When the Boat Comes In: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

When the Boat Comes In is a British television period-drama produced by the BBC between 1976 and 1981.

The series stars James Bolam as Jack Ford, a First World War veteran who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshield in the North East of England. The series dramatises the political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s and explores the impact of national and international politics upon Ford and the people around him.

The memorable traditional tune "When The Boat Comes In" was adapted by David Fanshawe and sung by Alex Glasgow for the title theme of the series. Fanshawe also composed the incidental music.

The BBC revived the series in 1981, with the fourth series telling the story of Jack Ford as he returns to Britain penniless, after six years spent bootlegging in the United States, and follows him as he sets up in London.

Series details

• Title: When the Boat Comes In
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama
• Premiere date: 1976-01-08
• Final broadcast date listed: 1981-04-21
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: BBC One
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 50 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 10422
• IMDb ID: tt0074072
• TVDB ID: 72580

Cast and credited roles

• James Bolam — Jack Ford
• James Garbutt — Bill Seaton
• Jean Heywood — Bella Seaton
• John Nightingale — Tom Seaton
• Edward Wilson — Billy Seaton
• Malcolm Terris — Matt Headley
• Susan Jameson — Jessie Ashton née Seaton
• Madelaine Newton — Dolly

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1976-01-08; final listed air date 1976-04-01; episode order: 13.
• Season 2: premiered 1976-01-14; final listed air date 1977-01-04; episode order: 13.
• Season 3: premiered 1977-09-08; final listed air date 1977-12-15; episode order: 15.
• Season 4: premiered 1977-03-03; final listed air date 1981-04-21; episode order: 10.

Source and licence

Adapted from When the Boat Comes In on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.