Onedin Line episode list
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The Onedin Line episode list shows details of the 91 episodes of the BBC television series The Onedin Line, with a focus on the historical, sailing, shipbuilding, business and legal sides of the story, which are quite prevalent in the series. For example, episode 15 goes into quite a lot of detail (more than recounted here) of starting a public company and the technology and economics of steam boats. Which aspects are most prevalent in an episode is indicated between brackets.
| Series 1, broadcast 15 October 1971 - 21 January 1972 (15 episodes) | ||
| 1 | The Wind Blows Free (business) |
Liverpool, 1860. James Onedin acquires the sailing ship 'Charlotte Rhodes' by marrying the owner's daughter, Anne Webster. He makes his brother Robert, a shopkeeper, his partner, to take care of affairs on shore while he's at sea. James sails to Portugal and beats his former employer Callon to securing a contract with wine merchant senhor Briganza with a novel proposal to deliver back the wine barrels, which are worth more than the wine itself. |
| 2 | Plain Sailing (sailing) |
On the return journey form Portugal, James gets sick and Anne has to improvise with the navigation. In a confrontation with the ship's mate Mr Baines, they divide responsibilities and she promises to teach him to read and write. |
| 3 | Other Points of the Compass (business) |
When Robert finds out there was no profit on the first voyage, he wants out of the partnership, but is dissuaded by his wife Sarah. James' sister Elizabeth is engaged to captain-to-be Daniel Fogarty, but more interested in Albert Frazer. As is James, because Albert owns a shipyard and would therefore, for the newly established Onedin Line, be another useful addition to the family. Callon floods James with barrels, which he is by contract obliged to take in, but he has no place to store them nor money to rent it. Frazer offers temporary storage for free. |
| 4 | High Price (business) |
The barrels keep coming in and the house of Anne's father is flooded with them. So James cooks up several schemes to get his hands on an old storage building. Not able to pay the rent for housing, they even make that their home. Elizabeth is pregnant, but not married, quite a scandal at the time. |
| 5 | Catch as Can (sailing) |
Mr Baines is abducted by a US ship, but James manages to rescue him. |
| 6 | Salvage (sailing and business) |
The Charlotte Rhodes gets into trouble just off the coast and Callon rushes in to 'salvage' the ship (which is not insured), knowing that James won't be able to pay for it. James persuades Albert Frazer to beat them to the ship in his experimental steam boat. With success. |
| 7 | Passage to Pernambuco (business and sailing) |
James and Anna finally move to a real house of their own (for 25 pounds per year). When James learns from Briganza that he rapidly needs (the roots of) new grapes that are resistant to the 'devastador' beetle and that there is only one available ship that could handle the transport, the clipper Pampero,, James persuades to buy the ship (plus cargo) for him, in exchange for which Briganza gets the grapes for free and half the profits on the ship's voyages for the next five years, unless James can buy him out before those five years are over. If he can't, Briganza will get full ownership of the Pampero. On the first voyage, bad winds and troublesome passengers make James decide not to go to Pernambuco but straight to Baltimore, USA. In the US, he makes a deal with a railroad overseer that he will buy the salt that was aboard the Pampero for a symbolic price, in exchange for the overseer's workers collecting 100.000 of the grapes (Vitis californica) that grow like weed in the region. Elizabeth and Albert marry secretly. |
| 8 | The Homecoming (sailing and social) |
