The Fosters is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
sitcomA British sitcom is a situation comedy produced in the United Kingdom. Like sitcoms in most other countries, they tend to be based around a family, workplace or other institution where a group of contrasting characters are brought together each episode. A common factor is the exploration of social...
, that aired on
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
from April 9, 1976, until July 9, 1977.
It is created and developed by Jon Watkins, and is the
BritishA British sitcom is a situation comedy produced in the United Kingdom. Like sitcoms in most other countries, they tend to be based around a family, workplace or other institution where a group of contrasting characters are brought together each episode. A common factor is the exploration of social...
adaption of the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom,
Good TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans and produced by Norman Lear...
, developed by
Norman LearNorman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such '70s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude.-Early life:...
, and created by
Eric MonteEric Monte is an American television writer who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture....
and
Mike EvansMichael Jonas Evans , was an American actor and, with Eric Monte, was co-creator of the show Good Times. Ralph Carter's character Michael Evans was named after him....
. It is the first British sitcom to have an entirely
Black castBlack British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political label. Historically it has been used to refer to any non-white British national. The term was first used at the end of the British Empire, when several major colonies formally gained independence and thereby...
.
The series starred
Norman BeatonNorman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor.Beaton attended Queen's College in Guyana until he was expelled for truancy and bad grades. He was given a second chance at the Government Teachers' Training College and graduated with distinction...
as Samuel Foster, a hard-working man trying to support his family in a
South LondonSouth London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:...
council estate.
The Fosters is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
sitcomA British sitcom is a situation comedy produced in the United Kingdom. Like sitcoms in most other countries, they tend to be based around a family, workplace or other institution where a group of contrasting characters are brought together each episode. A common factor is the exploration of social...
, that aired on
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
from April 9, 1976, until July 9, 1977.
It is created and developed by Jon Watkins, and is the
BritishA British sitcom is a situation comedy produced in the United Kingdom. Like sitcoms in most other countries, they tend to be based around a family, workplace or other institution where a group of contrasting characters are brought together each episode. A common factor is the exploration of social...
adaption of the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom,
Good TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans and produced by Norman Lear...
, developed by
Norman LearNorman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such '70s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude.-Early life:...
, and created by
Eric MonteEric Monte is an American television writer who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture....
and
Mike EvansMichael Jonas Evans , was an American actor and, with Eric Monte, was co-creator of the show Good Times. Ralph Carter's character Michael Evans was named after him....
. It is the first British sitcom to have an entirely
Black castBlack British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political label. Historically it has been used to refer to any non-white British national. The term was first used at the end of the British Empire, when several major colonies formally gained independence and thereby...
.
Overview
The series starred
Norman BeatonNorman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor.Beaton attended Queen's College in Guyana until he was expelled for truancy and bad grades. He was given a second chance at the Government Teachers' Training College and graduated with distinction...
as Samuel Foster, a hard-working man trying to support his family in a
South LondonSouth London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:...
council estate. The Samuel character was based on the
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
James Evans Sr. in the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom,
Good TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans and produced by Norman Lear...
. Alongside Beaton, was Canadian actress
Isabelle LucasIsabelle Harriet Lucas was a Canadian-born British actress and singer.Lucas was born in Toronto, Canada, to a chef from Barbados who worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Lucas acted in amateur productions as a teenager in Toronto.-Career:Isabelle Lucas moved to London in 1954 after performing...
, portraying Samuel's wife, Pearl Foster, a British version of James' wife,
Florida EvansFlorida Evans was the supporting character on the sitcom Maude and the lead character in its spin-off, Good Times. She was the hard-working mother of the Evans family. She first appeared as Maude and Walter's housekeeper on Maude , but later she quit to be a housewife, which she was when Good...
, played
Esther RolleEsther Rolle was an American actress of stage and television. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans in two 1970s television sitcoms, Maude and Good Times.- Biography:...
, who gossips with her best friend, Vilma, played by
Carmen MunroeCarmen Munroe OBE is a British actress, born in Berbice, Guyana. Since the early 1950s she has been a resident of the UK. She made her West End stage debut in 1962 and has since played an instrumental role in the development of black British theatre and representation on small screen...
.
Vilma, as well, is also a British version of Willona Woods, who in the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
version, gossips with Florida on every one inside (and outside) the housing projects, much to James' dismay.
Including in the show's cast was
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Lenny HenryLenworth George "Lenny" Henry CBE is an English actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
, who got his big break playing Sonny Foster, Pearl and Samuel's oldest child and son, a
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
. Sonny, was a British version of J.J. Evans, the
breakout characterA breakout character is a fictional character in different episodes, books or other media that evolves from a minor role to a major role, sometimes but not always becoming the main character of the show...
in the American version. Like, Sonny, J.J. was also a painter in the American series.
Sharon Rosita played Sonny's baby sister, Shirley Foster, the only daughter of Samuel and Pearl, and the second oldest. Shirley was based on
Thelma EvansThelma Evans Anderson is a supporting character of the 1970s family sitcom Good Times. She was portrayed by Bern Nadette Stanis. She was the middle child of the Evans family....
. Samuel and Pearl's youngest son, Shirley and Sonny's little brother, Benjamin, was played by Lawrie Mark. As in the American series, Benjamin is a British representative of
Michael EvansMichael Evans is a American supporting character from the 1970s American sitcom Good Times. The character was apparently named after Good Times co-creator Michael Evans. He was portrayed by Ralph Carter....
.
The series' episodes (and titles) were derived from transcripts originally from the
Good TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans and produced by Norman Lear...
episodes. The series produced 27 episodes and two seasons, ending its run on July 9, 1977.
Cast
- Norman Beaton
Norman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor.Beaton attended Queen's College in Guyana until he was expelled for truancy and bad grades. He was given a second chance at the Government Teachers' Training College and graduated with distinction...
as Samuel Foster
- Isabelle Lucas
Isabelle Harriet Lucas was a Canadian-born British actress and singer.Lucas was born in Toronto, Canada, to a chef from Barbados who worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Lucas acted in amateur productions as a teenager in Toronto.-Career:Isabelle Lucas moved to London in 1954 after performing...
as Pearl Foster
- Carmen Munroe
Carmen Munroe OBE is a British actress, born in Berbice, Guyana. Since the early 1950s she has been a resident of the UK. She made her West End stage debut in 1962 and has since played an instrumental role in the development of black British theatre and representation on small screen...
as Vilma
- Sharon Rosita as Shirley Foster
- Lawrie Mark as Benjamin Foster
- Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry CBE is an English actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
as Sonny Foster