The Jacksons

📻BBC Schools Radio

companyBBC

started17th Sep 1956

ended1st Jul 1963

7 school years

episodes222

duration20 mins

subject ⚖️CitizenshipCitizenship & PSHE

age rangeAge 11-13

languageenIn English

3 images from The Jacksons

The Jacksons is a BBC schools radio series from the 1950s and 1960s, covering Citizenship and PSHE for secondary school pupils.

The Jacksons was one of the first series specifically designed to interest and inspire struggling school children by harnessing the entertainment value of broadcasting.

It was a family serial all about Mr and Mrs Jackson, their children, and their neighbours the Webbs, as they encountered day to day problems and social issues such as getting a job (Ken Thinks of a Job, autumn 1960), a dance at the youth club (Fancy Dress Night at the Youth Club, summer 1962) and the marriage & subsequent moving house of Betty Jackson (Betty Gets Married, summer 1961), all designed to help children feel more confident about dealing with such issues in their own lives.

The Jacksons also tried making and doing things that children could try for themselves (Ken Starts a Garden, spring 1957; Judy Joins The Library, summer 1962).

The series was produced as an on-going drama serial, and the characters grew older and make lasting changes in their lives, even though the children listening in at school would have grown out of the series after a year or two, and new listeners would not know what had happened before. Harry Jackson wacs a schoolboy who had his 15th birthday in the second ever episode (Happy Birthday, autumn 1956), and by the end of the series he was a 21-year-old factory worker (Harry's Twenty-First, autumn 1962). There were recurring characters such as the travelling Uncle Bert, and storylines were continued across the year, just like a modern soap opera. As the series went on and the Jackson children grew up, the series focussed more on the younger children of their neighbours the Webbs.

All the programmes were presented as "BBC recordings" in the Radio Times, and according to records on the free online version of the BBC Programme Catalogue they were recorded several months in advance of broadcast, for instance an episode broadcast in March 1963 was recorded in the previous December.

The series was apparently drawn from an experimental term of radio programmes broadcast in Scotland, which may have been Round and About. The concept and format of The Jacksons gave inspiration to a schools television series called Friday Magazine in 1960, which then developed into the successful family serials of Television Club, lasting for another decade.

Location

The series is set in the fictional small country town of Fenton, where the Jacksons live at 23 Willow Street. They have a garden with a greenhouse.

The town is on the River Fen and has its own railway station and hospital amongst other amenities. There is a Youth Club in the town where the children gather, and the local newspaper is the Fenton Gazette. One of the neighbouring towns is called Canfield.

A map of the town was printed at the end of the teacher's notes each term, and is reproduced below.

A map of the town of Fenton. Number 23 Willow Street, where the Jacksons live, is in the top right.

Characters

Here is a list of the characters who appeared in The Jacksons, either regularly or from time to time. In order to offer a standardised list, the ages given for the characters are their ages in the summer term of 1962, as this is when I have the most comprehensive information available.

The Jackson family

Ken Jackson riding a pony, 1960

• Mr William Jackson ("Bill"), aged 45
  Mr Jackson works at Netley's Garage.

• Mrs Margaret Jackson ("Meg"), aged 44
  Mrs Jackson worked in an office before her marriage.

• Betty Jackson, aged 22
  The Jacksons' only daughter works in a large shop called Truman and Hope's in the neighbouring town of Canfield. She got engaged to Johnnie Bates in September 1960 and married him in June 1961 at the local St John's Church, to become Betty Bates. She moved out of the family house to live in a flat with Johnnie.

• Harry Jackson, aged 20
  After leaving school Harry works at Willett's typewriter factory in Fenton as a mechanical engineer.

• Ken Jackson, aged 16
  Ken attended secondary modern school until 1961, and in the autumn of that year enrolled as a Police Cadet.

• Chip
  Ken's dog.

The Webb family

The Webbs are the next-door neighbours of the Jacksons and have younger children. They live at 21 Willow Street.

• Mr Webb ("Jack")
  Mr Webb is a town councillor.

