Love Story was a long running ITV anthology series with a mostly romantic theme (hence the title) but also really encompassing all aspects of love.
Pretty much anybody who was anybody in the British acting fraternity of the time made an appearance. Robin Bailey and Gwen Cherrell starred in the first production Whitson Story but the casts included everyone from the likes of Diana Coupland, Miriam Karlin, Barry Foster, Simon Oates, Tony Britton, Nigel Green, Jeremy Kemp, Brenda Bruce, Keith Barron, Ian McShane, Leonard Rossiter, Jack Watling, John Hurt, Nyree Dawn Porter, Patrick MacNee, John Alderton, Lee Montague, Donald Sinden, Dudley Moore (in 1965, then at the height of his Beyond the Fringe fame), Vanessa Redgrave, Penelope Keith, John Stride, Charles Gray, John Gregson, Peter Wyngarde, Gabrielle Drake, Keith Michell, Lynn Redgrave, Stephanie Beacham, Wendy Hiller, Alfred Burke and Robert Hardy to name just a very few.
Each season tended to be watched over by a single producer and Lewis Greifer was script consultant for the first several seasons. The series was the usual mix of video for interiors and film for location work with the early seasons tending to be more set bound than the later 1970’s seasons.
The last episode of season five, The Swordfighter (broadcast 28 September 1967) was filmed in two versions, one in black and white the other colour. Some late sixties episodes were also filmed in PAL (the European standard) and NTSC (this was with the hope of selling to the American market – something ATV were the market leaders at amongst the ITV networks).
One season three episode, The Girl Opposite (broadcast 1 Nov 1965) was written by film director Roman Polanski who at the time was in the UK working on his first English language film Repulsion.
Bryan Pringle and Diana Coupland in season 9 opener The Suitcase.production details
UK / ITV – ATV / 126×50 minute episodes / Broadcast 3 June 1963 – 8 January 1974
Executive Producer: Stella Richman (Season 1) / Producers: Hugh Rennie (Season 2), Josephine Douglas (Season 3), Pieter Rogers (Seasons 4-5), Rex Firkin (Seasons 5-8), Henri Safran (Seasons 9-10), Nicholas Palmer (Season 11) / Script Consultant: Lewis Griefer (Seasons 1-5)
SEASON ONE 3 June – 9 September 1963
1. WHITSUN STORY (3 Jun 1963)
2. CHARLIE IS MY DARLING (10 Jun 1963)
3. THE HABIT OF LOVING (17 Jun 1963)
4. AND THE BAND PLAYED ON (24 Jun 1963)
5. THE WEDDING OF SMITH SEVEN-NINE (1 Jul 1963)
6. MAKE IT A HABIT (8 Jul 1963)
7. THE GARDEN (15 Jul 1963)
8. RAYMOND’S ITALIAN WOMAN (22 Jul 1963)
9. JUST AS YOU ARE (29 Jul 1963)
10. SNAKES AND LADDERS (5 Aug 1963)
11. SOME GRIST FOR MERVYN’S MILL (12 Aug 1963)
12. A SORT OF STRANGERS (19 Aug 1963)
13. THE FRAUDS (26 Aug 1963)
14. THE KISS OF TRUTH (2 Sep 1963)
15. LOVE IN A SMALL TOWN (9 Sep 1963)
SEASON TWO 7 April – 29 September 1964
1. THREE PIECE SUITE (7 Apr 1964)
2. THE HUMAN ELEMENT (14 Apr 1964)
3. A FUTURE HOLIDAY (21 Apr 1964)
4. DOMINO (28 Apr 1964)
5. THE RAINBOW MAN (5 May 1964)
6. THE END OF THE LINE (12 May 1964)
7. DIVORCE, DIVORCE (19 May 1964)
8. A GIRL LIKE ME (26 May 1964)
9. THE WOOING OF MISS WATSON (2 Jun 1964)
10. THE CON GAME (9 Jun 1964)
11. THE IN-BETWEEN STAGE (16 Jun 1964)
12. THE LAST OF THE ENGLISH VISITORS (23 Jun 1964)
13. ROMANCE OF WORDS (30 Jun 1964)
14. BEGGARS AND CHOOSERS (9 Jul 1964)
15. A WORD IN SEASON (14 Jul 1964)
16. THE SMILE ON THE FACE OF THE TIGER (21 Jul 1964)
17. IN LOVING MEMORY (28 Jul 1964)
18. THE APPRENTICES (4 Aug 1964)
19. SPARE THE TEARS FOR HAPPINESS (11 Aug 1964)
20. THE TRUTH GAME (18 Aug 1964)
21. ARRANGED FOR STRINGS (25 Aug 1964)
22. BILLY BOY (1 Sep 1964)
23. THE EMOTIONAL MACHINE (8 Sep 1964)
24. AN APPLE FOR THE TEACHER (15 Sep 1964)
25. I LOVE, YOU LOVE, WE LOVE (22 Sep 1964)
26. THE COMMUTERS (29 Sep 1964)
SEASON THREE 27 July – 6 December 1965
