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DALLAS & the BBC.

Count Jockula

Telly Talk TV Fanatic
The series was a huge success in England; Scotland, Wales and the North of Ireland where it was shown by the BBC, for its entire run. However; the BBC ran into contractual problems with the show's international distributor, Worldvision, on more than one occasion. In 1981; Worldvision attempted to renege on an agreement with the BBC and raised the price tag per episode, assured in the knowledge that the BBC's main rival ITV was planning to buy the series.

Litigation ensued but the matter was settled out of court, and the series remained at the BBC. Then in early 1985, the problem resurfaced when the ITV company Thames Television 'poached' the series by entering into a contract with Worldvision behind the BBC's back. A protracted legal battle ensued, made worse by the fact that not all stations in the ITV Network were prepared to show the series.

As a countermeasure; the BBC temporarily halted transmission of the current (1984 to 1985) season midway, as a way of sabotaging ITV's planned screening of the next season (1985 to 1986) later that year. Although the BBC finished screening the 1984 to 1985 season in July 1985, it took until early 1986 for the matter to be resolved. The series ultimately stayed with the BBC, who began screening the next season in March 1986.

dallas-cast.jpg


There are plenty of cheeseburgers to go around.


The Ewings are in the dining room of Southfork, eating breakfast prepared by Theresa. Ellie says she will stop the Takapa lake development; since she is spearheading the wild life preserve project, in the same location. Mama Ewing leaves the dining room. Jock is at the helm of Takapa, unbeknown to his wife; (a scene from season 3, DVD-4, 1980-'81):

Bobby: "Daddy! Daddy!"

Jock is reading the newspaper: "What?"

Bobby: "Don't you think you should tell Mama you're one of the Takapa developers?"

Jock: "Look Bobby, I run my business and I decide when and where I'll tell anyone about it. You understand?"

Ray joins the company of Jock, J.R. and Bobby.

Ray: "Morning! I don't mean to rush you Jock but you were supposed to meet those builders over there at 10 o'clock."

Jock: "Well, you're not rushing me Ray."

Jock gets up from his seat, at the opposite side of the table where Ellie sits.

Jock: "I got nothing more to say here, anyway."

Bobby: "Daddy, I mean it. I think you should tell her."

Jock: "Are you telling me what I gotta do these days, Bobby?"

Bobby: "No sir! No, I'm not. I just think it's fair that she knows, that's all."

Jock: "Well, how can a man be fair when his own wife barely speaks to him? You tend to your politics Bobby, or whatever it is these days. Ray and I'll take care of Takapa. You understand? Ready, Ray?"

Ray: "All set Jock!"

Jock and Ray head for their meeting, leaving J.R. and Bobby to think over what their father said.

J.R.: "Bobby. I thought you learned something when you were a young boy. I guess I was wrong."

Bobby: "Learned what?"

J.R.: "Never cross Daddy, when it comes to business. Never!"
 

Monzo

Telly Talk Enthusiast
What day of the week was Dallas broadcast in the UK? If Dallas didn't return until March, did the next season air straight after?

Was there actually a lead-out for Dallas on the BBC and if so, which one?

As far as I know, season 14 aired on Sunday afternoons. Was this planned from the start of the season and did season 14 no longer work in primetime and therefore was moved to the afternoon?
 

Carrie Fairchild

Telly Talk Star
In addition to Dallas’ transmission being affected, Dynasty would also fall foul of the 1985 ITV debacle. With Dallas off the air on BBC, they began airing The Colbys in its Wednesday timeslot. However, when the BBC won Dallas back, wary of having US soaps on too many nights a week, they started alternating Dynasty and The Colbys in Dynasty’s Friday night slot, meaning you’d to wait a fortnight between new episodes of each. As someone pointed out in another thread, it was painfully slow to watch considering it meant that it took five months for the Rita storyline to be resolved with this airing pattern.
 

Carrie Fairchild

Telly Talk Star
What day of the week was Dallas broadcast in the UK? If Dallas didn't return until March, did the next season air straight after?

Was there actually a lead-out for Dallas on the BBC and if so, which one?

As far as I know, season 14 aired on Sunday afternoons. Was this planned from the start of the season and did season 14 no longer work in primetime and therefore was moved to the afternoon?
To answer a few, but not all, of your questions. I think it originally aired on Saturday night (where all of the US soaps on BBC started out barThe Colbys) and then bounced between a few weekday evening slots before finally settling into the 8pm Wednesday timeslot that would be its regular home for most of its run.