• Mrs Webb ("Rosie")
  

• Mary Webb, aged 17
  

• Judy Webb, aged 16
  

• Tom Webb, aged 12
  Tom has pen friends including Jean Dubois from France. He went in to hospital to have his tonsils out in 1962.

• Richard Webb ("Ricky"), aged 6

Other characters

These are other characters who appear with the Jacksons from time to time.

• Mr Joseph Chapman ("grandfather")
  Mrs Jackson's father.

• Mrs Mary Jackson ("grandmother")
  Mr Jackson's mother.

• Uncle Bert
  A relative of the Jacksons who travels widely and returns to tell the Jacksons of his adventures. During the series he visited Australia, Canada and America, amongst other places.

• Johnnie Bates
  Got married to Betty Jackson in 1961.

• Charlie Best
  Harry's friend.

• Molly
  Another of Harry's friends.

• John Grant
  Ken's friend.

• Tom Seward
  Another of Ken's friends, an explorer.

• Dave Brewster
  Drives the lorry at Netley's Garage where Mr Jackson works.

• Mr Netley
  Owner of the garage where Mr Jackson works.

• Mr Caswell
  His allotment backs on to the Jacksons' garden. He keeps bees.

• Mr and Mrs Nicholls
  Next-door neighbours of the Jacksons, on the other side from the Webbs. They live at 25 Willow Street.

• P.C. Dent
  A local constable.

• Mr Pollitt
  Keeps a shop in Fenton.

Contributors

The actors who appeared in the programmes were never credited in the Radio Times or the teacher's notes to the series, so I have very little information about who played whom. The listings in the free online version of the BBC Programme Catalogue for the few surviving episodes identify Stanley MacKenzie as the narrator.

Other actors listed as participating in the episodes are Michael Spice, Katherine Parr, Hamilton Dyce, Jean England, Peggy Butt, Terry Raven, Nigel Anthony, John Bull, Alaric Cotter, Susan Richards and Ann Totten, however the cast lists of the two listed episodes are completely different and only Terry Raven appears in both episodes.

If anybody has any more concrete information about actors in the programmes, please get in touch.

The series editor / producer in the 1960s was Rita Udall. She first wrote for the series in 1959-60, this may be when she took on the producer role too.

Writers

A large number of episodes, including the first six episodes of the series, were written by Philippa Pearce who would go on to become the acclaimed author of children's books including Tom's Midnight Garden.

There seems to have been a team of regular writers who provided most of the scripts for the series. The following list shows the regular writers, how many episodes they were responsible for, and when their episodes were first broadcast.

• Garry Lyle (39 episodes, 1957 - 1963)
• Philippa Pearce (24 episodes, 1956 - 1960)
• Charles E. Stidwill (23 episodes, 1957 - 1962)
• D. J. Saint (22 episodes, 1956 - 1961)
• Margaret J. Miller (18 episodes, 1959 - 1963)
• Phillip Mann (16 episodes, 1958 - 1960)
• Hugh David (13 episodes, 1957 - 1960)
• Jeffrey Segal (13 episodes, 1960 - 1963)
• Edward Blishen (12 episodes, 1960 - 1963)
• Ronald Smurthwaite (7 episodes, 1961 - 1963)
• Richard Wortley (6 episodes, 1960 - 1962)
• Rita Udall (5 episodes, 1960 - 1961)

Other writers (and their number of scripts in brackets) were: John Allen (2), L. P. Ball (1), Alan Boucher (1), John Brodie (1), Peter Claughton (1), Alaric Cotter (2), Moira F. Doolan (1), Beryl King (1), Sam Langdon (3), Guy Lethbridge (1), Charles Mason (1), Cameron Miller (1), Rose Segal (4) and Honor Wyatt (1).

An almost complete list of the writers of almost every episode can be found on this site's episode list for the series.

Please note there are three episodes whose writer credits are not known to me.

Episodes

Here is a list of every episode of the schools radio series The Jacksons, mainly based on the Radio Times listings with a few additions from the sources listed on the main page about the series.

