Not every great drama makes it onto the major platforms, and When the Boat Comes In is a reminder of why it's always worth looking beyond the obvious. 4 seasons and 51 episodes of content is out there — TV Butler finds it for you instantly without the guesswork.
Originally commissioned by BBC One, When the Boat Comes In quickly became exactly the kind of show that viewers rearrange their evenings for. When the Boat Comes In is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 8 January 1976 and 21 April 1981. Taking place between 1919 to 1937, Jack Ford is a veteran of The Great War who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshield in the North East of England. It dramatises the interwar political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s, and explores the impact of national and international politics upon Ford and those around him. The series ran for 4 seasons (1976–1981), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly.
If you're looking for television that takes its characters seriously and rewards patient viewing, When the Boat Comes In is exactly that. One of the more rewarding dramas of its era.
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