Compact Annual [1964]

[1963] Annual. Original price
112 pages. B&W contents.
World Distributors (Manchester) Limited.

Based on the BBC television series by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling.

Cover photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Contents:

  2 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited), photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

  4 Indicia

  5 Compact Annual title page.

  6 Contents

  7 Foreword by Donald Wilson, head of Serials, Drama, Television.

  9 Blue Skies and Deep Waters text story by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 19 How it All Began text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 25 At Home With the Editor text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 31 A Bit of a Dance text story by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 41 The Southend Story text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 47 Roming Around text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 51 These Are Their Lives text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 63 Ask Alison Morley text story by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 73 Fact and Fiction About Fashion text feature by Olive Harris; photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 79 The Correspondence Trick text story by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 88 Compact Hits text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 92 True or False? text feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 97 The Night of the Fog text story by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

107 Hot Savouries recipe by UNKNOWN (uncredited); photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

110 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited), photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Approaching an annual based on a soap opera is a tough enough proposition as it is - one is required to have enough familiarity with the series to comprehend references and allusions sprinkled throughout - though when dealing with an annual based on a soap opera which, by and large, doesn't exist anymore in the archives, problems are exacerbated. The BBC only has a handful of episodes in its archive, and is unlikely to ever broadcast them again, leaving this publication to succeed or fail as a stand-alone title.

A solitary edition for the short-lived soap, which ceased broadcasting in the mid-sixties. The cover captures, to some degree, a sense of the series appearance, with more than a hint of inspiration from US soaps seeping through. I've no idea who any of these people are, which makes it difficult to determine the fidelity of the stories.

There's an article on the series' music (with singles to track down for avid collectors), and recipes for adventurous readers to attempt.

If anyone knows more about the series, and can explain why this exists, I would love to know. As a curio from a bygone age, this holds a great deal of interest, but shorn of contemporary reference with which to assess the material on offer it remains a tantalising glimpse into a forgotten piece of television history.