Home Fires (UK TV series)

Home Fires
Genre	Period drama
Created by	Simon Block
Based on	Jambusters by Julie Summers
Directed by	Robert Quinn Bruce Goodinson
Starring	Francesca Annis Daisy Badger Mark Bonnar Samantha Bond Mark Bazeley Leanne Best Clare Calbraith Chris Coghill Ruth Gemmell Frances Grey Jodie Hamblet Rachel Hurd-Wood Leila Mimmack Mike Noble Claire Price Claire Rushbrook Daniel Ryan Ed Stoppard Mark Umbers Fenella Woolgar
Theme music composer	Samuel Sim
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Frances Hopkinson Catherine Oldfield Rebecca Eaton
Producer(s)	Sue de Beauvoir
Running time	44–46 minutes
Production company(s)	ITV Studios Masterpiece
Distributor	ITV Studios Global Entertainment
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	16:9 1080i
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	3 May 2015 (2015-05-03) – 8 May 2016 (2016-05-08)

Home Fires is a British period television drama about the life of Women's Institute members on the Home Front during the Second World War. Set in a rural Cheshire community called Great Paxford, the series is produced by ITV, and launched its first series in May 2015. The first series is set between September 1939 and early 1940.

The series was inspired by the book Jambusters by Julie Summers. With the first series having an average viewing ratings of 6.2 million ITV commissioned a second six-part series, aired in April 2016. The show focuses on a largely female cast, including notable actresses Francesca Annis, Samantha Bond, Claire Rushbrook, Fenella Woolgar and Leanne Best.

Series 2 of Home Fires premiered on 2 April 2016 and gained 5.2 million views with a 23.7% share. ITV announced it would not renew the show in May 2016.