On his first voyage with the Pampero, James has made enough profit to pay off the mortgage on the Charlotte Rhodes and the warehouse. After having been separated for 3 months, and James sailing off again straight away, Anne decides to join him. Also aboard is Michael Adams, an old friend of Anne's who sailed off before he could marry her. When he didn't return on the same ship, Anne concluded that he had no plans to do so. But now she learns he had for four years thought he was wanted for murder in England. The real (accidental) murderer also happens to be on the ship and he himself now gets accidentally killed by Michael. Anne at first protested how the murderer had been let off the hook by the captain of that ship, but now she is happy to see James show her old boyfriend the same lenience. |
| 9 | When My Ship Comes Home (business) |
James charters the clipper Maisie Anges from Callon to pick up a cargo in Gibraltar (for which he mortgaged the cargo of the Charlotte Rhodes). On the return journey, the captain picks up all sorts of goods, including gunpowder, which blows up and sinks the ship. This time, James has insured ship and cargo, but mr Chubb of the insurance company claims it's invalid because there should have been a separate insurance for the gunpowder. Assuming that the Onedins are broke, Callon pressures Robert to sell his shop (which stands in the way of his plans for a new dock), but when Robert mentions that the Onedin Line is a limited company, Callon's son explains that in a limited company the liability of its directors (being James and Robert) is limited to the amount of its share capital. If Callon sues, he bankrupts the company, but not James and Robert. Also, the possessions of the company will be divided among the creditors, and he assumes that James will have made sure the biggest debtor will always be his other company, Onedin Warehousing. So Robert doesn't sell the shop and Callon decides not to sue, assuming James will not accept bankruptcy, but keep on fighting, even though he no longer had the means to do so. And indeed he does, but he acquires the means by 'stealing' the Charlotte Rhodes and sails off with several hundred pounds he collected from friends and family (plus 100 pounds from a money lender, causing him to sigh "I never signed my life away before"). With this money he buys a load of weaponry to sell to rebels (not against England, Anne makes sure), giving him a profit of 2000 pounds, with which he can easily pay off Callon. He assumes that having effectively stolen the Charlotte Rhodes will not cause him any problems now that he is a 'man of substance' (ie, he's got money). |
| 10 | A Very Important Passenger (historical politics) |
James gets an offer to take aboard a passenger in complete secrecy for the high sum of 100 pounds. This makes him suspicious and through further inquiry he learns that Callon had turned down an offer of 300 guineas, after which he easily manages to raise the price to 400 pounds (200 up front and 200 on arrival). This is music to the ears of Robert, who has sold his shop to Callon after all and now needs several hundred pounds to buy a new shop (plus stock). Baines is taken sick and pretty soon a replacement ship's mate presents himself, who says he can quickly gather a crew he knows well. At sea, the passenger hands over orders to take him to Sardinia instead of Livorno, the destination of the ship. The passenger claims the orders are from George Pelham of the foreign office, but they are unsigned. When an 'accident' happens that could have killed the passenger, he reveals his identity - he is Giuseppe Garibaldi, on a mission to oust the occupying forces of Austria and France from Italy. A discussion arises between James, who wants to reach Livorno in time to collect his bonus (the only profit he can make on the type of cargo he is carrying) and Garibaldi, who is not sure of the welcome he will receive there and wants to land in Caprera, just off Sardinia. The crew, who turn out to all be in on the assassination attempt, decide to try to take over the ship, but fail, in part thanks to the revolver that Garibaldi carries - after each shot they think he is unarmed because he would have to reload. After this, James decides to drop Garibaldi off in Caprera.
