''Castles'' was a British

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

following three generations of a large London family. It ran for 24 episodes on

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during the summer of 1995 and was a co-production by the BBC and

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. Its writing team included Peter Whalley who was known for his work on ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' and

Sally Wainwright Sally Anne Wainwright (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in her native West Yorkshire, and feature "strong female characters". Wainwright has been praised for th ...

who would go on to create ''

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'' and '' Happy Valley''.

Scheduling

The first episode aired on 31 May 1995 at 7.30pm before settling into what was supposed to be its regular timeslot of Tuesday and Thursday at 8.30pm. Halfway through its run, with audiences averaging 3.2 million, BBC head of drama Charles Denton admitted that the show had not been a success, stating "A piece which sits in the middle of the schedule has obligations to deliver rather fuller levels of audience and enthusiasm than, I'm afraid, has happened with ''Castles''". It was at this point that the series was moved to Monday and Sunday at 7.00pm, where a BBC spokesperson stated "it might better fulfil its potential". Throughout its run, repeats and omnibus editions were aired on weekday afternoons on both BBC One and

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. As the series drew to a close, ''

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'' reported that no final decision had been taken about the future of the show, but that writer Whalley was working on a second series. Ultimately, it was not picked up for a second run.

Cast

Episode guide

References

* * * *

External links

* {{Soap operas in the United Kingdom 1995 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings British television soap operas 1990s British television soap operas BBC television soap operas British English-language television shows Television shows set in London