Cast

• Francesca Annis as Joyce Cameron
  Joyce is a pillar of the community, and the historical leader of the Great Paxford Women's Institute. The first series examines a conflict between Joyce, the "old school," and Frances Barden, the new leadership, all in the shadow of the beginning of World War II.
• Daisy Badger as Claire Wilson (née Hillman)
  The former maid of Joyce Cameron. When Joyce sacks her following her supporting the Vote of No Confidence, Frances Barden and her husband hire Claire out of kindness. She is married to postmaster Spencer Wilson.
• Mark Bazeley as Bob Simms
  An aspiring author following the minor success of his first book. He was a journalist in the First World War and suffered injuries to his arm and leg from shrapnel, though he admits it was nowhere near combat. Volatile, self-centered and somewhat pathetic, Bob physically and emotionally dominates his wife Pat; he bans her from attending WI meetings and demands she wait on him hand and foot, never once showing gratitude.
• Leanne Best as Teresa Fenchurch
  Great Paxford's new local teacher. She becomes a tenant in Alison Scotlock's home, eventually becoming friends with Alison. It is revealed during the run of the series that Teresa has has a relationship with a woman and is a lesbian.
• Samantha Bond as Frances Barden
  Leader of the WI. She is kind, ambitious and always speaks her mind. Frances becomes head of the reformed WI following her urging for a vote of No Confidence in Joyce Cameron. Frances believes in a bright future for the WI and is overjoyed whenever anything good happens to the WI or in the lives of one of her friends. While Joyce's efforts to bring down the newly reformed WI are a constant source of frustration, Frances remains civil and calm. She is very supportive of Pat, and orchestrates her husband's transfer to London after realizing how abusive he is. She soon becomes a mentor to Claire Wilson and advises her not to wait on Spencer Hillman. Frances constantly supports and advises her sister, Sarah; when Sarah's husband goes off to war, Frances encourages Sarah and gives her a shoulder to cry on. When the evacuees from London come, Frances meets them expecting a child but instead gets a blind young woman from Liverpool, Isobel. Happy that she has someone to care for, Frances takes her in. Frances is a very skilled gunwoman, much to the surprise of her sister and Steph.
• Clare Calbraith as Steph Farrow
  A farming wife who comes to enthusiastically support the WI after some initial reluctance to join. Steph is very happy with her husband and only wants what is best for him; when he decides to enlist, she supports him through love rather than reason. Steph also offers many ideas to the WI and becomes good friends with Frances and later Teresa, who gradually realises that Steph is illiterate and offers to teach her to read and write.
• Chris Coghill as Stanley Farrow
  The local farmer and Steph's husband. He is brave and wants to enlist in the war, despite having unpleasant memories of the last conflict in which he served. Stanley loves his wife and son (also named Stanley) and works hard to provide for them.
• Ruth Gemmell as Sarah Collingborne
  Frances Barden's sister and a member of the WI. She offers advice to her sister frequently, hoping for the WI to move on from the corrupt ways of Joyce Cameron. When Frances remakes the Institute she becomes a prominent member with wits and ability. When her husband, the local pastor, shows a desire to enlist Sarah is heartbroken and cannot cope, yet when he leaves she begins to be attracted to the dashing pilot who has been billeted with her. She goes in to kiss him but pulls away, feeling guilty, saying "I might, but I can't". She looks happy when Joyce leaves and reconciles with Frances.
• Frances Grey as Erica Campbell
  Wife of Dr. Will Campbell and the local pharmacist. She is very kind and cares for her family more than anything. She is a member of the WI. Erica loves Dr. Campbell with her whole heart and always seeks support and advice from him. Her initial surprise at Jack's sudden engagement to her daughter Kate gives way to full support. After noticing the abusive relationship between Bob and Pat Simms (her neighbours), she concocts a mixture of Lithium and lies to Pat that it is for Bob's stomach ailments. Pat surreptitiously puts the elixir into Bob's tea, causing him to be calmer and less cruel. However, Dr. Campbell learns of this when Pat accidentally gives Bob an overdose and confiscates the drug. Outraged that she would risk their profession and reputation, Dr. Campbell forces Erica to admit the truth to Pat, who is similarly angry; however, Erica maintains her belief that she did the right thing.
• Rachel Hurd-Wood as Kate Campbell
  First daughter of Erica and Will Campbell. Vivacious and outgoing, she is more extroverted than her sister Laura. She and her husband Jack, who is in training to be a pilot, are caught up in a whirlwind romance. She is the first of the daughters to marry, wearing her mother's dress. They are about to move into their own home when Jack is killed in a training accident. Kate is devastated and goes into mourning; however, with the encouragement of her father and Joyce Cameron, she gradually learns to open up again.
• Leila Mimmack as Laura Campbell
  The second daughter of Will and Erica Campbell. She is considered the more selfish of the two, constantly concerned about her looks, but when Kate asks for help she always pulls through. Laura is part of the WAAF, but is dishonourably discharged after her affair with Richard, a married superior officer, is exposed.
• Mike Noble as Spencer Wilson
  The local postman. Spencer takes a fancy to Claire after coming to her rescue in a bicycling accident. He is cheery and supports the WI's new form. Upon receiving his notice to enlist, however, he abruptly ends things with Claire, leaving her confused and upset. When she learns he did this in an attempt not to burden her, she is annoyed but continues to pursue him. When he refuses to enlist on grounds of being a conscientious objector and is so outed by Joyce Cameron, Spencer is shunned and harassed by the people of Great Paxford, particularly Miriam Brindsley. Nevertheless, his relationship with Claire continues and they are married in the series 2 premiere.
• Claire Price as Miriam Brindsley
