Howards' Way - Reception

Reception

Although derided by critics as a cheesy melodrama, Howards' Way nevertheless proved to be a hugely popular programme for the BBC, both domestically and in overseas sales. Whilst the series was unable to compete with the likes of Dallas and Dynasty in terms of opulence, its stylistic aspects did develop as it went on, with the staging of powerboat races and fashion shows and extensive location filming in Guernsey, Malta and Gibraltar as the storylines dictated. A number of new characters were also introduced later in the series, such as Sarah Foster (Sarah-Jane Varley), a glamorous business partner for Ken Masters, Sir Edward Frere (Nigel Davenport), the rich tycoon father of Charles Frere, Orrin Hudson (Jeff Harding), the American father of Abby Urquhart's baby, Emma Neesome (Sian Webber), a beautiful engineer who came to work with Tom Howard and Jack Rolfe at the Mermaid yard and Vanessa Andenberg (Lana Morris), an elegant widow and old flame of Jack Rolfe. Perhaps in a conscious move to make Howards' Way seem more and more like a British Dynasty, actress Kate O'Mara, who had previously starred in The Brothers and had recently appeared in the American supersoap as Caress Morrell, was also brought in to play ruthless businesswoman Laura Wilde.

The roots for the demise of Howards' Way were sown in 1989 when, during the production of the fifth series, lead actor Maurice Colbourne, who played central character Tom Howard, suddenly died from a heart attack during a break in filming. Episodes were hurriedly rewritten to explain the character's absence, before he was finally killed off at the beginning of the sixth and final series, commissioned to end the programme and to tie up all the storylines. Despite these tragic events, it could be legitimately argued that Howards' Way was such a quintessential part of the era in which it was produced that a continuation could not have been sustained. It is perhaps fitting then that the final episode of Howards' Way was transmitted on 25 November 1990, three days before the resignation of Margaret Thatcher as the British Prime Minister.