The Kids from 47A
The Kids from 47A is a British children's television series produced by ATV Network about four children whose widowed mother is taken into hospital, leaving them to cope on their own. The eldest—office worker Jess Gathercole—becomes the family matriarch, making every effort to keep her schoolchild sister and brothers at home with her.
| The Kids from 47A | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 30 May 1973 – 30 October 1974 |
At the start of the second series, the Gathercole mother has died and Jess is only able to keep the family together after battling with social services, who continue to keep a watchful eye.
Three series were made; the first (comprising 15 episodes) was shown in 1973, the second (13 episodes) and third (13 episodes) in 1974. The third series ends with Jess getting married. A one-off episode (promoted as a comedy and entitled "Home Sweet Home") was broadcast on 31 August 1975.
Episode writers included Lynda La Plante, Gail Renard and Phil Redmond. The series directors were Alan Coleman, Richard Bramall and Jonathan Wright-Miller.
Jess was played by Christine McKenna, her bookish sister Binny by Gaynor Hodgson and her brothers—football-mad Willy and primary schoolboy George—by Nigel Greaves and Russell Lewis, respectively. Other parts were played by Lloyd Lamble (as Jess' employer) and Joan Newell.
Christine McKenna would later star in the TV adaptation of Flambards and is now a television producer in the US, while Russell Lewis went on to become a successful screenwriter. Nigel Greaves has had roles in Tenko and Kenneth Branagh's cinema adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V.