''Springhill'' was a British

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

created by Paul Abbott, produced by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

, and broadcast from 1 October 1996 to 18 June 1997 on the

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1 ...

satellite channel, and later on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. It consisted of 2 series, each containing 26 episodes. Set in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, ''Springhill'' based its main theme on the battle between good and evil, entwined around a complex family drama. Issues covered included adoption revelation, genetic sexual attraction,

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, infertility,

surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...

and murder. Aside from this there was a supernatural aspect, which included elements of religion,

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, apparitions,

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have u ...

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

and the

Second Coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messia ...

Cast

* Gilly Coman as Liz Freeman * Jonathan Barlow as Jack Freeman * Katharine Rogers as Eva Morrigan * Scot Williams (series 1) and

Stephen Donald Stephen Rex Donald (born 3 December 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japanese Top League. A first five-eighth or centre, he has won 24 international caps for New Zealand. Nicknamed 'B ...

(series 2) as Nick Freeman * Sharon Byatt as Sue Freeman *

Christine Tremarco Christine Tremarco (born 1977) is a British television actress whose career began in 1992. She is best known for portraying the role of Davina Shackleton in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' (2007–2009) and also in B ...

as Trish Freeman * Kevin Knapman as Anthony Freeman * Paul Culshaw as John Paul Freeman * Stephen Walters (series 1) and

Matthew Dunster Matthew Dunster is an English theatre director, playwright and actor.Dominic Cavendish for The Telegraph. 17 Mar 201Matthew Dunster: From teenage kicks to dramatic hits/ref> He was the Associate Director of the Young Vic from 2005 to 2009 and t ...

(series 2) as Jamie Johnson * Bill Speed as Father Peter McGinley * Vickie Gates as Meryl Cartlege *

Crissy Rock Christine Murray (born 23 September 1958), known professionally as Crissy Rock, is an English award-winning actress, stand-up comedian, and best-selling author, most notable for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film ''Ladybird, Ladybird'' ...

as Anita Cartlege * Samantha Lavelle as Pat Lombard * Paul Warriner as Greg Metcalfe * Emma Lucy Vaudrey as Greta Mullaney * Claire Robinson as Debbie Nixon * Judy Holt as Marian (series 2)

DVD releases

The first series of ''Springhill'' was released on Region 1 DVD on 18 June 2013. The second season has not had any official release.

References

External links

*
School hosts TV film crew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springhill (Tv Series) 1996 British television series debuts 1997 British television series endings 1990s British television soap operas Sky UK original programming British television soap operas Channel 4 television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television Television shows written by Russell T Davies LGBT culture in Liverpool English-language television shows British fantasy television series