By lead out, if you mean the show that came on after Dallas, it would’ve been the 9pm news on Wednesdays (or Points of View followed by the news).

Regarding the move to Sunday afternoon, I think viewer interest had waned after 14 years but the BBC were still committed to seeing out the contract.
 
Then in early 1985, the problem resurfaced when the ITV company Thames Television 'poached' the series by entering into a contract with Worldvision behind the BBC's back. A protracted legal battle ensued, made worse by the fact that not all stations in the ITV Network were prepared to show the series.

As a countermeasure; the BBC temporarily halted transmission of the current (1984 to 1985) season midway, as a way of sabotaging ITV's planned screening of the next season (1985 to 1986) later that year.

This was very exciting at the time and was all over the papers (along with pictures and spoilers of events that were airing in America while we waited to find out what would happen next.

At the time it was shocking because of the gentlemen's agreement between BBC and the ITV network not to poach one another's properties. The hostile fallout can be tasted in this interview with two key players in the battle, which aired on the neutral ground of Channel 4 news:


The passive-aggressive little zingers are great, with phrases like "blackmail" and "financial piracy" being thrown around, and not an opportunity missed for each to remind the viewers of the other channel's failings. And Michael Grade makes his threat live on air not to screen the end of the 84/85 season until 1989.

It's all terribly British and proper, but there some killer looks exchanged between the two combatants.

As Peter Sissons says:
This could be an even bigger soap opera than Dallas itself.





If Dallas didn't return until March, did the next season air straight after?

More or less, yes. Blast From The Past was shown on 8th October, and the next season began two weeks later on 22nd.
 

Matthew Blaisdel

Telly Talk Star
They started alternating Dynasty and The Colbys in Dynasty’s Friday night slot, meaning you’d to wait a fortnight between new episodes of each. As someone pointed out in another thread, it was painfully slow to watch considering it meant that it took five months for the Rita storyline to be resolved with this airing pattern.
Did they at least show both shows in the correct episode order, so that those crossovers made sense, when they were metioned on the other show the following week?
 

Julia's Spooky Nun

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
What day of the week was Dallas broadcast in the UK? If Dallas didn't return until March, did the next season air straight after?

Was there actually a lead-out for Dallas on the BBC and if so, which one?

As far as I know, season 14 aired on Sunday afternoons. Was this planned from the start of the season and did season 14 no longer work in primetime and therefore was moved to the afternoon?

For most of its run it was on Wednesday evenings, and had huge viewing figures. Sometimes the Wogan chat show would lead into it, especially at the start of the season, and they had some Dallas guest stars. It was great because the BBC has no ads, so you got a full 50 minutes, and when you had a cliffhanger it was straight into that famous tune and the end credits.

The BBC were very faithful to Dallas, but viewing figures really tailored off towards the end. I watched every episode of seasons 11-12 (12-13 DVD) as it was still on in the evening, but for the final season they relegated the show to a Sunday afternoon slot. Nobody was really watching by then. I remember Conundrum being a huge disappointment, even thought it was lovely to see Gary and Val appear, as Knots was still showing in the daytime on BBC then.
 
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Angela Chilling

Telly Talk Veteran
What day of the week was Dallas broadcast in the UK? If Dallas didn't return until March, did the next season air straight after?

Was there actually a lead-out for Dallas on the BBC and if so, which one?

As far as I know, season 14 aired on Sunday afternoons. Was this planned from the start of the season and did season 14 no longer work in primetime and therefore was moved to the afternoon?
It was originally broadcast on Tuesday at 8:10 on BBC1 before moving to Wednesday at the same time, then Sunday, I think at 9pm, and finally Sunday afternoons around 2pm.

Season 1 and 2 were repeated on BBC 2 at 6pm and later seasons were repeated at 12:10pm in the early afternoon.
 

Monzo

Telly Talk Enthusiast
How many millions of viewers does "huge viewing figures" mean? Does anyone know how many (or how few) viewers Dallas had towards the end of primetime and how many on Sunday afternoon? I remember reading here hat the BBC had high hopes that Lesley-Anne Down's arrival would bring back British viewers, but apparently that didn't happen, as Dallas was soon moved to Sunday afternoons. Did Conundrum as big series finale air in the evening or did it stay on Sunday afternoon?
 

Carrie Fairchild

Telly Talk Star
Did they at least show both shows in the correct episode order, so that those crossovers made sense, when they were metioned on the other show the following week?
They were aired in sync up until episode 7 of The Colbys, then they went out of sequence with the US broadcast pattern. I’m not sure what way they worked with Season 7 of Dynasty / Season 2 of The Colbys.
 
