Television TV

When The Boat Comes In

"When The Boat Comes In" was a terrific tale about Jack Ford and the Seaton family in Tyneside, set between the end of WW1 and the Spanish Civil War, told across four superb series.

The story told how the soldiers returning to a land "fit for heroes", struggled to come to terms with life after the war, through various bouts of unemployment, the depression and the rise of the fascists.

Jack, our hero, naturally copes better than most and manages to look after his ex corporal, Matt Headley and the Seaton family, along the way by organising sheep rustling, working for the union, and finally by becoming an entrepeneur and making and losing more than one fortune along the way.

Starring the excellent James Bolam as Jack, Susan Jameson as Jack's main love interest, Jessie Seaton, Jean Heywood as Mrs Seaton and a host of guest appearances by people who later became household names, (blink and you'll miss some of them). This was British television at it's best and I can't recommend it highly enough.


Author of this article:



Contributors to this article:

  • There are no contributors yet

Do You Remember When The Boat Comes In?

Do You Remember When The Boat Comes In?

  • Gojira
    on
    An excellent series, but I never liked the fourth season since the Seatons were hardly in it. Bill & Bella were a great double act.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    Susan Jameson was wonderful!