We’ll Meet Again TV Series Overview (1982)

Introduction

We’ll Meet Again is a British television drama set in the Second World War.

It was produced by London Weekend Television (LWT) for the ITV network and was broadcast in early 1982 in the Friday primetime slot of 9:00 pm.

Outline

The show, based in a fictional village in East Anglia, was set around the clandestine and illicit love affair between civilian doctor Helen Dereham (played by Susannah York) whose husband was away fighting in Africa and the commanding officer of the nearby US Army Air Force base, Major Jim Kiley (Michael J. Shannon).

Cast

Susannah York as Helen Dereham.
Michael J Shannon as Major Jim Kiley.
Lou Hirsch as Sergeant Hymie Stutz.
Patrick O’Connell as Jack Blair.
Lynne Pearson as Rosie Blair.
Carolyn Pickles as Sally Bilton.
James Saxon as Sergeant Elmer Jones.
Gavan O’Herlihy as Captain ‘Red’ Berwash.
June Barry as Vera Mundy.
Ray Smith as Albert Mundy.
Ronald Hines as Ronald Dereham.
Ed Devereaux as Colonel Rufus Krasnowici.
Christopher Malcolm as Master Sergeant Joe ‘Mac’ McGraw.
Natalie Ogle as Letty Mundy.
Patrick Pearson as Peter Mundy.
Kathryn Pogson as Vi Blair.
Lise Ann McLaughlin as Patricia Dereham.
Joris Stuyck as Master Sergeant Chuck Ericson.
Holly Watson as Betty Bilton.
David Baxt as Sergeant Mario Bottone.
Stuart Wilson as Sid Davis.

Production

Although a major commission for LWT, the programme was planned for just one series of thirteen hour-long episodes. Production commenced in 1981 with studio scenes filmed at the South Bank Television Centre and location filming in the villages of Lenham and West Malling in the county of Kent. As was standard practice at the time, studio scenes were recorded on 2-inch quadruplex videotape with location scenes shot on 16 mm film and converted to broadcast master tape via telecine. The show was transmitted between February and May 1982. LWT had previously produced Enemy at the Door, a series about the German occupation of Guernsey during the same war, and the two series have a common theme of tension between the locals and the ‘intruding’ soldiers whose presence affects their ways of life, something which can become obvious when actors play similar roles in similar storylines in both series (most obviously: Ray Smith, as the father of a girl who disapproves of his daughter associating with foreign servicemen).

The show’s title was based on the popular wartime song “We’ll Meet Again” performed by Dame Vera Lynn. The theme for the show was composed by Denis King. A vocal version was released as a single by Stutz Bear Cats.

Other Media

Writer David Butler produced a novel called We’ll Meet Again: The End of an Era that continued the story beyond the TV series.

We’ll Meet Again Series

Episode 01: All Day & Every Day.
Episode 02: Hands Across the Sea.
Episode 03: The Milk Run.
Episode 04: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.
Episode 05: The Big One.
Episode 06: Up the Smoke.
Episode 07: Fighting Men.
Episode 08: A Wing and a Prayer.
Episode 09: You’ll Never Know.
Episode 10: Old Enough to Fight.
Episode 11: One Day at a Time.
Episode 12: Exceptional Circumstances.
Episode 13: The End of the Beginning.

Production & Filming Details

Director(s):
- Tony Wharmby … (6 episodes, 1982).
- Christopher Hodson … (4 episodes, 1982).
- John Reardon … (2 episodes, 1982).
- Peter Cregeen … (1 episode, 1982).
Producer(s):
- Tony Wharmby … producer (13 episodes, 1982).
Writer(s):
- David Butler … (creator and writer) (12 episodes, 1982).
- John Gorrie … (writer) (4 episodes, 1982).
- David Crane … (writer) (3 episodes, 1982).
Music:
Cinematography:
Editor(s):
- Derek Bain … (6 episodes, 1982).
- Ray Helm … (5 episodes, 1982).
- Robert Hargreaves … (1 episode, 1982).
Production:
- London Weekend Television (LWT).
Distributor(s):
- BFS Video (2000) (USA) (DVD).
- ITV – Independent Television (1982) (UK) (TV).
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1983) (USA) (TV).
Release Date: 12 February 1982 to 14 May 1982.
Rating: 12.
Running Time: 60 minutes (per episode).
Country: UK.
Language: English.