  The wife of local butcher Bryn, and a member of the WI. The thought of war terrifies her, as she knows it will eventually take away her son David. He, however, is determined to enlist, which she vigorously resists, going to far as to falsify their ration card so the government does not know they have a son and asking Dr. Campbell to lie that David's childhood asthma is more serious than it really is. When David sneaks out in the middle of the night to enlist, Miriam is heartbroken and takes her anger out on both her husband and Spencer Wilson, a conscientious objector. She also goes several days without sleep, writing letters to soldiers on the front and preparing care packages whilst shutting out her husband. Frances Barden, upon reading the letters - which are not at all encouraging or even positive - takes Miriam to task for her behavior, and they reconcile, though Miriam's antagonizing of Spencer continues. When a telegram comes to the house Miriam fears for the worst and hides it in a sudden fit of panic. Bryn finds the telegram and advises her to open it. Miriam is very happy to learn that David is only reported missing and not officially dead. In the Series 1 finale Miriam finds she is pregnant and is utterly thrilled at the thought David will get a brother or sister.
• Claire Rushbrook as Pat Simms
  A member of the WI. A battered wife, she has been a victim of her husband Bob's physical and verbal abuse for many years. She makes every effort to keep him happy but remains with him out of fear, going so far as to lie about and make apologies for his behavior. Erica Campbell's elixir, meant to treat Bob's supposed "stomach troubles," is in fact a mild dose of Lithium that causes his cruelty to abate; Pat, however, is so pleased with the result that she uses it too often and accidentally gives Bob an overdose. When Erica admits the truth, Pat furiously refuses to admit that Bob is abusive. However, the notion that the village can see this for themselves causes her to realize how much she hates her husband and his daily acts of cruelty, including banning her from remaining with the WI (out of jealousy at her successful speech giving) and forcing her to give up her job as a switchboard operator. However, when she attempts to leave him he successfully cows her with threats that she cannot hope to survive on her own. When Bob leaves for London, Pat is immensely relived and rushes to tell Frances Barden she can rejoin the WI. Frances admits that she used her connections in the Home Office to have Bob posted to London, and the two share an emotional hug. When refugee soldiers are brought to Great Paxford, Pat becomes close to a Czech soldier named Marek; however, this draws suspicion and ire from Bob, who continues to make occasional visits to the village.
• Daniel Ryan as Bryn Brindsley
  The local butcher and husband to Miriam. Bryn fought in the First World War and survived. However, he was scarred by the events and Miriam forbids him from enlisting again. He cares greatly for his family and offers advice to his son David, who is determined to enlist. He at first supports his son's ideas but later decides it's best for the family if he does not fight. However, when David chooses to sneak out in the middle of the night, Bryn chooses to let him leave with his blessing. This leads to considerable friction with a distraught Miriam, although Bryn does his best to comfort her. Bryn is supportive of the WI out his love for his wife. When a telegram comes after David goes off to fight Bryn and Miriam agonize for a while before deciding to finally open it; it only says that their son is missing. While Miriam is hopeful, Bryn suspects that, as their son is missing at sea, it is very unlikely he will return home.
• Ed Stoppard as Will Campbell
  The local physician. He is very kind and a very able doctor. He is also very honest and lives to help people through medicine. His relationship with Miriam Brindsley is strained when he refuses to lie that her son is asthmatic and therefore unfit to serve in the army. He then discovers he has lung cancer, much to his wife's horror, making him ineligible to enlist. However, he chooses to keep this a secret from everyone except Erica, reasoning that it would be better for his family to live happy and unknowing than fearful with the knowledge.
• Fenella Woolgar as Alison Scotlock
  Alison is a member of the WI. She lost her husband George during WWI, and his name can be seen on the memorial wall. Frances tells her husband that the WI is essential in Alison's case, because if she was not a member she would never leave the house and her life would revolve around looking at the memorial wall and caring for her dog, Boris. Alison takes in a tenant, Teresa Fenchurch, but later discovers that she is a lesbian, which leaves her utterly shocked and worried for her reputation. However, she takes to heart her late husband's belief that "it can never be a sin to love another human being" and accepts Teresa, revealing that she and George were never legally married, due to his first wife refusing to grant a divorce. Alison is soon blackmailed into falsifying the accounts of traitors to the British government and attempts suicide when the traitor uses the threat of exposure to make her continue her illegal work. She is arrested in the Series 1 finale on suspicion of fraudulent activity and aiding and abetting tax evasion.
• Jodie Hamblet as Jenny Marshall
  Jenny is the switchboard operator for Great Paxford and works alongside Pat. For the first half of Series One she is Spencer's girlfriend. Jenny is often well-meaning, but can be rude and nosy, having a tendency to spread rumours and stick her nose into other people's business. She and Claire share a mutual dislike of one another.
• Jacqueline Pilton as Cookie
  An elderly member of the WI. Cookie is kind and worries for the WI when it becomes corrupt and selfish under Joyce's rule. However, she shows a lot of happiness when Frances takes over and happily supports the newly reformed WI's movements. She worried for Frances's blind evacuee when she constantly cannot find her way to the shelter.
• Eileen Davies as Anne
  The friend of Joyce and constant supporter of Mrs Cameron. She comments rudely on Kate when her husband dies, which prompts Joyce to defend the mourning Kate.
• Anthony Calf as Peter Barden
  Peter is a businessman of sorts. He is the husband of Frances and very supportive of her acts in the WI. When Frances puts herself down, Peter is always the first to pick her back up. He is the catalyst for Frances's jam-making campaign early in Series 1.

