Springhill (TV series)

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Springhill was a British soap opera/drama, produced by Granada and broadcast in 1996/1997 on the Sky One satellite channel, and later on Channel 4. It consisted of 2 series, each containing 26 episodes, each lasting approximately 30 minutes. Springhill based its main theme on the battle between good and evil, however, as the story unfolded, the lines between what is good and what is evil would become blurred.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The show revolved around a Liverpool family called the Freemans, living in the fictional district of Springhill. The Freemans were mum (Liz), dad (Jack) and five children (Nick, Sue, Trish, Anthony and John Paul). As the show progressed, it emerged that the Freeman parents were hiding a huge, destructive secret.

The main storyline of series 1 was the return of Eva Morrigan to Springhill, who it emerged had actually given birth to 3 of the Freeman children, Nick, Sue and Trish, but had fled when her children were young, after discovering her husband Jack was also married to Liz. With the help of the local priest, Father McGinley, and the doctoring of birth certificates to hide the fact that Trish and Anthony were the same age, the Freemans lived happily for many years, with Liz raising all five children as her own. However Eva's return years later plunged the lives of the Freemans in to chaos, with both Eva and Liz battling for the rights to the title of mother, as well as a deeper, darker battle emerging, that between good and evil.

Throughout the family's trauma, comic relief was provided by Anita and Carole, who played friend's and neighbours of Liz.

One of the more unusual aspects of Springhill was its supernatural, symbolic and religious elements. This was done through a number of ways, such as the names of the characters, such as Eva Morrigan, 'Morrigan' meaning 'phantom Queen' in Irish mythology, and 'Marian', meaning pertaining to the Virgin Mary. It was also shown to use a symbolic comparison of the angels and demons theme, with Liz and Eva, and more noticeably Marian and Eva, taking on the respective roles. Eva was implied to have powers of witchcraft. This was shown through Eva constantly being one tactical step ahead of Liz during their war, her ability to be able to 'make things happen' and seeming to know events that were occurring in the Freemans' lives in her absence. Another factor was the appearance of Grandad to his family at times of crisis, despite the fact that he dies in episode 1. Even more unusual was the introduction of Marian in series 2, a new 'Good' figure to battle with Eva. Marian was implied to be a literal Angel who intended to sort out the 'ungodly' deviations in the lives of the Freemans, which by this time involved homosexuality, incest, bigamy, abortion, murder and adultery! Another unusual aspect was the concept of time, which was speeded up in the final episode in a cruel attempt by Eva to drive Marian mad, and probably the most unusual by far was the implication that Liz's new born baby was the second coming of Christ!

Springhill also made excellent use of its background music, which was eerie and menacing, which added another dimension to the supernatural and mysterious elements.

The first series ended after Eva successfully turned all of the children against Liz, including Liz's own two children, and fled Springhill haven stolen Liz's new baby and leaving her for dead, having finally executed the ultimate revenge. Series 2 started a few months after the first had ended, with Eva trying to play the mother to Freeman household. Eva even went as far as engineering the return of Liz's baby to Springhill, and he was adopted by Sandra Mullaney under the guise he was an abandoned baby. Eva seemed to be having the last laugh, however she didn't count on the arrival of Marian, an Angel disguised as the local church cleaner, who would try to undo all of Eva's hard work. Eva's mysterious powers that she used so well in the first series became weaker and weaker throughout series 2, as Marian gained the upper hand, essentially turning all the family against Eva, in what was essentially a reversal of what happened in Series 1 - however, there was a twist in the tale!

Marian, it seemed, was the family's saviour, and viewers were awed as it seemed the ever-powerful Eva had finally met her match in Marian, however as the Freeman children got on with life, behaviours emerged that Marian didn't approve of at all. Marian showed her true colours in pursuit of absolute good, and she caused tremendous ructions within the household in a bid to sanitise the teenagers from sin. This all led to a shift in sympathy from the viewers towards Eva, and as their battle reached a climax, viewers were unsure as to with which character to place their trust, as the roles of good and evil began to intertwine. In the end Eva triumphed, and rid the family of Marian in startling manner, which involved the speeding of time and the use of Liz's temporarily aged son in a baffling locked-room mystery.

