Compact
Season 2 Episode 87 - Dinner At Eight
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 in Season 2
Happy Birthday
30 min
Merely Players
30 min
Picture Page
30 min
Research Pays Off
30 min
Waiting For News
30 min
Staff Changes
30 min
The New Editor
30 min
To See Ourselves
30 min
Changing Step
30 min
Military Honours
30 min
Vital Talks
30 min
The Man For The Job
30 min
Black Ice
30 min
The Magpie's Hoard
30 min
The Thief
30 min
United We Stand
30 min
Shrove Tuesday
30 min
Unofficial Strike
30 min
Emergency
30 min
Normal Working
30 min
On The Edge
30 min
Shock Tactics
30 min
The Winner
30 min
Chicken And Champagne
30 min
The Highway Man
30 min
A List Of Names
30 min
The Wrong Idea
30 min
Fire And Water
30 min
A Question Of Age
30 min
Tangled Web
30 min
Little Boy Lost
30 min
Sent To Coventry
30 min
Money Trouble
30 min
Mr Bruce Remembers
30 min
Echo From The Past
30 min
The Puffing Doctor
30 min
A Novel Situation
30 min
Bitter Wine
30 min
Moments Of Truth
30 min
The New Understanding
30 min
I'll Be In Scotland Before Ye
30 min
Auld Acquaintance
30 min
Family Crisis
30 min
The McDee In London
30 min
A Day At The Seaside
30 min
Run Away
30 min
Truth Will Out
30 min
Living In The Past
30 min
Big Brother
30 min
Out In Limbo
30 min
A Case Of Desperation
30 min
Welcome Home
30 min
Missing Facts
30 min
Artist Unknown
30 min
Back To Work
30 min
Where Is The Skeleton?
30 min
A Mystery Solved
30 min
Highland Fling
30 min
The Ultimatum
30 min
Power Play
30 min
The Reluctant Heroine
30 min
Principles Won't Stop James
30 min
Who Pays For Leadership?
30 min
Because Of Alan
30 min
Stolen - One Cigarette Case, Gold
30 min
Man Proposes
30 min
Investigations Proceed
30 min
A Shower Of Confetti
30 min
On The Run
30 min
The Gamblers
30 min
Lost, Stolen, Or Strayed
30 min
A Ring For Iris
30 min
Faith And Begorra
30 min
A Touch Of The Blarney
30 min
Surprise Packet
30 min
The Sound Of Fury
30 min
Aftermath
30 min
The Party Member
30 min
The Mighty Fallen
30 min
The Reception
30 min
Alarms And Excursions
30 min
Two Faced
30 min
Stranded
30 min
Two Lovely Black Eyes
30 min
Chain Of Events
30 min
Night Call
30 min
Dinner At Eight
30 min
Marmot James Again
30 min
Fireworks All Round
30 min
Fire And Water
30 min
You Have Talent - We Want It
30 min
They Fell Among Thieves
30 min
The News Breaks
30 min
Happy Birthday
30 min
The Tax Man Cometh
30 min
Bottled On The Premises
30 min
Celebration
30 min
Afterthoughts
30 min
No Promises - I'll Take Cash
30 min
Wait For The Bang
30 min
The New Editor
30 min
A Job For The Boy
30 min
Dress Rehearsal
30 min
Happy New Year
30 min
On Stage
30 min