Series 1 (2015)

Summary

When the WI is reformed by Frances Barden (Samantha Bond), she makes the committee less exclusive and creates it into a happier environment; she is later voted as the official President. Meanwhile, Pat (Claire Rushbrook), a member of the committee, begins to get abuse from her husband Bob. She is forced to become a servant for him. As war begins to loom on Great Britain and the world, the WI make jam, preventing the available fruit to be taken away from Great Paxford. When war is officially declared, there is much discussion on who will enlist. Miriam's son, David, shows an urge to enlist for the army, which greatly frightens her. When the registration form comes from the government, she deliberately fills it out incorrectly, so it looks as though she and Bryn never had a child. David later enlists for the navy. He is declared missing, to Miriam's relief, as she had believed the telegram had said he was dead.

Dr Campbell finds he has lung cancer, preventing him from enlisting. This pleases Erica, but she is horrified at the thought of her husband dying. Spencer declines his call-up papers. With the villagers shunning him, Claire worries for him. Alison takes in a tenant, who she later finds is lesbian, but she allows her tenant to stay in her house as long as she does not mention it in public. Steph worries for her husband when he shows an urge to fight. Meanwhile, Frances expands the WI to become more helpful toward the war effort by pushing for every available piece of land to be put toward food production. However this plan is met with great resentment by the men of the community, as she plans to change the cricket pitch into a vegetable patch. The day comes when all the men enlisting leave, with nearly only woman being left behind. Frances is plagued with interference from Joyce but soon tries to reconcile with her.

When war becomes even more certain, Frances and the WI decide it is time for a community air raid shelter to be installed in case of an attack. Claire helps Frances to irritate Joyce by acting as if the church would be used instead of Joyce's planned bunker. Teresa helps Steph to learn how to read in order to save her family's farm. An air raid comes in the second to last episode, in which Joyce is terrified but is helped by Frances's evacuee Isobel Reily, who in fact is blind.

In the final episode of the first series, Bob leaves for London, leaving Pat relieved and happy to be away from him, whilst Joyce leaves for the coast. She speaks with Frances over the war effort and hands over the keys to her tennis courts so that they may be used for food production. As the series finishes the final scene hints at the war taking its toll in Great Paxford.

Episodes

(1939-1940)