As Eva and Marian's battle reached its climax, Liz's fate had all but been forgotten, and just as it appeared that Eva was good all along, then came her confession to John Paul that she had after all murdered Liz a year ago, an act of revenge which she said was inevitable. The confession drove John Paul to insanity, and with Liz, John Paul and Marian dealt with, Eva was finally able to lay claim to the family she had lost 15 years earlier.

[edit] Characters

    • Liz Freeman - A loving wife, and strongly protective mother to her children, Liz attempts in vain to keep her family together throughout the series. Deeply religious, she turns to the church in her darkest hours, but ultimately finds that not even God can save her from Eva's evil plans.
    • Jack Freeman - Jack is a weak man, who tends to act first and think later. In love with both Eva and Liz, his inability to make a decision was the catalyst for the chain of events that happen to the Freemans. While his love for his wives is questionable, it is plain to see that Jack thinks the world of his kids.
    • Eva Morrigan - Eva was once a meek, pleasant young woman, but fled to the wilderness after her husband's betrayal, where she learned the ways of the witches. Eva has returned to Springhill after 15 years with only one agenda - and a sixth sense! Her battle with Liz centres the entire plot.
    • Nick Freeman - Nick is a strong, confident young man, who always looked after his younger brothers and sisters. Nick falls in love with Eva before he realises who she is, leading to the breakdown of his marriage, self disgust at his incestuous thoughts, and impotence.
    • Sue Freeman - Sue is a young woman who is desperate for marriage, babies and mortgages. Her maternal side hides a very self-centred, childish view of the world, believing that the unfolding events affect her life the most.
    • Trish Freeman - Trish is volatile, short-tempered and selfish, and reacts the most violently to the events which occur in the series, coming to blows with Liz on more than one occasion. Trish finds out that she is a year older than she originally thought, and sets about making up for her lost year in dramatic style.
    • Anthony Freeman - One of Liz's only two children, Anthony is bookish and computer-mad. Anthony's girlfriend, Greta, is keen to take their relationship to the next level, but he's more keen on spending time on his computer, or with Greta's brother!
    • John Paul Freeman - As the youngest child, John Paul is the most close to Liz, making him an obvious target in Eva's plans. John Paul fails to make sense of what's going on around him. Deeply religious, and almost pious, he finds that even the church is unable to provide the answers to the events occurring in Springhill, almost losing his faith.
    • Father Peter McGinley - Father McGinely was instrumental in creating the time bomb that has finally exploded in Springhill. He is in love with Liz, and a lot of his actions are driven by this love.
    • Marian - Angelic Marian arrives in series 2 and soon integrates herself in to the Freeman household, in a bid to save the family from evil inflicted by Eva. However her quest to free the family from sin takes a sinister turn, and it ultimately becomes clear that Angels aren't always what they seem.
    • Greta Mullaney - Greta is intelligent with a philosophical view of the world. She adores her friend Anthony, always attempting to take their friendship to the next level.
    • Debbie Nixon - Debbie is Nick's girlfriend, and tries to be understanding when he becomes obsessed with Eva. However, her frustrations eventually lead to a battle with Eva for Nick's affections, a battle she seems destined to lose.
    • Jamie Johnson - Jamie tries to be patient as girlfriend Sue crumbles under the pressure of her circumstances. He feels at home in the Freeman household, but becomes lost when the Freemans fall apart, proposing to Sue for all the wrong reasons.

[edit] Minor Characters

    • Anita Cartledge - Liz's friend and neighbour. Loves to gossip and provides comic relief. Is seemingly employed by Eva as housekeeper in between series, though her employment comes to a premature end.
    • Meryl Cartledge - Trish's friend. Anita's daughter.
    • Carole Lombard - Best friend to Anita and mother of Pat.
    • Pat Lombard - Trish's friend.
    • Grandad - His funeral occurs in episode 1, though makes a couple of ghostly appearances throughout series 1.
    • Greg Metcalfe - Trish's teacher with whom she has a short lived affair.