There are some cases where two episodes have the same title, especially towards the end of the series. I am pretty sure they are really separate episodes and it is just coincidence that the same title was used, because the writers are different. The only exception is At The Pantomime, a title used in January 1961 and January 1963, both times written by Jeffrey Segal - so it's possible this was the same episode both times.

There are three episodes in the list with no information about who wrote them. If you can fill in the missing information, please get in touch by email.

Num	Title	Writer	Broadcast
1.	Settling In	Philippa Pearce	17 Sep 1956
2.	Happy Birthday	Philippa Pearce	24 Sep 1956
3.	The Surprise Present	Philippa Pearce	1 Oct 1956
4.	Building a Shed	Philippa Pearce	8 Oct 1956
5.	Home From The Sea	Philippa Pearce	15 Oct 1956
6.	Fog	Philippa Pearce	22 Oct 1956
7.	The Lost Dog	D. J. Saint	29 Oct 1956
8.	Decorating the Bedroom	D. J. Saint	5 Nov 1956
9.	A Night at the Theatre	D. J. Saint	12 Nov 1956
10.	Anogra Rabbits	D. J. Saint	19 Nov 1956
11.	Preparing for Christmas	Philippa Pearce	26 Nov 1956
12.	The Carol Concert	Sam Langdon	3 Dec 1956
13.	Mr Jackson Buys a Car	Hugh David	14 Jan 1957
14.	Harry Meets the Youth Employment Officer	Hugh David	21 Jan 1957
15.	Mrs Nicholls Breaks Her Leg	Philippa Pearce	28 Jan 1957
16.	The Postman's Story	Philippa Pearce	4 Feb 1957
17.	The Boys Build a Boat	Hugh David	11 Feb 1957
18.	A Fire at the Manor	Garry Lyle	18 Feb 1957
19.	Uncle Bert Comes Back from Canada	John Allen	25 Feb 1957
20.	A Story From Canada	John Allen	4 Mar 1957
21.	Ken Starts a Garden	Garry Lyle	11 Mar 1957
22.	A Night Listening In	Philippa Pearce	18 Mar 1957
23.	Harry Gets a Job	Charles E. Stidwill	25 Mar 1957
24.	Planning a Summer Holiday	Garry Lyle	1 Apr 1957
25.	Food from the Garden	Garry Lyle	6 May 1957
26.	The Lost Library Book	D. J. Saint	13 May 1957
27.	Betty Changes Her Job	Philippa Pearce	20 May 1957
28.	The Jacksons go for a Picnic	Philippa Pearce	27 May 1957
29.	Ken Breaks a Window	Philippa Pearce	3 Jun 1957
30.	A Visit to the Manor House	D. J. Saint	17 Jun 1957
31.	Ken Learns to Swim	Garry Lyle	24 Jun 1957
32.	Fenton Flower Show	Philippa Pearce	1 Jul 1957
33.	23 Willow Street	Philippa Pearce	23 Sep 1957
34.	Betty Learns to Drive	D. J. Saint	30 Sep 1957
35.	Fenton Fair	Charles E. Stidwill	7 Oct 1957
36.	Mrs Jackson Goes Away	Charles E. Stidwill	14 Oct 1957
37.	Betty's Dance Dress	D. J. Saint	21 Oct 1957
38.	The Hallowe'en Ghost	Philippa Pearce	28 Oct 1957
39.	Uncle Bert Comes Home Again	Alan Boucher	4 Nov 1957
40.	Mr Jackson Builds a Garage	Garry Lyle	11 Nov 1957
41.	Chip Goes to the Vet	D. J. Saint	18 Nov 1957
42.	The Christmas Concert	Sam Langdon	25 Nov 1957
43.	The Fancy Dress Party	Charles E. Stidwill	2 Dec 1957
44.	Family Budget	Philippa Pearce	13 Jan 1958
45.	Burst Pipes	Hugh David	20 Jan 1958
46.	Key of the Door	Philippa Pearce	27 Jan 1958
47.	Floods at Fenton	Hugh David	3 Feb 1958