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
1	1	"Episode One"	Bruce Goodison	Simon Block,	3 May 2015 (2015-05-03)	6.16
August 1939 When Joyce resigns from the WI, Frances decides to revive it and make it more welcoming to the women in the village. Meanwhile she works to help the army's food scramble. Dr Campbell learns the deadly truth of why he cannot enlist. Steph reluctantly signs up for the WI but soon enjoys her first meeting.
2	2	"Episode Two"	Bruce Goodison	Simon Block	10 May 2015 (2015-05-10)	5.56
As the threat of war looms closer to the village, its residents must adjust to unwelcome changes. News of the war prompts discussion of who shall enlist. Frances works to help the war effort, while Pat's marriage begins to crumble. Meanwhile Joyce is on the march to regain control over the WI. David must make a decision on whether to fight or not. Frances has high hopes for the available land in the village to help the war effort.
3	3	"Episode Three"	Bruce Goodison	Simon Block	17 May 2015 (2015-05-17)	5.31
As the war progresses the people of Great Paxford are each affected. Alison is forced to work for traitors. Sarah worries when her husband wants to enlist, meanwhile Kate wants to get married but to the anger of her family. Miriam decides she must do something to stop David from enlisting; she takes action, but the consequences begin to pressure her.
4	4	"Episode Four"	Bruce Goodison	Simon Block	24 May 2015 (2015-05-24)	5.34
Secrets and lies are rife in the village. Miriam knows her deception can’t be kept from David forever, but she’s terrified of the consequences of him finding out. Teresa meets an old friend again, with a life changing offer and the knowledge of a secret. Frances tries to help Sarah.
5	5	"Episode Five"	Robert Quinn	Simon Block	7 June 2015 (2015-06-07)	5.50
Steph wins a personal victory. Frances gets more than she bargained for when an evacuee shows up at Great Paxford. Theresa receives tragic news and Alison learns her secret. Erica and Pat have a close call. Laura faces a difficult decision. The WI try to make a social shelter, led by Frances. Kate tries to move on. The war begins to take its toll on Great Paxford, with consequences and danger. David enlists behind the back of his mother. Alison wants to learn the truth about Teresa.
6	6	"Episode Six"	Robert Quinn	Simon Block	14 June 2015 (2015-06-14)	5.36
May 1940 France's expected defeat makes the possibility of Nazi invasion more real than ever before. Frances is determined to help Pat, and Sarah learns to shoot. Alison is plagued by her decision to work with the traitors, with terrible consequences. The WI sets its sights high for fund raising, while Miriam receives a telegram concerning her son. Teresa steps in to help Alison but her actions cannot stop the course of justice. Charlotte files for divorce, with Laura as correspondent. Laura faces a scandal; can she handle the pressure?

Series 2 (2016)

(1940)

