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Series · 1982

Boys from the Blackstuff

TV series that defined the depression-scarred 1980s Britain

Created by Alan BleasdaleBernard HillMichael AngelisTom Georgeson
Boys from the Blackstuff poster
10 Oct 1982First aired
1Season

The series

Alan Bleasdale's five-part series relates the further experiences of unemployed Liverpudlian tarmac layers Dixie, Chrissie, Loggo and Yosser, and their revered older friend, retired longshoreman and union leader, George Malone. As they struggle to make ends meet in a depressed economy, and to hold together their financially battered families, they are harrassed by the petty bureaucrats of the DHSS. But the lumbering investigational juggernaut is, both comically and tragically, guided by drivers with only a provisional license.

Episodes

Season 1 · 5 episodes · 1982

  1. Episode 110 Oct 198250m

    Jobs for the Boys

    The boys sign on at the Department of Employment and then collect George's son, Snowy, on their way to an off-the-books construction job for Malloy. Much to their amusement, the conversion job turns out to be the future new offices of the …

  2. Episode 217 Oct 198250m

    Moonlighter

    In desperation to feed and clothe his four children, Dixie takes an illicit job as a night security guard at the docks. He soon discovers that one man alone on a ship at night can do nothing but turn a blind eye to a gang of pilferers but,…

  3. Episode 324 Oct 198250m

    Shop Thy Neighbour

    Pending the outcome of the moonlighting enquiry, Chrissie's dole money has been stopped, and this precipitates a showdown with his wife, Angie. Meanwhile, at the D.O.E., middle management is completely out of control since the Manager, Mis…

  4. Episode 431 Oct 198250m

    Yosser's Story

    Yosser reaches the end of the line as the utility men, rent collectors, and social workers invade his home. Why on earth doesn't he turn his three small children over to his estranged wife, Maureen, rather than let them be taken into care?

  5. Episode 57 Nov 198250m

    George's Last Ride

    As George's health declines, his belief in the values of Old Labour remain unshaken. Chrissie takes him for one last tour of the now-abandoned docklands where he once worked, and they have what may well be the most important and heartfelt …

Cast

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