365:. Most episodes of series 1 begin with sequences shot from the roof of the Arts Building tower at Birmingham, revealing the distinctive Ashley and Strathcona Buildings as the refuse truck drives along Ring Road North past the School of Education building and sometimes past residential block D at Keele. The scenes involving the lake were shot in the vicinity of the Vale halls of residence at Birmingham; the buildings that can be seen around the lake were demolished and replaced with modern student residences in 2006. Also used for exterior filming was the BT engineer training school at Yarnfield Park in Staffordshire. Most of the interiors were shot at
328:), who helped her get out of Poland and to whom she had promised herself out of gratitude. She battles to decide whether to stay with Stephen and their child or to go with Melnik (with or without the child), confessing that she still loves him as well as Stephen. The idea for the second series was said to have come from the actress Joanna Kanska, who played Grete. Melnik eventually gives the couple his blessing.
313:). Rose Marie also seeks romantic involvement with Grotowska, whilst at the same time sleeping with the VC Jack Daniels in her bid to oust Daker and become head of the medical centre herself. There is further complication when Mrs Daniels informs Rose Marie, who is her doctor, that she thinks her husband is having an affair.
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The production wanted to film location sequences at UEA and also feature its campus skyline in the opening title sequence (which depicts an "apocalyptic vision of a university" which is then "illuminated by love") but the university was sensitive about its image and wary of television portrayals of
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The series had its genesis in writer Andrew Davies, then teaching at the
University of Warwick, being commissioned and paid to write a series about three female mature students at university. By Davies' own admission, this idea "ran out of steam" after three scripts had been written and submitted;
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Each episode begins in the same way. The camera pans across the college campus in the early morning, where a red dustbin van is seen, along with a pair of nuns, who do something odd each time - including playing hopscotch, carrying what is either a shop window dummy or a dead body wrapped in brown
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the BBC decided that it did not want to continue with the project and gave Davies the option of either paying back the money or writing a new series. Since Davies had already spent much of the money he realised there was only one avenue open to him, and
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American Vice-Chancellor, but no girlfriend. He is accused of inappropriately touching a female academic during an examination.
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A fresh-faced young GP joins the medical practice at
Lowlands University. He is soon disillusioned by his new colleagues, but is fortunate to be rescued from drowning by a nice research student.
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paper, or driving away in the van. None of the other characters ever mentions the nuns, except in the final episode where Rose Marie, in a nun habit, is shown to have joined them.
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Bob tries to turn the clinic into a massage parlour, Grete's boyfriend wants to kill her, Rose Marie starts a male sexuality group and the campus is invaded by animal rightists.
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The Vice-Chancellor wants to close a women's residence so it can be used by
Japanese investors. But first he needs to discredit the warden (
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A leitmotif is the commercialisation of higher education in
Britain following the government cuts of the early 1980s, with the
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Students are suffering from malnutrition owing to high rents. Professor Bunn is accused of exposing himself to two students.
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Stephen gives a disastrous speech at the welcome for new students, and soon has to start dealing with their sex lives.
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ranked the serial at number 5 in their list of "The Top 50 TV Dramas of All Time".
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made one of his first television appearances as an evangelical preacher;
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breaks out at Lowlands, which leads to some embarrassing conversations.
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and was inspired by his experiences as a lecturer at the
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universities in the wake of the 1981 TV adaptation of
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278:Ernest Hemmingway (
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1399:. 12 January 2010.
1137:"Art and Illusion"
1112:"The New Frontier"
669:Charlie Dusenberry
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141:Running time
53:David Tucker
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1299:Robert Lang
1158:Clive Swift
1079:Kathy Burke
933:Peter Blake
848:Sonia Hart
731:Kay Stonham
633:James Grout
390:Dirty Faxes
296:Jack Daniel
288:Kathy Burke
167:21 May 1986
118:of episodes
50:Directed by
1560:Categories
1505:27 October
1470:27 October
1350:References
1325:1988-04-06
1297:Featuring
1285:1988-03-30
1260:1988-03-23
1236:Featuring
1224:1988-03-16
1206:Chris Jury
1202:Tim Preece
1200:Featuring
1188:1988-03-09
1166:Tim Wylton
1156:Featuring
1144:1988-03-02
1119:1988-02-24
1077:Featuring
1065:1986-07-02
1036:1986-06-25
1008:1986-06-18
983:1986-06-11
950:1986-06-04
929:Hugh Grant
927:Featuring
915:1986-05-28
890:1986-05-21
763:Sammy Limb
689:Mrs Kramer
559:Lyn Turtle
444:Character
363:Birmingham
332:Production
284:Hugh Grant
181:1992-09-06
171:1986-05-21
144:50 minutes
126:Production
40:Written by
1551:BBC clips
1303:Mark Addy
965:dexedrine
711:Joe Melia
603:John Bird
450:Series 2
447:Series 1
420:novelised
382:Joe Melia
322:Communist
280:John Bird
243:Storyline
233:In 2010,
107:of series
82:John Bird
1089:Series 2
860:Series 1
855:Episodes
715:Ron Rust
131:Producer
58:Starring
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441:Actor
394:Stages
307:Polish
217:Poland
211:film,
1242:SLAB!
1101:Title
872:Title
453:Film
359:Keele
1546:IMDb
1535:IMDb
1507:2010
1472:2010
1418:ISBN
1371:ISBN
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1240:and
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1168:and
931:and
839:Nuns
434:Cast
361:and
158:BBC2
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