1. AFTER HOURS (27 Jul 1965)
2. BRIEFLY KISS THE LOSER (3 Aug 1968)
3. END OF TERM (10 Aug 1965)
4. TOCCATA FOR TOY TRUMPET (17 Aug 1965)
5. SQUAT BETTY (24 Aug 1965)
6. TWICE UPON A TIME (31 Aug 1965)
7. AND IT WASN’T JUST THE FEATHERS (7 Sep 1965)
8. CHASE THE SHADOWS (14 Sep 1965)
9. GIVE MY LOVE TO THE PILCHARDS (21 Sep 1965)
10. NEVER SUP AT HOME (27 Sep 1965)
11. A BACHELOR GREY (4 Oct 1965)
12. PHYLLIS HAMMOND DIED HERE (11 Oct 1965)
13. GIRL ON THE CLIFF (18 Oct 1965)
14. THE WEATHER HOUSE (25 Oct 1965)
15. THE GIRL OPPOSITE (1 Nov 1965)
16. A GUIDE TO THE RUINS (8 Nov 1965)
17. A MARRIAGE FOR STRANGERS (15 Nov 1965)
18. A CURE FOR TIN EAR (22 Nov 1965)
19. THE SAD SMILE OF THE Mona Lisa (29 Nov 1965)
20. LA MUSICA (6 Dec 1965)
SEASON FOUR 27 June – 19 September 1966
1. THE SMALL HOURS (27 Jun 1966)
2. ANOTHER NAME FOR NOWHERE (4 Jul 1966)
3. DUGGIE (11 Jul 1966)
4. CASANOVA AND THE OLD CROW (18 Jul 1966)
5. DEAD SET AT DREAM BOY (25 Jul 1966)
6. AIN’T AFRAID TO DANCEW (1 Aug 1966)
7. THE VEGETABLE MAN (8 Aug 1966)
8. A TOY SOLDIER (15 Aug 1966)
9. TWO’S COMPANY (22 Aug 1966)
9. BAREFOOT IN THE KITCHEN (29 Aug 1966)
10. THE PUBLIC DUCK (5 Sep 1966)
11. SAY SORRY (12 Sep 1966)
12. PINKIE (19 Sep 1966)
SEASON FIVE 6 July – 28 September 1967
1. LOVE IN A GEARY SUIT (6 Jul 1967)
2. CINEMA VERITE (13 Jul 1967)
3. HER FREUDIAN SLIP (20 Jul 1967)
4. A MERRY CHINESE CHRISTMAS (27 Jul 1967)
5. WHAT ABOUT ME? (3 Aug 1967)
6. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND (10 Aug 1967)
7. THE CONVERSION OF ‘PRETTY-BOY’ CARTER (17 Aug 1967)
8. THE FIRST OF THE NIGHTINGALES (24 Aug 1967)
9. A DREAM IN THE AFTERNOON (31 Aug 1967)
10. IT’S A LONG WAY TO TRANSYLVANIA (7 Sep 1967)
11. A DIAMOND IS FOREVER (14 Sep 1967)
12. BREACH OF PROMISE (21 Sep 1967)
13. THE SWORDFIGHTER (28 Sep 1967)
From here on in the seasons got quite a bit shorter for several years before season’s 9 and 10 went for slightly longer runs.
SEASON SIX 27 June – 25 July 1968
1. THE EGG ON THE FACE OF THE TIGER (27 Jun 1968)
2. S… FOR SUGAR A…FOR APPLE M… FOR MISSING (4 Jul 1968)
3. THE VAST HORIZONS OF THE MIND (18 Jul 1968)
4. A MAN ALONE (25 Jul 1968)
SEASON SEVEN 3 December – 31 December 1968
1. THE FOLLY (3 Dec 1968)
2. WE NEVER WENT TO CHEDDAR GORGE (10 Dec 1968)
3. SPILT CHAMPAGNE (17 Dec 1968)
4. THE PROPOSAL (31 Dec 1968)
SEASON EIGHT 26 March – 23 April 1969
1. A MAN FOR A HOUSE (26 Mar 1969)
2. HAVE WE DONE IT AGAIN? (2 Apr 1969)
3. ENSIGN TO THE CANNON PROUD (9 Apr 1969)
4. THE DOLLY SPIKE (16 Apr 1969)
5. LOOK OUT!! IT’S MARGARET MITCHELL’S SOLICITORS!!! (23 Apr 1969)
There was an almost three year gap between seasons eight and nine.
Love Story Once Upon A Time ITV 1972 Clare Sutcliffe and George SweeneySEASON NINE 1 February – 28 March 1972
1. THE SUITCASE (1 Feb 1972)
2. THIRD PARTY (8 Feb 1972)
3. YOU DON’T KNOW ME – BUT… (15 Feb 1972)
4. NEVER TOO LATE (22 Feb 1972)
5. ONCE UPON A TIME… (29 Feb 1972)
6. A MEMORY OF TWO LOVES (7 Mar 1972)
7. ALICE (14 Mar 1972)
8. SWEET SORROW (21 Mar 1972)
9. NIGHT OF THE TANKS (28 Mar 1972)
SEASON TEN 2 January – 28 March 1973
1. TWO TAME OATS (2 Jan 1973)
2. DO WHAT YOU WANT TO (9 Jan 1973)
3. CONVERSATIONS IN THE DARK (16 Jan 1973)
4. AMY (23 Jan 1973)
5. FINDERS KEEPERS (30 Jan 1973)
6. A FACE OF YOUR OWN (6 Feb 1973)
7. FORSAKING ALL OTHERS (13 Feb 1973)
8. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (21 Feb 1973)
9. WHEN THE END IS IN SIGHT (28 Feb 1973)
10. A GREAT BIG CRACK IN HEAVEN (7 Mar 1973)
11. KIPPERS AND WHITE WINE (14 Mar 1973)
12. REFLECTIONS (21 Mar 1973)
13. MY BROTHER’S HOUSE (28 Mar 1973)
SEASON ELEVEN 20 November 1973 – 8 January 1974
1. WALTER (20 Nov 1973)
2. THE STRING-TYING MACHINE (27 Nov 1973)
3. AUDREY HAD A LITTLE LAMB (4 Dec 1973)
4. MY BROTHER PETER (11 Dec 1973)
5. AS YOU WERE (18 Dec 1973)
6. SECOND PARTNER (8 Jan 1974)