48.	At the Post Office	Charles E. Stidwill	10 Feb 1958
49.	The New Greenhouse	Garry Lyle	17 Feb 1958
50.	Ken's Collection	D. J. Saint	24 Feb 1958
51.	Breaking and Entering	Phillip Mann	3 Mar 1958
52.	Rehearsing a Play	Phillip Mann	10 Mar 1958
53.	Spring Cleaning	D. J. Saint	17 Mar 1958
54.	A Day in London	Charles E. Stidwill	24 Mar 1958
55.	Grandfather Comes to Stay	Philippa Pearce	21 Apr 1958
56.	What's Under the Road?	Charles E. Stidwill	28 Apr 1958
57.	The Boat Adventure	Hugh David	5 May 1958
58.	The Awkward Customer	Sam Langdon	12 May 1958
59.	The Lost Child	Charles E. Stidwill	19 May 1958
60.	The Fishpond	Garry Lyle	2 Jun 1958
61.	Harry's New Camera	Phillip Mann	9 Jun 1958
62.	Ken Minds the Baby	D. J. Saint	16 Jun 1958
63.	Fenton Roman Villa	Garry Lyle	23 Jun 1958
64.	Fenton Pageant	Philippa Pearce	30 Jun 1958
65.	Wedding Anniversary	Philippa Pearce	22 Sep 1958
66.	Harry Gets a Rise	Charles E. Stidwill	29 Sep 1958
67.	Accident in the Kitchen	Charles E. Stidwill	6 Oct 1958
68.	Councillor Webb	Hugh David	13 Oct 1958
69.	Ken Plays the Recorder	D. J. Saint	20 Oct 1958
70.	Hidden Treasure	Garry Lyle	27 Oct 1958
71.	Uncle Bert Home Again	Phillip Mann	3 Nov 1958
72.	Spaceman Ken	Phillip Mann	10 Nov 1958
73.	Pigeon in the Chimney	Charles E. Stidwill	17 Nov 1958
74.	Open Night at the Youth Club	Hugh David	24 Nov 1958
75.	Christmas Candles	Phillip Mann	1 Dec 1958
76.	The Jacksons at the Circus	D. J. Saint	12 Jan 1959
77.	Tree Trouble	Phillip Mann	19 Jan 1959
78.	Betty Learns to Skate	Charles E. Stidwill	26 Jan 1959
79.	P.C. Dent Visits Ken	Charles E. Stidwill	2 Feb 1959
80.	The New Reservoir	Hugh David	9 Feb 1959
81.	Laying the Lino	Phillip Mann	16 Feb 1959
82.	Betty Takes the Family for a Drive	D. J. Saint	23 Feb 1959
83.	Painting the Fence	Garry Lyle	2 Mar 1959
84.	Betty's Spring Outfit	Philippa Pearce	9 Mar 1959
85.	Chickens in the Garden	Charles Mason	16 Mar 1959
86.	Locked Out of 23 Willow Street	Garry Lyle	20 Apr 1959
87.	Ken's Museum	Garry Lyle	27 Apr 1959
88.	Choosing a Picture	Moira F. Doolan	4 May 1959
89.	Trouble at Truman and Hope's	Charles E. Stidwill	11 May 1959
90.	Fenton from the Air	Phillip Mann	25 May 1959
91.	The Lost Brooch	D. J. Saint	1 Jun 1959
92.	Island in the Fen	Phillip Mann	8 Jun 1959
93.	The Wasp's Nest	D. J. Saint	15 Jun 1959
94.	Harry and Ken Go To Camp	Hugh David	22 Jun 1959
95.	Fenton Sale of Work	Margaret J. Miller	29 Jun 1959
96.	Family Photograph	Phillip Mann	21 Sep 1959
97.	The Puppet Show		28 Sep 1959
98.	Harry Finds a Friend	Hugh David	5 Oct 1959
99.	Chimney on Fire	Charles E. Stidwill	12 Oct 1959
100.	Family Misunderstanding	Hugh David	19 Oct 1959
101.	The Pen Friend	Phillip Mann	26 Oct 1959
102.	Cat up a Tree	Charles E. Stidwill	2 Nov 1959
103.	Fireworks at Fenton	Garry Lyle	9 Nov 1959
104.	Ken Meets an Explorer	Garry Lyle	16 Nov 1959
105.	The Bad Patient	D. J. Saint	23 Nov 1959
106.	Presents for Christmas	D. J. Saint	30 Nov 1959
107.	The Band Concert	Margaret J. Miller	7 Dec 1959
