce through a variety of affairs back to reconciliation.

The second and parallel theme of the series is the story of Jan and Tom's upstanding son Leo Howard and his touching on-and-off relationship with a girl from the neighbourhood, Abby Urquhart. If Jan and Tom were to be reunited despite all the ups and downs, then it would be logical to expect a similar conclusion for the younger couple.

Unfortunately in the aftermath of the sad demise of Maurice Colbourne who played Tom Howard, the production suffered from chaotic, hastily rewritten ideas. Jan was paired off with some other, less exciting partners, while Abby inexplicably morphed from a relatively level-headed albeit dour young woman into a devious business tycoon and a total monster.

The story of Leo and Abby begins as perhaps the most heart-warming thread in the series. How could the scriptwriters let us down so badly?

I still believe that, had the series continued, the final outcome could have somehow brought these two together again - slowly and painfully (can you imagine all those other delicious twists and turns?), but eventually for good. After all, somewhere half way through the series, Abby states quite resolutely that Leo is her ideal partner for life - and throughout Series 5 and 6, there are strong hints that she does not trust Orrin after all and may even be double-crossing him... oh, bliss! I like to think there was going to be more to the story than we were allowed to see. The creator of the series, Gerard Glaister, left some notes in which he envisaged series 7, which did not materialize. Thus it is reasonable to believe that the actual story remains unfinished and the aim of the last series was to prepare the viewers for more twists and surprises. I cannot resist imagining something like a collapse of the Hudson empire, Abby's return to England with her sons and her attempts to win Leo's trust and affection back. That way the final toast to the Howards would have been so much more satisfying.

I never really bothered with Howards Way on its original run i thought it was a lame,cheaply produced British rip off of Dallas,Dynasty,Falcon Crest and the like which i loved watching back in the eighties. But since the re-runs on UKGold i've become hooked, okay its still got the wooden acting,the slightly scary eighties fashions and hair don't's but all this adds to the charm which partly comes from the nostalgia buzz of times past. But in a decade when all we are subjected to in the way of televised entertainment is reality dross and x-list celebrity talent(less)shows or soaps that make the performances in Howards Way look like Oscar contenders then i'll take the nostalgic look back to times when entertainment was exactly that and not the twisted view of what producers consider reality to look like on todays airwaves.

We are pleased to announce that Howards' Way will finally be available on DVD Region 2 for the first time ever.

We hope you will be just as excited about this release as we are ... Join Jan Harvey, Maurice Colbourne and Stephen Yardley for tales of love, deceit, family trials and tribulations in this fantastic long awaited drama featuring the well known theme tune by Simon May and possible extras.

Howards'Way Series 1 available 20th March 2006 4 DVDs, Region 2 !!!

Also available later in 2006 Series 2, 3 and 4

Thanks

Curerently being re-run on UK Drama, this was the BBC's answer to "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

Totally implausible plots, big shoulder pads, badly acted, intrusive syrupy incidental music and characters with no redeeming features whatsoever (aside possibly from Avril Rolfe, played by Susan Gilmore). It made for unmissable TV. I don't think it was meant to be a comedy, but it certainly made me laugh.

The ridiculous notion that Southampton was a financial hub and the focus of the fashion world beggared belief. I cannot believe that anyone of the viewing millions actually understood anything Charles Frere, Gerald Urquhart and Edward Frere were talking about when it came to "big" business. And how did Jan Howard go from bored housewife to top fashion house proprietor in about three weeks ?!

I was obviously not alone in my assertion of the appalling manner of the acting as I cannot remember any of the cast being in anything after Howard's Way. Top of the "they should never work again" list was the oily fashion victim Ken Masters (Stephen Yardley) closely followed by Kate "Dahhhhling" Howard (Dulcie Gray) and the over-the-top-meistress, Kate O'Mara.

They don't make them like this anymore.... amen to that !!!