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
7	1	"Episode One"	Robert Quinn	Simon Block	3 April 2016 (2016-04-03)	6.59
11 June 1940 As war begins to take its toll on Great Paxford and the Battle of Britain looms, Teresa must step in to protect an Italian resident from the other people of the village. Sarah begins to feel alone after she gets some tragic news about her husband on the front lines, yet she must rise up to address the village over the silencing of the church bells. Alison gets the verdict on whether the charges will be upheld or dropped, however she must then make a difficult choice after the result. Claire and Spencer marry in secret; Jenny learns of this and tells Frances. Pat befriends a kindly Czech soldier and enjoys her new life with no husband. Frances has a heart stopping encounter.
8	2	"Episode Two"	Robert Quinn	Glen Laker	10 April 2016 (2016-04-10)	6.09
Frances decides she will not come into the shelter during an air raid leaving Sarah with a difficult decision. Pat's abusive husband is back in town but she feels torn as she grows closer to the soldier Marek. Laura faces scandal after the divorce becomes public and her reputation begins to crumble. Alison begins her work with police. Meanwhile Will begins radiation treatment for his cancer, supported by his daughter Kate. Frances must come to terms with the death of her husband, while Alison uncovers a shocking revelation about Peter upon analysing his will. Laura's friendship with Tom is tested due to the intervention from Mrs Talbot, whilst Jenny comes to blows with Laura and makes plans for her future. Joyce returns, and offers some unexpected comfort to Frances saying that her husband was a gentlemen. Frances discovers a terrible secret hidden by her husband, Pete was having an affair with the company accountant Helen.
9	3	"Episode Three"	Robert Quinn	Simon Block	17 April 2016 (2016-04-17)	6.05
Frances uncovers a horrific secret about her husband's secret life; he has a son with the company accountant, who also died in the car crash. Alison is approached by the police once more to work for them and must choose between her loyalties to Frances and her country. At a public dance hosted by the Czech soldiers Joyce notices the level of intimacy between Sarah and the Wing Commander; Joyce convinces her that she must remain loyal to her husband for her sake rather than for the scandal. Jenny listens into a call between Joyce and her husband where it seems that Joyce is a Nazi sympathiser and she alerts the village, causing trouble for Joyce with shocking consequences. However Joyce soon reclaims control and Jenny takes a blow. Pat is in danger when Bob returns and someone sees her with Marek. Meanwhile, Teresa is attracted to an unlikely source - a female pilot who is praised by the other soldiers.
10	4	"Episode Four"	John Hayes	Simon Block	24 April 2016 (2016-04-24)	5.65
24 July 1940 Frances has big plans for the factory now being in charge of the factory and decides that she can upgrade the working life, yet Frances also reveals to Sarah she has plans to rid herself of the 20% shareholder's threat. Can Teresa change, this is what she asks of herself when she is asked on a date? Alison worries that her involvement with the Lyons could have dangerous consequences beyond just damaging her relationship with Frances. Marek and Pat meet and are clearly inseparable but they are seen. David Brindsley is now home but they discover that his injuries are more than on the surface. The Campbells receive good news for a change, which prompts Laura to volunteer for the ROC. Also a first aid training meeting is held in the village. Frances makes the decision to attempt to buy out Mr Lakin, and accidentally sees Noah while at the house. This causes friction between Frances and Sarah as while talking she blames Noah for all that has happened. Will Frances be able to sway Mr Lakin?
11	5	"Episode Five"	John Hayes	Simon Block	1 May 2016 (2016-05-01)	5.44
30 August 1940 Bombing brings unnatural light to the horizon. The harvest is becomes an almost impossible challenge as Steph's workers leave for better wages elsewhere. A woman in search of David Brindsley’s parents thanks them for saving her son, believing David died saving him. Meanwhile the Czech soldiers are given warning of their reassignment and Marek asks Pat again to leave Bob. Frances stuggles to understand her husband's double life and yet her parachute factory is under a threat only Alison seems aware of. Eventually the whole WI comes to Steph and Stan's aid with the maize harvest after she collapses with extreme exhaustion. Realising how quick and brutal the war has become, Nick and Teresa's relationship takes an unexpected twist. Sarah finds herself in danger.
12	6	"Episode Six"	John Hayes	Simon Block	8 May 2016 (2016-05-08)	5.44
3 September 1940 Frances's factory is closed by the authorities dues to producing faulty parachutes and Alison blames herself. Nick and Teresa get married even after a couple of people who know something deeper about her ask probing questions regarding its wisdom. Francis begins to thaw towards Noah, partly with a piece of gentle assistance from Joyce. Halfway through the wedding ceremony Miriam goes into labour. Bob eventually confronts Pat about her relationship with Marek after increasing his micro-management of her life to the point of distraction. She storms out of the wedding reception only to be stopped in her tracks by the crash of a crippled RAF fighter aircraft into the front of the house behind her.

Reception

The first series had a consolidated average rating of 6.2 million viewers to date and a 24 percent share. June 2015, ITV announced that it had ordered a second series of the programme. At the time of the end of the second series (8 May 2016), the first series had a rating of 8.0 out of 10 on IMDB. Alongside the positive attention from IMDB, the drama has been received favourably by critics. Samantha Bond was nominated for an award from the Satellite Awards. Series 2 met with similar success compared with Series 1 as the premiere episode gained 5.2 million overnight views, with the second episode reaching 4.7 million views.

Just days after the broadcast of the final episode of series 2, ITV announced it was cancelling the show and there would be no third season. A network spokesman said that despite the show's success, "the ITV commissioning team continues to refresh the channel's drama portfolio, hence the decision not to commission a further new series." A campaign to resurrect the show was launched after the cancellation was announced. To date, it has over 21,000 signatures.

Broadcast

Home Fires first aired on 3 May 2015 on ITV. Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on 10 October 2015 on BBC First. The series premiered in the United States on 4 October 2015 on PBS.

External links

• Home Fires at IMDb