The Grove Family

Named after the BBC's Lime Grove Studios,'The Grove Family' was Britain's first soap for adults. The first twenty-minute story went out on Friday 2nd. April 1954 at 7.50pm and showed a lower-middle-class couple who'd worked hard to build a home for themselves and their family after the war and were just beginning to feel comfortably off after years of hardship. The stories were more naive than dramatic, dealing with simple social issues and consumerist concerns.

By the end of the year, The Groves had built up a following of nearly 9 million people, a quarter of the population. Viewers of all ages wrote angry letters to the BBC about the atrociously ungrateful Gran; asked for estimates for building work from Bob Grove; advised Gladys about slimming, Jack about his girlfriends and Pat about her admirers.

Gran's famous saying was "I'm faint from the lack of nourishment"

On a visit to the studios, the Queen Mother declared herself a fan, calling the family, 'so English, so real'.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• grove
• family
• BBC
• television
• tv
• soap opera
• 1954
• british

[lollyclan]

Crumbs! is it really so long ago?

[Harmonicajello]

@knausspiano You couldn't be confusing the gran in The Grove Family with the gran in The Appleyards could you? I always mixed up the "dads" of both families when i saw them in something else. They were broacast at about the same time in the 50s as i recall.

[jet936]

Thanks for this, I remember seeing it first time round

[lennon2you]

wonderful memories i remember the groves , thanks for posting

[piperbob2]

I was too young to stay up that late, so I don't remember the programme. I do remember what might have been a similar programme though - The Appleyards?

[missmemore]

I still say it - faint from 't lack of nourishment!!

Made my night!!!

[prehistory42]

What a lovely blast from the past.

I watched it when it first came on.

An actress in the show was Sheila Sweet and I got her autograph when she came to a local function, she seemed so glamorous to a young lad like me.

[knausspiano]

Funny, I always thought Granny Grove was played by Esma Cannon. Mind failing with age!!

[daisylulubel]

lol