I think it originally aired on Saturday night
Dallas started out on a Tuesday night at 8.10pm, it then moved to a Saturday night when it took off ie S2 original

S3 original was on a sunday night

then S4 moved to a Wednesday night

Final dire season was a sunday afternoon where it was beaten in the ratings by snooker on BBc2 or old Western films

When ITV poached Dallas - BBC stopped showing it midway through S7 original (Jenna in the shower and Naldo dead episode)
 

Julia's Spooky Nun

Telly Talk Well-Known Member
How many millions of viewers does "huge viewing figures" mean? Does anyone know how many (or how few) viewers Dallas had towards the end of primetime and how many on Sunday afternoon? I remember reading here hat the BBC had high hopes that Lesley-Anne Down's arrival would bring back British viewers, but apparently that didn't happen, as Dallas was soon moved to Sunday afternoons. Did Conundrum as big series finale air in the evening or did it stay on Sunday afternoon?

The Who Done it? storyline, when Kristin was revealed as JR's shooter got 21.5 million viewers in the UK, making it among the most watched events of all time. There were only 3 TV channels in the UK at that time, before we got Channel 4 in 1982.
I think figures stayed high until the last 4 seasons, when they went into decline. I don't know exact numbers, but they must have been really low for that final season to be moved to the afternoon.

Conundrum was definitely on a Sunday afternoon as I remember watching it with a friend and we both sat there thinking it was fairly rubbish! I don't recall there being much fanfare in the UK media about it being the final episode, which is a bit sad considering what a phenonmenon Dallas had been over here in the 80s.
 

Monzo

Telly Talk Enthusiast
I just looked it up and discovered that there were 56 million people living in the UK at the beginning of the 80s, so if Dallas reached over 20 million viewers, you could probably find someone to talk to about the plots on every street corner.

It's all the more sad that the series finale was burned off in the afternoon and the media didn't report on it. It was different in Germany, which was probably because Dallas remained the most-watched US series on German television in its entire run, although Dallas later only had around 25 percent of the viewers it had in its heyday, but that was still good enough for stars of seasons 13 & 14 like Sheree J. Wilson and Kimberly Foster to appear on the covers of the TV magazines. So there was a lot of reporting about the Dallas finale, which surprised me because the coverage of the finale of Dynasty, which once was only slightly less successful than Dallas, was not so extensive. Perhaps it was because the channel that broadcast Dallas called ARD never spoke badly about Dallas, while the channel that aired Dynasty, ZDF, developed a love/hate relationship with the soap. It began when ZDF announced that it would not air The Colbys because it was too bad (The Colbys then aired on cable TV) and then there were repeated statements that the quality of Dynasty was no longer what it should be. When season 8 ended on German TV, it was said that the quality had become so bad that they would carefully examine whether Dynasty could still be expected of German audiences. It was only when Dynasty was canceled in the USA that ZDF aired season 9 to give viewers closure, but there were warnings in advance by magazines that it would be a very bad season without Linda Evans and only rarely with Joan Collins. German critics also tore Dynasty's series finale to pieces, writing stuff like, in the past, it was great fun, but in the end it was just torture. As far as Dallas is concerned, its broadcaster, critics, magazines and fans were much nicer in the end.
 

Angela Chilling

Telly Talk Veteran
It's all the more sad that the series finale was burned off in the afternoon and the media didn't report on it.
The Dallas finale was covered in the UK media when it was screened in the USA, it even made the front page of the Daily Telegraph. However, because it's aired in the UK some time after it was broadcast in the USA, it was old news so there was no reason to cover it a second time.
 

Carrie Fairchild

Telly Talk Star
I do remember a 1991 Radio Times cover featuring JR and a headstone, but can't remember if this was for the series finale or just the start of the final season.
I mentioned it elsewhere before but I remember a cartoon on the front page of one of the (I think) Saturday tabloids, of a stretched limo with cast past & present piled into it with something like “Farewell Dallas” as the header (it wasn’t the headline story). I suppose given that it had been such a cultural phenomenon in the UK and the tabloids got such mileage out of the show over the years, that it warranted some sort of mention.
 
a cartoon on the front page of one of the (I think) Saturday tabloids, of a stretched limo with cast past & present piled into it with something like “Farewell Dallas”
It was the Sunday Mirror weekend TV supplement

I only remember Larry on cover of Radio Times in 1980, 22-28th Nov at time of Royal variety show

The pic with his gravestone appeared in several TV magazines week of final episode
 
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