[edit] Series 1

Series 1 opens shortly after the death of Liz's father. At the funeral, Liz is horrified to catch a fleeting glimpse of a mysterious figure loitering outside the church. We learn the stranger's name is Eva Morrigan, and it is evident from the panic between Liz and Jack that there is some history with this lady. At first Jack believes Liz's mind is playing tricks on her following the death of her father, however he soon realises that Eva is well and truly back.

Eva, mother to 3 of the Freeman children, decides to secretly visit them; Nick, Sue and Trish separately. She buys a car off Nick, and strikes up a close friendship with him. She bumps in to Trish in a clothes shop and gives her a coat Trish has been longing for, but which Liz refused to buy her, and later, when Liz has put the house on the market in an attempt to flee Eva, Eva calls round to see Sue, posing as a potential buyer. Eva convinces Trish to dye her hair, which causes violence between Liz and Trish. Meanwhile Nick is growing closer to Eva, and begins falling in love with her, and tries to kiss her one night during a cosy evening. Liz and Jack are horrified to learn their children have befriended the lady called Eva Morrigan, particularly with regards to Nick, who has fallen in love with her.

Jack and Liz try to persuade Nick, Sue and Trish from seeing Eva, but can't reveal the reason why. On the night of Trish's 15th birthday, Anthony receives an anonymous e-card for Trish. It contains a picture of Trish as a baby on a birthday, and wishes her a happy 16th birthday, but a discrepancy in the number of candles on the cake, and the year on a calendar in the background causes confusion, as it implies that Trish is a year older than she believes to be. Anthony and John Paul suggest a theory that as Anthony is actually 16, then Trish can't be, and therefore must be adopted. Trish confronts Jack and Liz, and a desperate Liz tells Trish that she was adopted - along with her brother and sister Nick and Sue. Each reacts differently, Nick with confusion, Sue with tears and Trish with anger and violence. Eventually, Eva and Liz come up with a cover story, and Eva is revealed to be the mother of Nick, Sue and Trish, who gave her children up for adoption, albeit unofficially, after her husband died tragically. She asked Liz to look after her children while she went away to work, but somehow lost touch. It is clear from Liz and Jack's behaviour that this story is untrue. Nick is repulsed with Eva due to the fact she almost let him seduce her, Sue throws herself in to her relationship with the insipid Jamie, and Trish decides she wants to live with Eva, as she has never felt connected to Jack and Liz, and promptly moves in with Eva, who has now bought the house over the road.

John Paul, Anthony, and his friend Greta refuse to believe the story, and decide that Eva's husband is still alive. They break in to Eva's house to search for evidence, and find an old photograph of Eva, Jack and Trish. They confront Liz with the evidence who can hide the truth no longer, and reveals that Jack is in fact the father of Eva's children, that he married Eva while still married to Liz, and is still married to both of them, making him a bigamist, and that in order to cover up the fact that Trish and Anthony are the same age, Fr McGinley was involved in the forging of birth records and documents.

The news is a shock to all. Sue attempts, and fails to commit suicide, but still finds the time to revel in the possible consequences to everyone in her death. The suicide attempt (actually an overdose of laxative) forces Jamie to propose to her out of sympathy. And Nick begins taking his frustrations out on girlfriend Debbie as he is in love with his own mother, resulting in a breakdown of their relationship. Only Trish seems to prosper from the revelations, revelling in her lost year, and sets about seducing her English teacher on a trip to the theatre. However, her behaviour hides a broken heart.

Jack and Liz are unable to handle the fallout from the recent events, and Eva uses this to her gain, setting out to seduce Jack away from Liz. Jack succumbs to temptation, but not before suggesting to Liz that they renew their marriage vows. Jack renews his vows to Liz, before sneaking off to sleep with Eva.

