About this season
Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.
Episodes (61)
1. Ring In The New
Aired 1 January 1965 • 30 min
2. Day Of Deliverance
Aired 5 January 1965 • 30 min
3. Fare Thee Well, For I Must Leave Thee
Aired 8 January 1965 • 30 min
4. Discoveries Of The Day
Aired 12 January 1965 • 30 min
5. Togetherness
Aired 15 January 1965 • 30 min
6. Troublemaker
Aired 19 January 1965 • 30 min
7. The Last Straw
Aired 22 January 1965 • 30 min
8. Heart To Heart
Aired 26 January 1965 • 30 min
9. Late Call
Aired 29 January 1965 • 30 min
10. A Marriage Has Been Arranged…
Aired 2 February 1965 • 30 min
11. Many A Slip
Aired 5 February 1965 • 30 min
12. Thunder On The Left
Aired 9 February 1965 • 30 min
13. Tell It Not In Faith
Aired 12 February 1965 • 30 min
14. A Family Affair
Aired 16 February 1965 • 30 min
15. Change Of Plan
Aired 19 February 1965 • 30 min
16. Kidnapped
Aired 23 February 1965 • 30 min
17. It Happens To Other People
Aired 26 February 1965 • 30 min
18. Where There's Smoke
Aired 2 March 1965 • 30 min
19. Patience On A Monument
Aired 5 March 1965 • 30 min
20. Blow Hot, Blow Cold
Aired 9 March 1965 • 30 min
21. Change Of Heart
Aired 12 March 1965 • 30 min
22. Food For Thought
Aired 16 March 1965 • 30 min
23. The End Of A Song
Aired 19 March 1965 • 30 min
24. The Man From Paris
Aired 23 March 1965 • 30 min
25. The Wrong Set
Aired 26 March 1965 • 30 min
26. The Egnet Sings
Aired 30 March 1965 • 30 min
27. A Cigarette That Bears A Lipstick's Trace
Aired 2 April 1965 • 30 min
28. The Last Act
Aired 6 April 1965 • 30 min
29. A Tangled Web
Aired 9 April 1965 • 30 min
30. Who's Who?
Aired 13 April 1965 • 30 min
31. Never Trust A Woman
Aired 16 April 1965 • 30 min
32. Travellers Return
Aired 20 April 1965 • 30 min
33. Gone Away
Aired 23 April 1965 • 30 min
34. Publish And Be Damned
Aired 27 April 1965 • 30 min
35. Action For Libel
Aired 30 April 1965 • 30 min
36. Testing Time
Aired 4 May 1965 • 30 min
37. Plots, Plans, And A Party
Aired 7 May 1965 • 30 min
38. True Or False?
Aired 11 May 1965 • 30 min
39. Hide And Seek
Aired 14 May 1965 • 30 min
40. Wild Goose Chase
Aired 18 May 1965 • 30 min
41. High Court, Low Court
Aired 21 May 1965 • 30 min
42. Hostilities Called Off
Aired 25 May 1965 • 30 min
43. Best Laid Schemes
Aired 28 May 1965 • 30 min
44. Trouble Brewing
Aired 1 June 1965 • 30 min
45. Any Other Business?
Aired 4 June 1965 • 30 min
46. Time Flies
Aired 8 June 1965 • 30 min
47. Friends And Enemies
Aired 11 June 1965 • 30 min
48. Day Of Decision
Aired 15 June 1965 • 30 min
49. Hidden Depths
Aired 18 June 1965 • 30 min
50. Appearances Can Be Deceptive
Aired 22 June 1965 • 30 min
51. The Truth Will Out
Aired 25 June 1965 • 30 min
52. The Off-White Elephant
Aired 29 June 1965 • 30 min
53. Winners And Losers
Aired 2 July 1965 • 30 min
54. Engagements At Sea
Aired 6 July 1965 • 30 min
55. Storm Warning
Aired 9 July 1965 • 30 min
56. Change Of Plans
Aired 13 July 1965 • 30 min
57. Trouble Across The Water
Aired 16 July 1965 • 30 min
58. Destination - Paris
Aired 20 July 1965 • 30 min
59. Paris Is For Lovers
Aired 23 July 1965 • 30 min
60. If The Shoe Fits…
Aired 27 July 1965 • 30 min
61. Journey's End
Aired 30 July 1965 • 30 min