Episodes 27

1 Terror

November 5, 1987

40m

How three people's lives were permanently affected by the TWA plane hi-jack.

2 Girls Apart

November 12, 1987

40m

Two South African school-girls, one black, one white - their contrasting attitudes and lives.

3 Love at First Sight

November 19, 1987

40m

Five couples describe what happened when they first met - and the long-term consequences.

4 Poor Man's Eton

November 26, 1987

40m

The only inner London Education Authority boarding school, in a Suffolk country house.

5 East Side Story

December 3, 1987

40m

Two contrasting 26-year-olds in London's newly-developing Docklands.

6 The Case of Sherlock Holmes

December 10, 1987

40m

Tim Piggot-Smith investigates the famous sleuth of 221b Baker Street.

7 Party Time

December 17, 1987

40m

Seven entertaining parties.

8 Catch a Fallen Star

December 23, 1987

40m

A portrait of the once-famous British singer, dancer and film star, Jesse Matthews.

9 Convictions

January 7, 1988

40m

Sorry we have no overview for this episode! Help us to improve our docs.

10 If You Love Him, Let Him Go

January 14, 1988

40m

Dilemmas faced by parents of mentally handicapped offspring who reach childhood and independence.

11 Jackpot

January 21, 1988

40m

Three young adults addicted to gambling on fruit machines, with disastrous results.

12 Scarfe's Follies

January 28, 1988

40m

Scarfe's Follies with Bob Geldof, Jane Asher, Terry Jones, Ian McKellen, Robin Bailey, Julian Glover, Marcia Warren, John Bird, John Challis, John Watts, Nellie the elephant and Ivy the camel. Gerald Scarfe records the follies of man in his cartoons. Now he wants to create his own folly. But what are follies - and why did eccentrics build them? Surrounded by high-kicking follies girls and borne by noble beasts, Scarfe sets off on a quest of discovery. He encounters a naughty vicar who built a folly garden for his gypsy girlfriend; a Welshman who burned his own son; a politician who got voters drunk; a man whose house resembles a jungle; and 'Mad Jack' Fuller, who built a steeple overnight to win a wager, and was buried in a pyramid with a bottle of port and a cold chicken. And as all the best follies contained a resident hermit, Scarfe advertises for one in the Times - with startling results.

13 Thames Wallah

February 4, 1988

40m

A specialist with the Thames Water Authority attempts to clean up the Ganges.

14 Changing Places

February 11, 1988

40m

Ten pupils from an independent public school (Rugby) and a state comprehensive school (Ruffwood) exchange places and lives.

15 Diary of a Frontliner

February 18, 1988

40m

A self-operated video camera was set up in Peter Tilson's home to record a personal diary in his battle with AIDS.

16 Annie Doesn't Work Here Any More

February 25, 1988

40m

Annie, a nurse from Manchester, leaves the NHS to set up a new life as a nurse in Los Angeles.

17 The Great North Road

March 3, 1988

40m

Lucinda Lambton travels along the Great North Road, the backbone of Britain that links London to Edinburgh, discovering many weird and wonderful delights en route.

18 I, Alison...

March 10, 1988

40m

The story of a remarkable young woman. It's Alison French's wedding day. She's 24 - vivacious, candid, attractive, with a warm smile and a lively sense of humour. Alison, professionally qualified as a youth worker, is marrying Mark John. What makes her wedding different is that she's an athetoid spastic - her body's never still, and she has difficulty with her speech. Seven years ago, 40 Minutes made an acclaimed film about Alison, telling of her bid to gain independence in the able-bodied world. Tonight's follow-up is a passionate love story. But in marrying the man she loves, Alison has to leave her family in Watford, set up a new home in South Wales, and adapt to being a clergyman's wife. Her heart is still set on finding an independent job. The harsh reality is that despite her skills and rare qualities, she may face rejection. But Alison doesn't give up easily...

19 Children of the Open Road

March 17, 1988

40m

Catrine Clay presents the disturbing story of gypsy children abducted from their parents in clean and ordered Switzerland.

20 Five Go to Florida

March 24, 1988

40m

Perhaps the last holiday for a group of children, some of whom are gravely ill. They fulfil their dream of visiting Disney World.

21 Who Will Love Billy?

April 7, 1988

40m

A 13-year-old boy hopes to be adopted by Dave, a single man of 42 - but things go wrong.

22 Who Needs a Machine Gunner?

April 14, 1988

40m

Long-term unemployment in rural Herefordshire.

23 Women in Black

April 21, 1988

40m

Three widows at different stages of their recovery.

24 My African Farm

April 28, 1988

40m

An old white woman colonial settler staying on in up-country Kenya.

25 Separate Tables

May 5, 1988

40m

An old-fashioned sea-side hotel, with many retired residents, is to be refurbished. The residents must go.

26 Waiting

May 12, 1988

40m

Two people are waiting on an NHS hospital waiting list - one for a minor operation, the other for a major one.

27 Mixed Blessings

May 19, 1988

40m

The story of a mix-up in a Nottingham nursing-home. Margaret Wheeler and Blanche Rylatt each gave birth to a baby girl on the same day. Margaret is convinced that she was given the wrong baby.

© All Rights Reserved 2025