Events in Springhill eventually calm, and Eva has succeeded at befriending her 3 children, and has Jack in her bed once more. Eva pushes Jack to leave Liz and move across the road with her and Trish, but Jack feels he mustn't leave his sons. However, one by one, Eva's family are seduced away from Liz, leaving her at her wits end. Fr McGinley, who has always held a torch for Liz, takes advantage of her when she is at her weakest. He tells Liz that he has always loved her and she sleeps with him, though is horrified afterwards, and unable to face him.

Eva soon becomes frustrated with her secret relationship with Jack,and wants him full time. However he is still not keen on leaving Liz. Taking matters into her own hands, Eva records a conversation between her and Jack, and leaves it in the car for Liz to hear. However Nick hears it first, and, prompted by Fr McGinley, plays the tape to Liz. Jack is thrown out on his ear, and skulks across the road to live with Eva.

Meanwhile Trish's affair with her English teacher is petering out, and he decides to finish their relationship. She attempts to blackmail him, but this fails, so she therefore concocts a story that she is pregnant with his child, however the story is soon exposed as false, and Trish confesses that there is no baby. Liz is furious with the girl she has called her daughter for 15 years, a huge row follows, and Liz slaps Trish, which only succeeds in pushing her further away in to Eva's willing clutches, who acts only with sympathy and compassion with regards to Trish's actions.

Nick's bizarre behaviour is driving a wedge between him and Debbie, and Anthony guesses that Nick is attracted to Eva. He confides his suspicions to Debbie, who confronts Nick, who admits that he did fancy Eva when she first arrived, and in fact, still does. He tells Debbie that he fantasises about Eva when making love to her. Devastated, she walks out, and tells Eva what has transpired. Eva goes to see Nick and tells her if he is struggling that much with his feelings for her then he can make love to her. Nick kisses his mother, but is unable to take things any further, and finally manages to patch things up with Debbie.

Eva's masterplan is nearing its conclusion during the final episodes, and only then does she attempt to take Anthony and John Paul away from Liz too. She throws a party, and invites the two boys, after seeing Liz is neglecting to feed them. Eva gives up smoking, as Liz starts, and her home is bright and welcoming, while Liz's is becoming more gloomy, empty and depressing. Anthony and John Paul attend the party, but are racked with guilt, and return home to their mother, unaware she has seen them entering Eva's house. On their return Liz states that the three of them will be moving away from Springhill after all. Liz is visited by her dead father who tells her that Eva is a witch, and that Liz will soon find something new inside herself, a new weapon with which to battle Eva. A few days later, Eva offers to buy Liz's share of the house, and can't help but gloat, but she isn't prepared for Liz's bombshell - that she is pregnant.

The final episode flashes forward 9 months and Liz is heavily pregnant. Despite her claims, Lizs has not moved away, and she reminisces about Sue's wedding day as she watches a home movie. She and Eva appear to have called an uneasy truce during Liz's pregnancy, and it is Eva who is present when Liz goes in to labour in the middle of the night. The midwife arrives and takes Liz to the hospital in her car as the family await news of the birth. Eva also goes with them. The next day Sue and Jamie call round first and it seems that they are having trouble trying to start a family, with Sue laying the blame at Jamie's door. Before long, the family receive a phone call from Eva to say all is well, and that the labour was a false alarm. Eva makes the call from a phone box on a deserted, isolated country road, and is last seen clutching a baby, and driving in to the wilderness from whence she came. Liz's fate is left untold, but her mysterious disappearance will take centre stage during the first half of series 2. As Eva drives away she is heard in voice over reciting W.B. Yeats 'The Stolen Child':

Come away O'human child! To the waters and the wild...For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

[edit] Series 2

Series 2 opens with Eva trying to rule the roost in the Freeman house. John Paul is dismayed that Eva has moved herself in, and makes things awkward for Eva at every turn, going as far as to accuse her of Liz’s murder. Other family members only believe that Liz has removed herself and her new baby from the agony that Eva put her through on her return to Springhill, and because of this Eva finds she is losing control of her children once more.

