Many may remember the village of Downham in the Ribble Valley as the backdrop of the classic film 'Whistle Down the Wind', and is has been chosen as the setting for this BBC drama series screened from Sunday 21st April 2002, at 8.00pm. The village pub the Assheton Arms is featured in the program in the guise of The Signalman's Arms.
James Bolam and Michael French star as father-and-son doctors in this BBC family drama series set in the 1950s, a decade of great change for the National Health Service. GP Arthur Gilder, played by James Bolam, has lived in the Lancashire village of Ormston all his life. His son Tom, played by Michael French, also a doctor, works in Manchester. Arthur misses his family and is determined to hand over his practice to Tom.
Following in his father's footsteps is the last thing on Tom's mind - until he retraces his steps to the picturesque home where he grew up. On the cusp of change, yet caught in the golden glow of post-war tranquility, the offer proves irresistable. Tom moves back to the village from Manchester, bringing with him his wife Deborah (Jenna Russell), and children; seventeen year old Helen (Charlotte Salt), Michael, who's eleven (Ross Little), Catherine, 7 (Polly Thompson) and baby Philip, but faces more than he bargained for. He must contend with battles to modernise the surgery and cottage hospital, while Arthur tries to cling on to old-fashioned, tried and tested ways. Tom's also got an old flame Linda, played by Tracey Childs, to deal with and she seems very pleased to see him, despite the fact that she's about to marry his best friend!
As the village's doctor, Arthur knows all the residents of this tight-knit community and is highly respected by them. There's the Rev Brewer played by Clive Swift (Keeping Up Appearances), not your average man of the cloth, Maggie Steed (Pie in the Sky) is Phyllis, the bold and brassy pub landlady, Naomi Radcliffe (Coronation Street) plays the slightly dippy Jean, who is infatuated with Eddie, the village mechanic, (Samuel Hudson from Brookside); and John Henshaw (The Cops) plays Wilf, the stationmaster with a nose for trouble!
"Born and Bred is a true family drama, a treat for everyone", says Jane Tranter, Controller of Drama Commissioning. "Its story-telling is warm, familiar and based on a strong sense of community. The characters are as rich a mix as one is likely to meet and it is set in one of the most glorious landscapes in Britain."
The series also boasts an impressive list of guest stars including Roger Lloyd Pack (Only Fools and Horses, Vicar of Dibley) in episode one and Denise Welch (Coronation Street's Nathalie) in episode two. Episode three features Richard Ridings (Fat Friends and Common As Muck), Chris Walker (Playing the Field and Merseybeat) appears in episode five and Sara Crowe (Four Weddings and A Funeral) is in episode six.
