Compact

1962

3.0

4 Seasons

Drama Soap

Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.

Season

Episodes

Ep 1

The First Issue

Ep 2

Advice To Readers

Ep 3

Efficiency Expert

Ep 4

Cover Photograph

Ep 5

Tea Break

Ep 6

Personal Problem

Ep 7

The New Broom

Ep 8

Sally Speaks Up

Ep 9

Question Of Identity

Ep 10

Wedding Grove

Ep 11

Suspicion Of Theft

Ep 12

Happy Birthday

Ep 13

Valentine's Day

Ep 14

Testing Time

Ep 15

Something To Celebrate

Ep 16

Press Reception

Ep 17

A True Story

Ep 18

Circulation Figures

Ep 19

News From New York

Ep 20

A Breath Of Air

Ep 21

The Party

Ep 22

After The Ball

Ep 23

Shocks And Bruises

Ep 24

Weekend

Ep 25

Action Stations

Ep 26

The Ideal Husband

Ep 27

Future Plans

Ep 28

Facing The Facts

Ep 29

A Night Out

Ep 30

Point Of Departure

Ep 31

Surprises By Post

Ep 32

A Piece Of Cake

Ep 33

Pets Corner

Ep 34

The Man For The Job

Ep 35

Down The Hatch

Ep 36

Stormy Weather

Ep 37

Musical Evening

Ep 38

Talent Contest

Ep 39

Visting Hours

Ep 40

Mixed Receptions

Ep 41

Home And Away

Ep 42

Day Of Frenzy

Ep 43

Moment Of Truth

Ep 44

In A Spin

Ep 45

The Big Chance

Ep 46

Garden Party

Ep 47

Happy Returns

Ep 48

Man And Wife

Ep 49

Blackmail

Ep 50

Take-Over Time

Ep 51

The Proposal

Ep 52

Faraway Places

Ep 53

Barbecue

Ep 54

A Day Of Problems

Ep 55

Comings And Goings

Ep 56

Looking Ahead

Ep 57

Weekend Plans

Ep 58

Settlement Day

Ep 59

Gone Astray

Ep 60

Evening Date

Ep 61

A Night Out

Ep 62

Pay Off

Ep 63

Moving Up

Ep 64

Surprise Party

Ep 65

Riding For A Fall

Ep 66

Unguarded Moment

Ep 67

Skin Deep

Ep 68

The Contest

Ep 69

Ebb And Flow

Ep 70

Budget Leak

Ep 71

Andiamo

Ep 72

Out For The Count

Ep 73

Finger Of Suspicion

Ep 74

Detective Work

Ep 75

The Elopement

Ep 76

Heartbeat

Ep 77

The First Clue

Ep 78

Trapped

Ep 79

The Morning After

Ep 80

Facing The Facts

Ep 81

Heart To Heart

Ep 82

Day Of Revolutions

Ep 83

True To Type

Ep 84

Where There's Smoke

Ep 85

Burns And Shock

Ep 86

Who's Who?

Ep 87

Horoscope

Ep 88

Point Of Departure

Ep 89

The Truth Of The Matter

Ep 90

A Case Of Identity

Ep 91

Questions And Answers

Ep 92

French Leave

Ep 93

Lost And Found

Ep 94

Art And Craft

Ep 95

The Best Laid Plans

Ep 96

Profit And Loss

Ep 97

Setting A Trap

Ep 98

Sparks Flying

Ep 99

The Bad Penny

Ep 100

All That Jazz

Ep 101

Five More Shopping Days

Ep 102

Christmas Spirit

Ep 103

Business As Usual

Ep 121

Unofficial Strike

Ep 279

Many questions

Cast

Vincent Ball

Vincent Ball

Robert Desmond

Robert Desmond

Adrian Coombs

Rachel Gurney

Rachel Gurney

Clinton Greyn

Clinton Greyn

Carmen Silvera

Carmen Silvera

Mandy Miller

Mandy Miller

Patrick Troughton

Patrick Troughton

Lionel Murton

Lionel Murton

Eric Barker

Eric Barker

Robert Flemyng

Robert Flemyng

Sandra Payne

Sandra Payne