Anthony and Greta are still together, so are Nick and Debbie, so much so that Nick proposes to Debbie, only doing so in the belief that it will draw Liz out of hiding. Sue and Jamie are still having trouble conceiving. And Trish seems to finally have seen the error of her ways, showing tremendous regret for the way she treated Liz, even going to London in a bid to find her.

Father McGinley is introduced to the new church cleaner called Marian. However, it soon becomes apparent that Marian possesses similar mysterious powers like Eva. She causes Sue and Jamie to dream the same dream of being parents to a baby girl, and then convinces Sandra Mullaney to allow Sue to take Gabriel, the baby she is fostering, out for the day, in order to relieve her heartache. And she also mysteriously appears and intervenes when it appears Sue is about to steal another baby that has been left outside a shop.

Greta and Anthony are at Greta's house, where she lives with her mother (Sandra), older brother (David),younger sister (Linda), and Gabriel, when they see Marian crossing the road and waving to them. Marian is knocked over by Eva, who is driving erratically after yet another fight with John Paul, but when they go out to inspect, Marian has vanished. Seconds later, the Mullaney house explodes and is engulfed in flames. The Mullaneys move in to the Freemans for a few days, and there is a spark between Sandra and Jack. The cramped conditions force Eva to offer them her old house across the way. It isn’t long before Jack is up to his usual tricks. Young Linda appears to be hearing voices, particularly of a woman called Liz. John Paul is confused, but the visions don't seem to shock Marian. Marian meanwhile gets herself the job as the Freeman’s cleaner, after Anita is sacked for supposed snooping, where she slowly begins the plans for Eva's downfall. She starts by actively encouraging Jack to start a relationship with Sandra behind Eva's back. Eva meanwhile is more preoccupied with bonding with baby Gabriel, and we get the first clue that Gabriel may be Liz's child.

Nick and Debbie are married, but Liz fails to make an appearance. Marian is getting her feet further under the Freeman’s table and strikes up a close bond with John Paul. She tells him that times are changing, and that soon the tables will turn on Eva. She arranges an 'hallucinated' funeral for Liz, in order to relieve John Paul's grief. Nick and Debbie return from honeymoon, but are having troubles due to Nick still being sexually attracted to Eva, Debbie blames Eva for Nick's impotence. Debbie decides her and Nick have to move away, but Eva intervenes, and successfully manipulates Debbie in to suicide, by telling her that Nick has died as a result of a scuffle with Debbie. Debbie's death leaves Nick heartbroken. He moves away after all.

Greta’s frustrations at the lack of sex in her relationship with Anthony cause him to confess he is gay, and before long his friendship with her brother David has evolved in to something more. Greta is more annoyed than heartbroken, and taunts the two boys with in-jokes in front of Jack and Eva. Eva however, is not fooled and realises that David and Anthony are together, though says nothing.

As the truth about Jack and Sandra’s affair is revealed, and with the children are worrying over Liz, Eva seems to be losing everything all over again. She is accused of poisoning baby Gabriel, but in reality there is witchcraft at work from Marian. Eva confides in Marian as the family shuns her, unaware that Marian is the power behind her downfall, and is even more unaware that the incident which causes Eva to catch fire is result of powerful witchcraft on behalf of Marian. Eva is hospitalised and attempts to gain Fr McGinley's trust to use as her eyes and ears, but he refuses. Eva eventually packs her bags and leaves, not before setting her and Jack's bed on fire, having been completely alienated by her family, and humiliated by Jack and Sandra. As the house burns,the family rush outside, and Marian sees a figure of a young girl staring at her from the bedroom window, and is traumatised. Marian’s behaviour soon becomes more erratic. She kidnaps baby Gabriel with John Paul’s help, and has him baptised against Sandra's wishes, then convinces Fr McGinley that the child is Liz’s child, and therefore also his child.

