The Campbells is a period drama television drama series produced by Scottish Television, 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 with his three children, seventeen-year-old Neil (John Wildman), 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 on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.Saturday Evening Television, News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida), May 25, 1986, Page 159 The series also aired in the United Kingdom on ITV starting on 27 April 1986.Weekender Viewing Guide (Scottish), The Glasgow Herald, April 26, 1986, page 20Pioneer 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,Rick Forchuk, Wildman praises scripts for The Campbells, The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), October 10, 1986, page 116 during the Highland Clearances, 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.Vincent Terrace, Broadcast in the U.S.: Foreign TV Series Brought to America, pages 27 - 28, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2021 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"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.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WrZAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r6UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1981%2C5255781 The Glasgow Herald - 23 May 1985 P11 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.Entertainment Clips, Namaimo Daily News (Namaimo, British Columbia, Canada), February 12, 1988, page 32
Cast Malcolm Stoddard as Dr. James Campbell John Wildman 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 Rosemary Dunsmore as Mary McTavish
Episodes Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Media availability In 1996 GoodTimes Entertainment released a two volume VHS set of selected episodes entitled Adventures On the Prairie With The Campbells.Classified Advertisements (VHS Cassettes), The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barrre, PA), June 5, 2009, page 6C 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