Connie (TV Series)

Connie (TV Series)

Connie is a 1985 British television drama series. Made for ITV by Central Television, it starred Stephanie Beacham in the title role. 13 episodes were made and shown throughout the summer of 1985.

Written by Ron Hutchinson as a dry commentary on Thatcherite values in the 1980s, the series tells the story of a woman returning to the United Kingdom from Greece after years in self-imposed exile, determined to claw back control of her chain of high street clothes shops that is now controlled by her stepsister, and also get her foot back into the "House Of Bea", a family-owned garment factory, run by her father and stepmother, which is now haemorrhaging money.

The series is chiefly memorable for the high octane performance of Stephanie Beacham as the eponymous Connie, chewing the scenery and snarling her way through such camp, metaphorical 80s big business dialogue as "My spoon is going into the gravy, my snout is going into the trough."

It was partly on the strength of Connie that Beacham won the role of Sable in The Colbys, the spin-off series from the American supersoap Dynasty which led to a subsequent high profile career in American television.

Other notable cast members in the series included Pam Ferris as Connie's conniving stepsister Nesta, George Costigan as her ex-husband Arnie, Richard Morant as her new love interest Jamieson, Brenda Bruce as her stepmother Bea and Paul Rogers as "Hot Pants" Hector, Connie's father.

The theme song entitled "The Show" was written by Willy Russell and series creator Ron Hutchinson, and performed by Rebecca Storm. It was released as a single and made it to the top thirty in the United Kingdom pop charts in summer 1985.