About this season
Bread is a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991. The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool, in the district of Dingle, led by its matriarch Nellie through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related. Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie, left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill'. Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud and the sale of stolen goods.
Episodes (14)
1. Episode 501
Aired 10 September 1989 • 30 min
Adrian becomes a hero by accident and, despite warnings, starts to embellish his role in the proceedings. Billy is troubled by his forthcoming divorce, Joey gets a worrying letter from the Inland Revenue and Aveline has a check up after failing to become pregnant.
2. Episode 502
Aired 17 September 1989 • 30 min
Joey visits the taxman to plead his case but his words fall on deaf ears, Aveline suggests to Oswald that he should have a sperm count and Billy attends court to get his divorce. But all troubles are briefly forgotten when the family go to the airport to meet Jack who has returned home from America.
3. Episode 503
Aired 24 September 1989 • 30 min
Jack soon gets back into the swing of buying and selling but the piano he buys causes more trouble than it is worth. Joey tells his mother about his debt and the family agree to pull together to help him. Meanwhile, Aveline is making every effort to get pregnant and creating problems for Oswald.
4. Episode 504
Aired 1 October 1989 • 30 min
When Adrian helps Jack to recover his stolen piano, they come into conflict with Yizzel and his mate - once again. Lilo Lill has taken a job in service to be near Freddie, whilst Freddie has sold his flat in order to pay Joey's debt.
5. Episode 505
Aired 8 October 1989 • 30 min
Aveline is causing concern for everybody as she continues to believe in her phantom pregnancy. Adrian is concerned that Magdalena has not replied to his letter, Billy hears that Julie has a new lover and Jack goes for a job as a handyman at the 'big house'.
6. Episode 506
Aired 15 October 1989 • 30 min
Mongy, the family dog, has been accused of biting a little girl and the police are called in to investigate. Billy changes his image in order to make Julie jealous, Jack gets a bumper wage packet thanks to his eccentric boss and Oswald is being pressurized to have a fertility test.
7. Episode 507
Aired 22 October 1989 • 30 min
Aveline has good news about Oswald's sperm count, Adrian finally hears from Magdalena and Joey's loyalty to the family drives a bigger wedge between him and Roxy. Meanwhile, Shifty is in trouble with Yizzel and his mate over money, so he steals their car and heads for London - again!
8. Episode 8
Aired 29 October 1989 • 30 min
9. Episode 9
Aired 5 November 1989 • 30 min
10. Episode 10
Aired 12 November 1989 • 30 min
11. Episode 11
Aired 19 November 1989 • 30 min
12. Episode 12
Aired 26 November 1989 • 30 min
13. Episode 13
Aired 3 December 1989 • 30 min
14. A Quiet Christmas
Aired 25 December 1989 • 30 min
Christmas for the Boswells brings its usual mix of hilarity, sadness and surprises.