''The Campbells'' is a

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

television drama series produced by

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchisee for Central Belt, Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation si ...

, an affiliate of British television network ITV, and Canadian television network CTV which ran from 1986 to 1990. The series starred Malcolm Stoddard as James Campbell, a Scottish doctor living in 1830s

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

with his three children, seventeen-year-old Neil (

John Wildman Sir John Wildman (2 June 1693) was an English politician and soldier. Biography Wildman was born to Jeffrey and Margaret Wildman (née Poaker) in the Norfolk town of Wymondham. He was christened at Wymondham on 24 January 1621, the youngest ...

), fourteen-year old Emma (Amber-Lea Weston) and eleven-year-old John (Eric Richards).Janice Kennedy, You don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy The Campbells' family adventure series, ''The Gazette'' (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), September 6, 1986, page 140 Cedric Smith played their neighbor, Captain Sims. In Canada, it aired on CTV on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and in the United States on

CBN CBN, or cbn, may refer to: Broadcasting organizations * Radio stations in St. John's, Newfoundland: ** CBN (AM), CBC Radio One ** CBN-FM, CBC Music * Chronicle Broadcasting Network, the predecessor of ABS-CBN * CBN (Australian TV station), a TV ...

on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. The series also aired in the United Kingdom on ITV starting on 27 April 1986.Pioneer adventure has a bit of everything, ''The Ottawa Citizen'' (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), September 11, 1986, page 48

Premise

The series begins in 1832 in Scotland, during the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...

, when many families were evicted from their homes. This led to a surge in immigration to Canada. Dr. James Campbell, a widower with three children, treated the broken leg of the son of a wealthy landowner but, after a servant woman applied unsterile folk remedies to the leg, the boy died of infection. Dr. Campbell was blamed for the death, and he lost his livelihood.TV With Rick Forchuk, ''The Winnipeg Sun'' (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), February 6, 1986, page 26 The Campbells heard of Canada's need for settlers and decide to start a new life in a new land. Dr. Campbell sets up a medical practice, and the entire family takes up farming as well. The series has been described as the "Canadian ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

''"Bob Remington, Much Ado as Campbell weds, ''Edmonton Journal'' (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), October 20, 1988, page 42 but producer John Delmage stated that, while ''The Campbells'' might be similar to ''Little House'', "we don’t have as much sugar."

Production

The series was given a green light in 1985 with production stating in June of that year. Most of the episodes were shot on location at a fifty acre farm owned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, and all clothing, furnishings, and the doctor's medical treatments were historically accurate. The premiere episode was partly filmed in Scotland, as were two episodes broadcast in 1989, when Dr. Campbell and his daughter, Emma, briefly return to their native country.

Cast

* Malcolm Stoddard as Dr. James Campbell *

as Neil Campbell *Amber-Lea Weston as Emma Campbell *Eric Richards as John Campbell * Cedric Smith as Captain Thomas Sims *Brigit Wilson as Harriet Sims * Wendy Lyon as Rebecca Sims *Barbara Kyle as Charlotte Logan

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Media availability

In 1996

GoodTimes Entertainment GT Media, Inc. was an American home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics. The ...

released a two volume VHS set of selected episodes entitled ''Adventures On the Prairie With The Campbells''. On June 23, 2015, Timeless Media Group released ''The Campbells - The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.All 4 Seasons of the 1986 Series Coming to DVD in 'The Complete Series'

References

External links

BFI
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbells, The 1986 Canadian television series debuts 1990 Canadian television series endings 1980s Canadian drama television series 1990s Canadian drama television series 1986 Scottish television series debuts 1990 Scottish television series endings 1980s British drama television series 1990s British drama television series CTV Television Network original programming British English-language television shows Period family drama television series Scottish television shows Television shows produced by Scottish Television Television shows set in Ontario Television shows set in Scotland