Back in Liverpool, Robert had learned from Albert Frazer that Melly's shop is up for sale. The asking price was 450 pounds, but he managed to knock that down to 375 pounds. With the 400 pounds from the voyage, he can now buy this shop. But James proposes a third company for their partnership - Onedin Chandlers Limited. Of which, as with the other two companies (Onedin Line and Onedin Warehousing), James will hold 85% of the shares - after all, who raised the money by transporting Garibaldi? |
| 11 | Mutiny (sailing and law) |
There has been a mutiny on a ship chartered by James and he boards off the French coast to see if he can still rescue the cargo of pineapples, that would perish if the crew were to be tried in France. He proposes to sail the ship home under his command and convinces the crew that it is better for them to get a trial in England, so they will be able to see their wives and children again. They claim they didn't mutiny but relieved the captain of his duties because he had gone mad, throwing food overboard, making false accusations and beating someone for not singing a hymn properly. During the voyage, James finds out the captain is a religious fanatic who is convinced he will die on the voyage. He says the crew plan to kill him and is found hanged shortly after. In Liverpool, they discover the ship has made a lot of water, as a result of holes drilled in the hull. An auger is found in the quarters of the captain, who was the only one below during the storm, during which it must have been done. James testifies and the crew are acquitted. |
| 12 | Cry of the Blackbird (historical) |
James has sailed to Australia with passengers, hoping to get a cargo of wool that will make him over 1000 pounds, enough to pay off the Pampero. But once there, he finds the farmers have all left their farms for a goldrush and there is no wool. A parson offers to pay him to take 'lost souls' from Papua to a missionary school in Victoria. On the voyage there, they discover the parson is a drunk and his associates are 'salvaged' criminals and troublemakers. After the Papuas have been picked up it turns out that it is a case of blackbirding (slavery) for the sugar cane plantations. When the Papuas find out, they set fire to the parson and James decides to take them back. |
| 13 | Shadow of Doubt (social) |
This episode plays almost entirely in England. Callon offers Daniel a 'shore job', taking over several of his own duties, as marine superintendent. On the first anniversary of Elizabeth and Albert's son William, Robert accidentally reveals that Daniel is the father. James takes emigrants to Quebec, for 5 pounds a head (food included, since they are by law no longer allowed to take their own). Robert puts some poor relatives on the ship for free, pointing out a clause in the articles of association (which James himself put in there), that family of company owners are always granted free passage on Onedin Line ships. These relatives, however, have small pox, for which there is no cure. Anne insists they return, but James points out that if they go back they will be put in quarantine for up to three weeks, during which they will not receive any aid (even food or water) from shore, causing even more misery, whereas if they go on and the couple survive, their scars will have time to heal before they reach Canada. Of course he would have to falsify the ship's logs. To which Anne also objects, causing James to sigh that if she doesn't stop playing the part of his consciousness, that will one day bring them to the poor house. |
| 14 | Blockade (historical) |
James gets an offer to supply the southern states during the North American civil war. For this, he has to run a Yankee blockade, but the profits would be proportional. He decides to put all the company's money (2500 pounds) into boots, blankets and firearms. On the return trip, he can make another huge profit on cotton, which is in very short supply in England and dirt cheap in the southern states, also due to the blockade. Anne strongly objects to this support to slavery, but comes along anyway, as does Albert Frazer, leaving Elizabeth behind. They pick up a pilot in Bermuda, who, for 750 pounds, will take them to Wilmington, around the blockade, dangerously close to the shore. They succeed, but once there, the pilot says he wants to wait for several weeks before returning because the yanks now know they're there. James is not so patient and decides to try it without the pilot's help, paying the pilot only half the money, for half the trip. But he gets caught and taken to New Orleans. However, on the way there, the Yankee captain turns out to be an engineer and a man of progress, who is impressed by Albert's design of a steamship, the Golden Nugget. So James tells him that the 30.000 pounds he planned to make from the voyage would have gone into building the Golden Nugget. The combination of this money not getting lost to progress, the job offer by Albert and half the profits of the journey (15.000 pounds) are enough to convince him to defect and come to England, thus averting bankruptcy for the Onedin Line. |
| 15 | Winner Take All (business) |
The Onedin Line now owns 27,484 pounds, 10 shillings and 4 pence in assets. But that's not cash in hand and James needs 1500 pounds to pay off the Pampero. Robert and Sarah are, however, overjoyed with the 200 pounds dividend they get from their 15% stake (for which they originally invested 15 pounds). James has no intentions of letting Albert build the Golden Nugget - that was clearly just a story to get out of a difficult situation. Albert is in financial trouble now, but Elizabeth sweet-talks his father to take him back into his business and consequently arranges a dinner party designed to get them and James to talk business. Albert explains the economics of a steam ship. Sailing ships have reached their limit in size, but steam ships can be made much larger. A big one would cost 40,000 pounds, the price of four clippers, and 1000 pounds in coal for a round trip to Quebec, but it would carry the same cargo as two clippers (2500 tonnes) and do the round trip in 28 days instead of 52. James orders a 4000 tonne ship, for which he floats a public company with 100,000 pounds worth of shares (60,000 pounds for building the ship and 40,000 pounds for operating costs). Albert gets 15%, but James is to own the ship. 50,000 pounds will be on call, so with an investment of 20,000 pounds he will control the company because shareholders always disagree (or so he is told). But Callon buys a majority through different nominees (so James won't know what's happening) and manages to sway the other shareholders into electing him as director.