108.	Betty Gets a Rise	Rita Udall	18 Jan 1960
109.	Tom Webb's Aquarium	Garry Lyle	25 Jan 1960
110.	Ken Joins in a Quiz	Edward Blishen	1 Feb 1960
111.	Secretary of the Youth Club	Charles E. Stidwill	8 Feb 1960
112.	The Awkward Invitation	Phillip Mann	15 Feb 1960
113.	Betty's Bargain	D. J. Saint	22 Feb 1960
114.	Accident at Work	Garry Lyle	29 Feb 1960
115.	The Lost Budgerigar	Charles E. Stidwill	7 Mar 1960
116.	Painting the House	Peter Claughton	14 Mar 1960
117.	Fenton Council Meeting	Phillip Mann	21 Mar 1960
118.	Youth Hostel Weekend	Garry Lyle	28 Mar 1960
119.	Developing a Photograph	Phillip Mann	2 May 1960
120.	Pigeons on the Roof		9 May 1960
121.	Ken Makes a Speech	L. P. Ball	16 May 1960
122.	The Car Accident	Richard Wortley	23 May 1960
123.	Television Competition	Phillip Mann	30 May 1960
124.	The Boat Picnic	Hugh David	13 Jun 1960
125.	Ken and Harry Help with the Harvest	Garry Lyle	20 Jun 1960
126.	Planning a Trip Abroad	Edward Blishen	27 Jun 1960
127.	A Dog at Boulogne	Edward Blishen	4 Jul 1960
128.	Betty's Engagement	Philippa Pearce	19 Sep 1960
129.	The Jacksons Start Saving	Margaret J. Miller	26 Sep 1960
130.	Ken Thinks of a Job	Rita Udall	3 Oct 1960
131.	Ricky Webb in Trouble	Jeffrey Segal	10 Oct 1960
132.	Emergency Telephone Call	Garry Lyle	17 Oct 1960
133.	The Rabbits on Show	Charles E. Stidwill	24 Oct 1960
134.	House-Hunting	Philippa Pearce	31 Oct 1960
135.	Ken Rides a Pony	Garry Lyle	7 Nov 1960
136.	Books or Magazines?	Edward Blishen	14 Nov 1960
137.	Judy Webb and the Stick Insects	Edward Blishen	21 Nov 1960
138.	The Youth Club Makes a Plan	Rita Udall	28 Nov 1960
139.	Toys for Christmas	Richard Wortley	5 Dec 1960
140.	At the Pantomime	Jeffrey Segal	16 Jan 1961
141.	Frost in the Greenhouse	Garry Lyle	23 Jan 1961
142.	Exploring Fenton	Garry Lyle	30 Jan 1961
143.	Sending a Parcel Abroad	Margaret J. Miller	6 Feb 1961
144.	Ken Sees the Youth Employment Officer	Rita Udall	13 Feb 1961
145.	A Visit to Grandad	Charles E. Stidwill	20 Feb 1961
146.	Ken Turns Cook		27 Feb 1961
147.	Accident to Chip	Richard Wortley	6 Mar 1961
148.	The Borrowed Tape Recorder	Edward Blishen	13 Mar 1961
149.	Rummage Sale	Margaret J. Miller	20 Mar 1961
150.	Tom Webb Goes to the Dentist	Margaret J. Miller	24 Apr 1961
151.	Wedding Preparations	D. J. Saint	1 May 1961
152.	Harry Makes a Sundial	John Brodie	8 May 1961
153.	Treasure Hunt	Garry Lyle	15 May 1961
154.	Ken Applies For His Job	Ronald Smurthwaite	29 May 1961
155.	The Canoe Race	Richard Wortley	5 Jun 1961
156.	Betty Gets Married	D. J. Saint	12 Jun 1961
157.	The Fenton Gazette	Edward Blishen	19 Jun 1961
158.	Swarm in June	Garry Lyle	26 Jun 1961
159.	Harvest Festival	Garry Lyle	18 Sep 1961
160.	The Youth Club Has an Idea	Margaret J. Miller	25 Sep 1961
161.	Tom and Ken and Football (working title: The Football Match)	Jeffrey Segal	2 Oct 1961
162.	Ken - Police Cadet	Ronald Smurthwaite	9 Oct 1961
163.	Watching Television	Jeffrey Segal	16 Oct 1961
164.	A Visit to the Motor Show	Garry Lyle	23 Oct 1961
