"Howards' Way" (1985) TV series 1985-1990

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creators:

Gerard Glaister
Allan Prior

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

1 September 1985 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Stormy waters lie ahead...

Plot:

Tom Howard is made redundant from his job as a senior aircraft designer and decides to invest his skill...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Boat Building | Sailing | Family Relationships | Male Female Relationship

Cast

Jan Harvey	...	Jan Howard (78 episodes, 1985-1990)
Stephen Yardley	...	Ken Masters (78 episodes, 1985-1990)
Glyn Owen	...	Jack Rolfe (78 episodes, 1985-1990)
Susan Gilmore	...	Avril Rolfe (78 episodes, 1985-1990)
Edward Highmore	...	Leo Howard (78 episodes, 1985-1990)
Robert Vahey	...	Bill Sayers (75 episodes, 1985-1990)
Ivor Danvers	...	Gerald Urquhart (73 episodes, 1985-1990)
Tony Anholt	...	Charles Frere (72 episodes, 1985-1990)
Dulcie Gray	...	Kate Harvey (69 episodes, 1985-1990)
Cindy Shelley	...	Abby Hudson / ... (65 episodes, 1985-1990)
Maurice Colbourne	...	Tom Howard (61 episodes, 1985-1989)
Patricia Shakesby	...	Polly Urquhart (55 episodes, 1985-1989)
Willoughby Gray	...	Sir John Stevens (41 episodes, 1985-1990)
Tracey Childs	...	Lynne Howard / ... (38 episodes, 1985-1990)

Runtime:

50 min (78 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Bursledon, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The series suffered the loss of its leading actor when Maurice Colbourne, who played Tom Howard, died of a heart attack in 1989. Episodes of series five were hurriedly rewritten to explain the character's absence before finally killing him off at the beginning of the sixth and final series.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Howards Way Theme

I thought Howards Way was brilliant.

It was a highly entertaining show, with excellent characterisation. Very well written and kept the viewer in suspense throughout. The setting, in the Solent was fantastic, and the scenery in much of the filming was stunning. The "at sea" footage was especially good. It had all the right story lines, and a good number of "baddies" to boot. The show should have run longer and it could have been made into a lasting "soap" in the form of Eastenders, but with much better scenery. It was a shame that the main character, played by Maurice Colbourne, died so early in the series, but the scriptwriters recovered it well. My favourite character was Jack Rolfe. The biggest disappointment I have had is that it isn't available on DVD or video. We can get Dallas on DVD now, so why not Howards' Way ? Does anyone agree with me on this ?