Trish and Jamie share a one night stand, in which Trish becomes pregnant. Jamie learns that it is Sue who is infertile, and not him. Trish wants a termination, but Marian finds out and encourages her to keep the child, as an aborted child is an abomination. Marian decides that Sue can raise the child as her own given that she is infertile. Trish is given no say in the matter, Sue accepts Jamie and Trish’s betrayal on the condition she gets her baby. However once the baby is born, Trish is unable to hand the baby to Sue, leaving Sue devastated. Sue and Jamie's relationship also hits the rocks, as it comes out that Sue was having an affair in an attempt to get pregnant, unaware she is infertile.

Marian is haunted by more visions of a young girl, and confesses to John Paul it is the ghost of her daughter, who she killed in a fire, having discovered the child was being sexually abused - an abomination. The confession astounds John Paul, who begins to suspect that all is not right with Marian.

As Marian nears the end of her work in the Freeman house, Greta lets it slip that David and Anthony are in a relationship. Marian is horrified, shocked that she missed the signs, and calls a family meeting, where she reveals their secret relationship to the entire family, before asking Fr McGinley to drive the sin out of the pair of them - they are abominations. Anthony later recoils from David, and his homosexuality is met with repulsion from Jack and John Paul. David is heartbroken and sets about finding Eva, as he believes chaos has reigned since she left. He fills her in on the shocking events that have occurred in her absence, and Eva tells David that Marian is an Angel. Eva realises that Marian was behind her loss of power, and returns to Springhill, setting out to drive Marian away once and for all. She speeds up time, and shows Marian a possible future for the Freeman family, where Anthony and David are still together, John Paul is addicted to tranquilisers, Sue is a lesbian, Nick is a priest, and baby Gabriel (in his adult form) is sleeping with Eva. Marian is horrified at the way the family have turned out, and when time reverts to normal, Marian attempts one of her most shocking acts yet. On discovering that Gabriel is the product of a married woman and a fallen Priest, she sets out to kill the abomination and locks herself in the bedroom with the youngster, however, Gabriel assumes his future adult form, and strangles Marian to death, before reverting to his usual self. Marian is then found strangled to death in a locked room, the only witness to her murder a 2 year old baby!

Following Marian’s demise, Anthony and David's relationship is accepted as they reunite, Sue accepts Trish's decision to keep the baby, and Nick returns having finally got over his feelings for Eva, but not before Eva confesses to John Paul that she did murder Liz after all. The confession drives John Paul mad, and he sets out to search the wilderness for her...

As the final scene plays out, Eva is heard in voice over reciting from W.B. Yeats ‘The Second Coming’:

Surely some revelation is at hand. Surely the Second Coming is at hand…now I know that twenty centuries of stony sleep, were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle. And what rough beast, his hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.

Springhill was a tale of good versus evil, woven around a complex domestic drama. It incorporated many social issues in to the plot additionally, and homosexuality, adultery, bigamy, and incest were all explored. 'Springhill' also succeeded in turning the pre-conceived notions of good and evil on its head. Marian was eventually revealed as an Angel, but her character was marred by her determination to achieve absolute good, a task in which she was obliged to perform various un-Christianly duties. Eva, meanwhile, was portrayed as an evil presence, but perhaps her only crime was Love.

A third series was never made.

[edit] Cast

    • Liz Freeman - GILLY COMAN (Series 1)
    • Jack Freeman - JONATHAN BARLOW
    • Eva Morrigan - KATHARINE ROGERS
    • Sue Freeman/Johnson - SHARON BYATT
    • Trish Freeman - CHRISTINE TREMARCO
    • Anthony Freeman - KEVIN KNAPMAN
    • John Paul Freeman - PAUL CULSHAW
    • Nick Freeman - SCOT WILLIAMS (Series 1)
    • Father Peter McGinley - BILL SPEED
    • Jamie Johnson - STEPHEN WALTERS (Series 1)
    • Debbie Nixon/Freeman - CLAIRE ROBINSON
    • Greta Mullaney - EMMA LUCY VAUDREY
    • Anita Cartledge - CRISSY ROCK
    • Carole Lombard - SHERRIL PARSONS
    • Meryl Cartledge - VICKIE GATES
    • Pat Lombard - SAMANTHA LEVILLE
    • Grandad - AL T KOSSY (Series 1)
    • Marian - JUDY HOLT (Series 2)
    • Jamie Johnson - MATTHEW DUNSTER (Series 2 - re-casted)
    • Nick Freeman - STEPHEN DONALD (Series 2 - re-casted)
    • Sandra Mullaney - OLWEN MAY (Series 2)
    • David Mullaney - SAMUEL J HUDSON (Series 2)
    • Linda Mullaney - KATY LAMONT (Series 2)