165.	Guy Fawkes' Night	Richard Wortley	30 Oct 1961
166.	A Present for Uncle Bert	Ronald Smurthwaite	6 Nov 1961
167.	Betty Moves In	Rita Udall	13 Nov 1961
168.	Tom's White Mice	Charles E. Stidwill	20 Nov 1961
169.	Newcomers to Fenton	Margaret J. Miller	27 Nov 1961
170.	The Christmas Treat	Honor Wyatt	4 Dec 1961
171.	A Visit to the Airport	Garry Lyle	15 Jan 1962
172.	Uncle Bert Comes Home	Jeffrey Segal	22 Jan 1962
173.	Judy Enters a Competition	Margaret J. Miller	29 Jan 1962
174.	Tom Helps Out at the Garage	Garry Lyle	5 Feb 1962
175.	Fancy Dress Night at the Youth Club	Rose Segal	12 Feb 1962
176.	Judy Joins the Library	Edward Blishen	19 Feb 1962
177.	Betty's Housewarming	Margaret J. Miller	26 Feb 1962
178.	Planning the Garden	Garry Lyle	5 Mar 1962
179.	Making a Bird Table	Charles E. Stidwill	12 Mar 1962
180.	Pocket Money	Jeffrey Segal	19 Mar 1962
181.	Easter Eggs	Margaret J. Miller	26 Mar 1962
182.	A Barbecue	Garry Lyle	30 Apr 1962
183.	Camping Out	Richard Wortley	7 May 1962
184.	Fenton Museum	Edward Blishen	14 May 1962
185.	Ken Learns to Drive	Ronald Smurthwaite	21 May 1962
186.	A Visit to the Swimming Baths	Garry Lyle	28 May 1962
187.	Judy Thinks About a Job	Margaret J. Miller	4 Jun 1962
188.	Tom Starts Collecting Stamps	Charles E. Stidwill	18 Jun 1962
189.	Jean Dubois Visits Tom	Edward Blishen	25 Jun 1962
190.	Fenton Carnival	Jeffrey Segal	2 Jul 1962
191.	Harry's Twenty-First	Garry Lyle	17 Sep 1962
192.	Ken on a Police Cadet Course	Ronald Smurthwaite	24 Sep 1962
193.	Tom Takes Charge	Margaret J. Miller	1 Oct 1962
194.	Litter Problem	Garry Lyle	8 Oct 1962
195.	Ricky in Hospital	Edward Blishen	15 Oct 1962
196.	Chimney Fire	Rose Segal	22 Oct 1962
197.	Fenton Fire Station	Jeffrey Segal	29 Oct 1962
198.	Hallowe'en	Beryl King	5 Nov 1962
199.	Judy at the Office	Ronald Smurthwaite	12 Nov 1962
200.	Ken Becomes an Uncle	Margaret J. Miller	19 Nov 1962
201.	Fog	Jeffrey Segal	26 Nov 1962
202.	Preparing for Christmas	Cameron Miller	3 Dec 1962
203.	Christening Party	Margaret J. Miller	14 Jan 1963
204.	At the Pantomime	Jeffrey Segal	21 Jan 1963
205.	Uncle Bert Comes Home	Garry Lyle	28 Jan 1963
206.	Burst Pipes	Jeffrey Segal	4 Feb 1963
207.	Betty's Dinner Party	Margaret J. Miller	11 Feb 1963
208.	A Suspicious Incident	Ronald Smurthwaite	18 Feb 1963
209.	Ken Buys a Scooter	Guy Lethbridge	25 Feb 1963
210.	The Youth Club Makes a Plan	Garry Lyle	4 Mar 1963
211.	Tom Learns About Photography	Alaric Cotter	11 Mar 1963
212.	Spring Cleaning	Rose Segal	18 Mar 1963
213.	A Visit to the Zoo	Edward Blishen	25 Mar 1963
214.	Filming in Fenton	Jeffrey Segal	29 Apr 1963
215.	Road Safety Rally	Alaric Cotter	6 May 1963
216.	Club Night	Rose Segal	13 May 1963
217.	Tom Goes Fishing	Garry Lyle	20 May 1963
218.	A Visit to London	Margaret J. Miller	27 May 1963
219.	Tom Takes a River Trip	Garry Lyle	10 Jun 1963
220.	Minding the Baby	Margaret J. Miller	17 Jun 1963
221.	Helping in the Garden	Garry Lyle	24 Jun 1963
222.	Farewell to Fenton	Jeffrey Segal	1 Jul 1963

