The District Nurse
Encyclopedia
The District Nurse is a British
television
series, produced by BBC Wales
and shown on BBC One
between 1984 and 1987.
The series was a period drama created by Julia Smith
and Tony Holland
(who both went on to create EastEnders
) and starred Nerys Hughes
as Megan Roberts, the titular district nurse
fighting to improve living conditions for the people living in a poverty stricken mining
town, Pencwm, in South Wales
during the late 1920s. The School scenes were filmed at Pont-y-gof school in Ebbw Vale, shortly before the old school was demolished. The children and teachers at the school were involved in the first two series. The outdoor school and street scenes were filmed at a small village near Tredegar. Most of the houses used have now been demolished, however the street still remains.
In the third series, shown in 1987 and set in the early 1930s, Megan had moved on to the seaside town of Glanmor where she worked with a father/son pair of doctors - Emlyn Isaacs (Freddie Jones
) and James Isaacs (Nicholas Jones
).
.
It was also dubbed and aired in Iran between 1984 and 1987.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series, produced by BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
and shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
between 1984 and 1987.
The series was a period drama created by Julia Smith
Julia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
and Tony Holland
Tony Holland
Anthony John "Tony" Holland was an English television screenwriter best known as a writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early career:...
(who both went on to create EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
) and starred Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
as Megan Roberts, the titular district nurse
District nurse
District Nurses are senior nurses who manage care within the community, leading teams of community nurses and support workers. Typically much of their work involves visiting house-bound patients to provide advice and care, for example, palliative care, wound management, catheter and continence...
fighting to improve living conditions for the people living in a poverty stricken mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town, Pencwm, in South Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
during the late 1920s. The School scenes were filmed at Pont-y-gof school in Ebbw Vale, shortly before the old school was demolished. The children and teachers at the school were involved in the first two series. The outdoor school and street scenes were filmed at a small village near Tredegar. Most of the houses used have now been demolished, however the street still remains.
In the third series, shown in 1987 and set in the early 1930s, Megan had moved on to the seaside town of Glanmor where she worked with a father/son pair of doctors - Emlyn Isaacs (Freddie Jones
Freddie Jones
Frederick Charles "Freddie" Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of Ida Elizabeth and Charles Edward Jones. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products,...
) and James Isaacs (Nicholas Jones
Nicholas Jones (actor)
Nicholas Jones is an English character actor. His older sister is actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones....
).
International sales
The District Nurse was shown by TV2 in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
It was also dubbed and aired in Iran between 1984 and 1987.
Major cast
- Megan Roberts - (Nerys HughesNerys HughesNerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
) - David Price - (John OgwenJohn OgwenJohn Ogwen is a Welsh actor.Best known to British audiences for his starring role in the 1978 drama series Hawkmoor, and appearances in the television series The District Nurse and the Doctor Who serial Revelation of the Daleks, Ogwen has been a stalwart of Welsh language television and film since...
) (Series 1&2 only) - Nesta Mogg - (Deborah ManshipDeborah ManshipDeborah Manship is a Welsh actress, best known for her roles in the television drama series Angels and The District Nurse .She later appeared in the Doctor Who serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy....
) (Series 1&2 only) - Gwen Harris - (Margaret JohnMargaret JohnMargaret John was a Welsh, BAFTA award-winning actress, best known for her role as Doris in Gavin & Stacey. She has been described, by fellow actress Ruth Jones, as "an absolute national treasure".-Early life:...
) (Series 1&2 only) - Evalina Williams - (Beth MorrisBeth MorrisBethany Morris is a British actress.She is probably best known for her performance as Drusilla in the 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius...
) (Series 1&2 only) - Dr. Emlyn Isaacs - (Freddie JonesFreddie JonesFrederick Charles "Freddie" Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of Ida Elizabeth and Charles Edward Jones. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products,...
) (Series 3 only) - Dr. James Isaacs - (Nicholas JonesNicholas Jones (actor)Nicholas Jones is an English character actor. His older sister is actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones....
) (Series 3 only) - Ruth Jones - (Janet Aethwy) (Series 3 only)