[edit] Filming Locations

  • Scenes which took place around the exterior of the Freeman, Morrigan and Mullaney houses were filmed in Maghull, an area to the north of Liverpool.
  • Indoor scenes were shot at Granada Studios in Manchester.
  • School scenes were filmed at Bootle High School, also to the north of Liverpool.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
    • 52 episodes were made altogether.
    • 2 characters, Nick Freeman, and Jamie Johnson, were recast for the second series.
    • Greta was given a slightly larger role in series 2 with the introduction of her mother, brother and sister.
    • Sue's age appears to change between series, starting off as an A Level student in series 1. In series 2 she appears much older, with a job. Similarly, Nick, revealed to be 18 in series 1, appears much older when the character is re-casted.
    • Eva's house had a complete make-over in series 2, including a new layout, which resembled nothing like the house used in series 1.
    • The word 'Morrigan' means phantom queen or 'terror' in Irish mythology.
    • The name 'Marian' pertains to the Virgin Mary.
    • The last words spoken in the final episodes of both series were taken from poems written by W.B Yeats. Eva was heard in voice over saying lines from 'The Stolen Child', at the end of series 1, and 'The Second Coming' at the end of series 2.
    • The exterior scenes were filmed in the area of Maghull, in the north of Merseyside, meaning that the shot in the opening titles of the camera moving up over the roof of the house to view the Liverpool skyline would have been geographically impossible to film, without the use of digital manipulation.
    • Several cuts were made to series 2 in between late night showings, and early morning repeat showings on Channel 4. These cuts include the use of the word 'shag' or 'shagging' mentioned by Nick, Debbie and David in various episodes. In the episode where Nick falls on the rock and hits his head, the late night version showed a close up the rock covered in a pool of blood. In the day time version they just showed a shot of the rock - no blood was visible. In the same episode the shot of Debbie drowned in the bath was removed from daytime broadcasts. The shots of Eva on fire were extensively cut in the daytime broadcasts, as were her screams.
    • Only 1 episode used an alternate closing credit sequence. This was the final episode of series 1. Instead of the usual blue background, the credits rolled over a shot of Eva driving back in to the wilderness.
    • Marian almost always wore a white coat, to symbolise her supposed angelicy, whereas Eva was often seen wearing black, mostly in the earlier episodes.
    • In series 1 Anthony has a scrolling screen-saver on his PC reading "Mystic Meg - Burn The Witch". In series 2 Marian and John Paul used the same PC and the incantation "Burn The Witch" to set Eva on fire.
    • Gilly Coman (Liz) was well known previously for her role as Aveline in the TV comedy Bread (TV series).
    • Paul Culshaw (John Paul) appeared dramatically changed in series 2, as the actor had reached puberty.
    • Kevin Knapman (Anthony) and Christine Tremarco (Trish) previously worked together in the TV drama "The Leaving Of Liverpool", and the film "Priest".
    • Series 1 was filmed in 8 weeks.
    • Many of the cast went on to appear, or had already appeared, in Brookside.
    • Despite being in a relationship, Anthony and David are never seen to kiss.
    • The actress who played the fiance of Trish's teacher was the real-life sister of Sharon Byatt (Sue).
    • Episode 1 was first screened on Sky 1, on 1st October 1996.
    • As of June 2006, Channel 4 say they have no plans for any repeats, or a DVD release of the show.

[edit] External links