In the Archives

There was a new episode of The Jacksons every week throughout the school year for seven years, from 1956-7 to 1962-3, during which time over 200 episodes were produced.

According to the free online version of the BBC Programme Catalogue, recordings of only 2 episodes - less than 1% of those produced - have been kept by the BBC, the rest may be lost forever. I am not aware whether recordings of other episodes are held by the National Sound Archive or other collections, if anybody has any information about this please get in touch by email.

The episodes in the BBC archive are:

• Episode 195, Ricky Webb in Hospital
• Episode 210, The Youth Club Makes a Plan

Episodes that were never made

Every year the BBC used to send an annual programme guide out to schools, listing all the programmes they planned to broadcast in the coming school year. When these were printed, scripts were being prepared for the episodes of The Jacksons to be broadcast in the autumn term, but there were only provisional plans for the rest of the school year.

Several of the 'potential' episodes of The Jacksons listed in the annual programmes were never made. Here are some of the titles which were planned but abandoned:

• Harry Goes to a Concert (spring 1961)
• Sailing a Boat (summer 1961)
• A Visit to the Docks (summer 1961)
• Ken Meets a Writer (summer 1961)
• Buying a Television Set (spring 1962)
• Train Spotting (summer 1962) - Tom started collecting stamps instead
• Hamsters (summer 1962)
• The Cricket Match (summer 1962)
• The School Trip (summer 1962)

In Scotland

The Jacksons was always broadcast at 2:30pm on Monday afternoons on the Home Service. However it was never heard in Scotland - the series Scottish Heritage was broadcast in the timeslot instead.

Scottish listeners had their own series for "less able" children of about 13: Round and About was broadcast in Scotland only on Mondays at 11:20am. Episodes of Round and About were only 15 minutes long, shorter than The Jacksons programmes, and offered a range of documentary or magazine programmes including some dramatisations of famous texts - for instance The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle, produced in 3 episodes in summer 1961, and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickins in autumn 1957..

Sources & References

Sources used in compliing this page. I have never heard any of the programmes themselves.

• BBC (1960) Broadcasts to Schools Annual Programme 1960-1
• BBC (1961) Broadcasts to Schools Annual Programme 1961-2
• BBC (1962) The Jacksons Notes for the Teacher Summer 1962
• Fawdry, Kenneth (1974) Everything But Alf Garnett: A Personal View of BBC School Broadcasting, London: BBC. ISBN 0 563 12763 5 Page 94.