Triangle (TV series)
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| Triangle | |
|---|---|
 Main title caption for the series |
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| Genre | prime time soap-opera |
| Created by | Bill Sellars |
| Directed by | Marc Miller John Bird Andrew Morgan Darrol Blake and Terence Dudley[1] |
| Starring | Kate O'Mara Larry Lamb Michael Craig |
| Opening theme | Johnny Pearson |
| Composer(s) | Johnny Pearson |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bill Sellars |
| Story editor(s) | Ted Rhodes |
| Location(s) | DFDS Tor Scandinavia |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC1 |
| Original run | 1981 – 1983 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Triangle was a BBC television soap opera in the early 1980s, set aboard a North Sea ferry which sailed between Felixstowe, Rotterdam and Gothenburg, a route which forms a triangle when plotted on a map, as does any journey between three points owing to the fact that it is pretty basic geometry. The series ran for three seasons before being cancelled, but is still generally remembered as "some of the most mockable British television ever produced".[2] The scripts involved clichéd relationships and stilted dialogue, making the show the butt of several jokes (particularly on Terry Wogan's morning Radio 2 programme) which caused some embarrassment to the BBC.[citation needed]
In 1992, the BBC screened TV Hell, an evening of programming devoted to the worst television had to offer, and the first episode of Triangle was broadcast as part of the line-up.
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[edit] Production limitations
Interviewed for an earlier TV Hell segment in 1992, the show's producer, Bill Sellars, spoke of several problems with the show's production.
Using a ferry as the setting for a television series originally looked like a promising idea. The regular cast, playing the crew, could be joined by a constantly-changing guest cast playing the passengers as the ship sailed to interesting European locations. Advances in portable cameras and recording equipment meant that the show could actually be videotaped on board a real ferry boat for a fraction of the cost of using a studio for interiors.
Unfortunately the plan was revealed to be flawed almost as soon as shooting began. Filmed largely in the North Sea, the inclement weather made the exterior scenes appear gloomy and dull, and far from glamorous. In making the first episode Kate O'Mara had to endure a scene in which she sunbathes topless on a clearly freezing deck.
Another problem involved lighting. The cameras were perfectly comfortable with both natural and artificial lighting conditions, but a mixture of the two always produced unnatural-looking colour. This meant that interior scenes always had to be shot with the windows or portholes curtained - so that as far as the audience was concerned they might as well have been shot in a studio anyway.
The relatively new "electronic field production" (i.e. portable video) technology used for location footage in place of the traditional 16mm film also exhibited serious problems due (amongst other things) to the movement of the ship.[citation needed] The motion of the ship also induced seasickness in many of the production crew, making filming an uncomfortable experience.[2]
[edit] Consequences of cancellation
Unusually for an early evening soap opera on British television at that time the show was screened three times a week. The show's eventual cancellation led to a wide-reaching review of the BBC's early evening schedule, which ultimately resulted in the commissioning of EastEnders.[citation needed]
[edit] Featured location
The ferry used in the series was the DFDS Tor Scandinavia.
