Do you remember ‘Fox’?

There are some TV series which make such an impact on you, that even though they might not be classed as a ‘great’ on any list they do seem to be of a quality and class above others which are. One such was the 1966 version of David Copperfield…

Ian McKellen (David)
Christopher Guard (David as a boy)
Lila Kaye (Peggoty
Flora Robson (Betsey Trotwood)
George Benson (Mr Dick)
Bill Fraser (Mr Micawber)
Colin Jeavons (Uriah Heep)
Noël Johnson (Mr Wickfield)
Hannah Gordon (Agnes)
Barry Justice (James Steerforth)
Suzanne Togni (Little Emily)

What a stellar cast – I had forgotten that Ian McKellen and Christopher Guard played David, but I remember Barry Justice and Colin Jeavons as Steerforth and Uriah Heap – they made such an impression on me. To my delight, Colin Jeavons, the great actor is still alive, aged eighty-seven! I didn’t know that he played the part of Herbert Pocket in an early version of Great Expectations – you can’t imagine two more dissimilar characters! Sadly, Barry Justice died very young, aged only forty.

Back to the Fox family… Fox was a marvellous ITV drama series from 1980. It had thirteen parts and was based around the Fox family, who lived in Clapham, in South London. It was one of the first TV series which had gangs and criminals as the main characters, and followed their lives. It was written by Trevor Preston, produced by Verity Lambert and directed by Jim Goddard. I remember watching it and being utterly gripped, and yet quite shocked that the people who were the ‘heroes’ were actually villains. Once again, not only was it brilliantly scripted, produced and directed, but it had a wonderful cast who went on to be ‘greats’ in many other TV programmes and films: