Compact

Compact

1962
Compact
Compact

Compact

3 | en | Drama

Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.

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Seasons & Episodes

4
3
2
1
EP60  Journey's End
Jul. 30,1965
Journey's End

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EP59  If The Shoe Fits…
Jul. 27,1965
If The Shoe Fits…

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EP58  Paris Is For Lovers
Jul. 23,1965
Paris Is For Lovers

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EP57  Destination - Paris
Jul. 20,1965
Destination - Paris

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EP56  Trouble Across The Water
Jul. 16,1965
Trouble Across The Water

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EP55  Change Of Plans
Jul. 13,1965
Change Of Plans

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EP54  Storm Warning
Jul. 09,1965
Storm Warning

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EP53  Engagements At Sea
Jul. 06,1965
Engagements At Sea

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EP52  Winners And Losers
Jul. 02,1965
Winners And Losers

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EP51  The Off-White Elephant
Jun. 29,1965
The Off-White Elephant

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EP50  The Truth Will Out
Jun. 25,1965
The Truth Will Out

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EP49  Appearances Can Be Deceptive
Jun. 22,1965
Appearances Can Be Deceptive

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EP48  Hidden Depths
Jun. 18,1965
Hidden Depths

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EP47  Day Of Decision
Jun. 15,1965
Day Of Decision

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EP46  Friends And Enemies
Jun. 11,1965
Friends And Enemies

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EP45  Time Flies
Jun. 08,1965
Time Flies

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EP44  Any Other Business?
Jun. 04,1965
Any Other Business?

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EP43  Trouble Brewing
Jun. 01,1965
Trouble Brewing

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EP42  Best Laid Schemes
May. 28,1965
Best Laid Schemes

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EP41  High Court, Low Court
May. 21,1965
High Court, Low Court

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EP40  Wild Goose Chase
May. 18,1965
Wild Goose Chase

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EP39  Hide And Seek
May. 14,1965
Hide And Seek

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EP38  True Or False?
May. 11,1965
True Or False?

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EP37  Plots, Plans, And A Party
May. 07,1965
Plots, Plans, And A Party

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EP36  Testing Time
May. 04,1965
Testing Time

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EP35  Action For Libel
Apr. 30,1965
Action For Libel

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EP34  Publish And Be Damned
Apr. 27,1965
Publish And Be Damned

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EP33  Gone Away
Apr. 23,1965
Gone Away

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EP32  Travellers Return
Apr. 20,1965
Travellers Return

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EP31  Never Trust A Woman
Apr. 16,1965
Never Trust A Woman

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EP30  Who's Who?
Apr. 13,1965
Who's Who?

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EP29  A Tangled Web
Apr. 09,1965
A Tangled Web

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EP28  The Last Act
Apr. 06,1965
The Last Act

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EP27  A Cigarette That Bears A Lipstick's Trace
Apr. 02,1965
A Cigarette That Bears A Lipstick's Trace

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EP26  The Egnet Sings
Mar. 30,1965
The Egnet Sings

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EP25  The Wrong Set
Mar. 26,1965
The Wrong Set

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EP24  The Man From Paris
Mar. 23,1965
The Man From Paris

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EP23  The End Of A Song
Mar. 19,1965
The End Of A Song

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EP22  Food For Thought
Mar. 16,1965
Food For Thought

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EP21  Change Of Heart
Mar. 12,1965
Change Of Heart

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EP20  Blow Hot, Blow Cold
Mar. 09,1965
Blow Hot, Blow Cold

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EP19  Patience On A Monument
Mar. 05,1965
Patience On A Monument

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EP18  Where There's Smoke
Mar. 02,1965
Where There's Smoke

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EP17  It Happens To Other People
Feb. 26,1965
It Happens To Other People

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EP16  Kidnapped
Feb. 23,1965
Kidnapped

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EP15  Change Of Plan
Feb. 19,1965
Change Of Plan

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EP14  A Family Affair
Feb. 16,1965
A Family Affair

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EP13  Tell It Not In Faith
Feb. 12,1965
Tell It Not In Faith

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EP12  Thunder On The Left
Feb. 09,1965
Thunder On The Left

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EP11  Many A Slip
Feb. 05,1965
Many A Slip

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EP10  A Marriage Has Been Arranged…
Feb. 02,1965
A Marriage Has Been Arranged…

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EP9  Late Call
Jan. 29,1965
Late Call

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EP8  Heart To Heart
Jan. 26,1965
Heart To Heart

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EP7  The Last Straw
Jan. 22,1965
The Last Straw

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EP6  Troublemaker
Jan. 19,1965
Troublemaker

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EP5  Togetherness
Jan. 15,1965
Togetherness

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EP4  Discoveries Of The Day
Jan. 12,1965
Discoveries Of The Day

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EP3  Fare Thee Well, For I Must Leave Thee
Jan. 08,1965
Fare Thee Well, For I Must Leave Thee

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EP2  Day Of Deliverance
Jan. 05,1965
Day Of Deliverance

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EP1  Ring In The New
Jan. 01,1965
Ring In The New

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3 | en | Drama , Soap
Synopsis

Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.

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Cast

Vincent Ball , Rachel Gurney , Clinton Greyn

Director

Producted By

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