Callon now 'owns' Onedin. On top of that, Baines, a captain now and on his first command, sinks the Pampero while rounding the notoriously dangerous Cape Horn. James is in a fit, but Anne reminds him he still has the Charlotte Rhodes. |
| Series 2, broadcast 17 September - 31 December 1972, 14 episodes | ||
| 16 | The Hard Case | |
| 17 | Pound and Pint | |
| 18 | A Woman Alone | |
| 19 | Fetch and Carry | |
| 20 | Yellow Jack | |
| 21 | Survivor | |
| 22 | Coffin Ship | |
| 23 | ‘Frisco Bound | |
| 24 | Beyond the Upper Sea | |
| 25 | An Inch of Candle | |
| 26 | Goodbye, Goodbye | |
| 27 | Bloody Week | |
| 28 | The Challenge | |
| 29 | Race for Power | |
| Series 3, broadcast 21 October 1973 - 27 January 1974, 13 episodes | ||
| 30 | The Ship Devils | |
| 31 | The Stranger | |
| 32 | Echoes from Afar | |
| 33 | Amazon Cargo | |
| 34 | Danger Level | |
| 35 | Black Gold | |
| 36 | Law of the Fist | |
| 37 | Ice and Fire | |
| 38 | A Proposal of Marriage | |
| 39 | Over the Horizon | |
| 40 | The Silver Caddy | |
| 41 | Port Out, Starboard Home | |
| 42 | The Passenger | |
| Series 4, broadcast 25 April - 27 June 1976, 10 episodes | ||
| 43 | Loss of the Helen May | |
| 44 | A Cold Wind Blowing | |
| 45 | Not Wanted on Voyage | |
| 46 | Undercurrent | |
| 47 | Quarantine | |
| 48 | Uncharted Island | |
| 49 | A Clear Conscience | |
| 50 | Shipwreck | |
| 51 | The Gamble | |
| 52 | Month of the Albatross | |
| Series 5, broadcast 26 June - 28 August 1977, 10 episodes | ||
| 53 | When Troubles Come | |
| 54 | Rescue | |
| 55 | Coffin Ships | |
| 56 | The Trade Winds | |
| 57 | The Stowaway | |
| 58 | Dead Man’s Cargo | |
| 59 | A Hard Life | |
| 60 | The Hostage | |
| 61 | Uncharted Waters | |
| 62 | A Close Run Thing | |
| Series 6, broadcast 16 July - 17 September 1978, 10 episodes | ||
| 63 | No Smoke Without Fire | |
| 64 | Collision Course | |
| 65 | Double Dealers | |
| 66 | Stand by to Go About | |
| 67 | The Upright Man | |
| 68 | The Reverend’s Daughter | |
| 69 | Highly Explosive | |
| 70 | A Sea of Troubles | |
| 71 | Men of Honour | |
| 72 | The Fortune Hunters | |
| Series 7, broadcasts 22 July - 23 September 1979, 10 episodes | ||
| 73 | Liverpool Bound | |
| 74 | The Homecoming | |
| 75 | The Paddy Westers | |
| 76 | Dirty Cargo | |
| 77 | To Honour and Obey | |
| 78 | Running Free | |
| 79 | The Suitor | |
| 80 | Storm Clouds | |
| 81 | Outward Bound | |
| 82 | Homeward Bound | |
| Series 8, broadcast 31 August - 26 October 1980, 9 episodes | ||
| 83 | A Royal Return | |
| 84 | Revenge | |
| 85 | Blood Ties | |
| 86 | The Honeymoon | |
| 87 | Jonah’s Luck | |
| 88 | The Price of Pride | |
| 89 | Vengeance | |
| 90 | Guilty - In All Innocence | |
| 91 | A Long Way Home | |
