We Are Seven is a British television drama series set in Wales and based on the 1955 book of the same name by Una Troy. It was produced by HTV Wales and shown on ITV. It ran for two series between 11 June 1989 and 17 July 1991.
History The show's first season routinely received eight million viewers for each episode. At the 1990 edition of the New York International Film and TV Festival, the show season received a gold medal. The children in the cast largely are HTV Wales Junior Drama Workshop participants. The youngest child in the series was played by Gwilym, the 18-month old son of Helen Roberts, who plays the main character Bridget Morgan.
Cast and characters
Actor CharacterHelen Roberts Bridget MorganChristopher Mitchum Tommy MorganElen Carys Jones Sissy MorganAndrew Powell Willie MorganJulianne Barron Pansy MorganJames Bird Toughy MorganBeth Robert Mary MorganJürgen Morche Paul HauptmannGudrun Gabriel Sabina HauptmannHowell Evans William PriceDafydd Hywel Jamesy JamesTerence Bennett Peter MorganBeth Morris Rose PriceMelanie Walters Helen PowellHuw Ceredig Jim Powell
Episodes
Series 1 (1989)
"Episode 1" (11 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton "Episode 2" (18 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton "Episode 3" (25 June 1989); director: Alan Clayton "Episode 4" (2 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton "Episode 5" (9 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton "Episode 6" (16 July 1989); director: Alan Clayton
Series 2 (1991)
"Episode 1" (29 May 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 2" (5 June 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 3" (12 June 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 4" (26 June 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 5" (3 July 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 6" (10 July 1991); director: Ken Horn "Episode 7" (17 July 1991); director: Ken Horn
Home media Both series were released individually on VHS in the UK by Video Gems in 1991.Amazon listing for "We Are Seven Series 1 (1989)" VHSAmazon listing for "We Are Seven Series 2 (1991)" VHS
Analysis The television series stars a woman who had seven children by six men. The Daily Post said, "In Sunday night family viewing time it hardly preaches the sort of morality that would get the Mary Whitehouse sort of approval."
Reception In a negative review, Moira Petty of The Stage and Television Today wrote, "It is quite astonishing that so many clichés could have been packed into one hour of television drama" and "To say that the pace was leisurely would be an understatement. Virtually every scene was strung out to tedious length as if, confronted by the quaint Hovis ad set pieces, the crew was afflicted by a mass breakout of catatonia." Sean Day-Lewis said in Broadcast that the series was "very Welsh and HTV" and "is amusing in an obvious sort of way". The Daily Posts John Williams said the series "fairly bristles with dialogue calculated to make any Welsh expatriot hurry back and joyfully submit to lyrical character assassination."
See also List of Welsh television programmes
References
External links