Series 3
| # | Title | Director | Writer | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | "The Ship Devils" | Peter Graham Scott | Cyril Abraham | 21 October 1973 (1973-10-21) |
| Widowed James busies himself with work. On his new steamship, the Anne Onedin, the passengers number coal merchant Biddulph, who arranges a shipping contract with James, and his daughter Leonora. The Callons have difficulty managing their line and sell Jack Frazer, father of Albert who is now working in Argentina, the bulk of the company whilst Daniel returns to sea. His first ship sinks due to shoddy workmanship – the rivets used to hold the boat together are inferior – or sea devils. Initially Onedin is blamed but Captain Baines discovers that the fault lay with the original builders and James is exonerated. Samuel Plimsoll, however, the 'sailor's friend', come to Liverpool to support Robert in his bid to become a Liberal councillor, is unimpressed by James' obsession with profit. | ||||
| 31 | "The Stranger" | David Sullivan Proudfoot | Cyril Abraham | 28 October 1973 (1973-10-28) |
| Onedin's contract with Biddulph is jeopardised when the coal miners go on strike. Onedin eventually breaks the strike by getting some of the miners drunk, then signing them up as sailors and having them arrested if they refuse shipboard duties. Samuel Plimsoll is horrified. James Onedin also picks up a lone woman in a boat off the South American coast. Initially amnesiac she proves to be Jack Frazer's niece, Caroline Maudslay, sole survivor of an attack by natives on her husband's engineering expedition. | ||||
| 32 | "Echoes from Afar" | Martin Friend | Alun Richards | 4 November 1973 (1973-11-04) |
| Both shipping companies are anxious to open up trade in Brazil and James learns from Caroline that her uncle has sold the Anne Onedin, renamed Scotch Lass, to a navigation company with a view to Daniel taking it up the Amazon. Senor Braganza is anxious for his son, Jose, to become his business representative in England but the young man is only interested in tropical biology. Captain Baines goes to Portugal and drugs the lad with a view to bringing him to England but ultimately James takes him to South America, where he can study the flora and fauna. | ||||
| 33 | "Amazon Cargo" | David Sullivan Proudfoot | Alun Richards | 11 November 1973 (1973-11-11) |
| Accompanied by Portuguese-speaking Caroline and the Braganzas, Onedin, Frazer, Baines and Fogarty take four ships up the Amazon with a view to establishing a coal trade with the Brazilian railways. Fogarty's men are spooked when they are attacked by natives. Ultimately, Caroline knows from her understanding of the language that the locals have no intention of doing anything but fleecing the visitors and they all withdraw. However, Jose Braganza is killed by natives, causing his father to terminate his dealings with Onedin. | ||||
| 34 | "Danger Level" | Martin Friend | Martin Worth | 18 November 1973 (1973-11-18) |
| Samuel Plimsoll MP enters Liverpool and raises concerns about the ships' safety. He advocates the use of his Plimsoll line to mark the safe cargo loading level for the ships in port. James is reluctant to use it, but eventually accepts the use of the Plimsoll Line after he realises it won't make his ships uneconomic and Mr Plimsoll realises he was being too harsh on James (and ultimately his rivals) after all. | ||||
| 35 | "Black Gold" | David Sullivan Proudfoot | Moris Farhi | 25 November 1973 (1973-11-25) |
| Caroline's acquaintance Henry Wickham asks Onedin to smuggle valuable rubber tree seeds out of Brazil so that he can start a plantation in India. Onedin and Caroline set sail but they fall foul of local big-wig Ortega and, for their own safety, have to return home without the seeds. Eventually they discover that they were being used as decoys by Wickham who, with Fogarty, set out on a separate expedition and obtained the seeds. | ||||
| 36 | "Law of the Fist" | Gerald Blake | Barry Thomas | 2 December 1973 (1973-12-02) |
| Previously the confirmed bachelor, Captain Baines falls for his landlady Mrs. Darling, and, as a favour to her, agrees to take her brother, Tom Ballantyne, on his next voyage. Tom does not approve of Baines as a suitor for his sister and animosity rises between the two men. Finally, Baines strikes Ballantyne and gets into trouble as a result. In the meantime, Mrs. Darling has accepted a proposal from anther suitor. | ||||
| 37 | "Ice and Fire" | David Sullivan Proudfoot | Allan Prior | 9 December 1973 (1973-12-09) |
| James Onedin plans to sail to Sweden with iron rails and bring home a cargo of timber for use in the Biddulph mines. Leonora, piqued at the attention James is giving Caroline, agrees to part-finance the trip and accompanies him. In Sweden, Count Ericson plays hard to get, haggling for a high price for his timber but James knows he must give in else the ice floes will form and block the return voyage. Leonora persuades the count to drop his price. When the ship is in danger of ice James uses dynamite from the ship's cargo to blast its way out. On return to Liverpool Caroline awaits James and they end up kissing. | ||||
| 38 | "A Proposal of Marriage" | Gerald Blake | Alun Richards | 16 December 1973 (1973-12-16) |
| Baines is at sea with Anne's father. Back at Liverpool, James is about to propose to Caroline, but is distracted by his brother Robert with a salvage job, attempting to salvage Fogarty's ship, the Scotch Lass, whose condenser is broken, while it lies on top of the newly laid Wallasey telegraph cable. James indemnifies Fogarty against damage to the cable, but demands a £5000 rescue fee. James tows the Lass into port: It is his by salvage rights. A good deal it seems, but it costs him Caroline's hand – his prioritising a business adventure over their marriage apparently leaving her unsure if the marriage is what she wants. | ||||
| 39 | "Over the Horizon" | Roger Jenkins | Martin Worth | 4 January 1974 (1974-01-04) |
| James and Baines venture to Africa to bring home son of the newly-ennobled Blanchard family, who has brought aboard a range of souvenirs of Africa, including a young African woman. Baines is sent to return her to her village and determine if a river is navigable. Elizabeth, longing for the excitement of London, travels down with Mr Blanchard – but finds his wiles the equal of hers. Miss Biddulph brings news of the sleeping fever from a magazine she has read in the Chamber of Commerce. This has befallen Baines, who is nursed by his African companion and who finds the crocodile river is impassible due to a waterfall. Back in Liverpool, Miss Biddulph is upset to learn that James had asked for Caroline's hand. | ||||
| 40 | "The Silver Caddy" | Gerald Blake | John Lucarotti | 13 January 1974 (1974-01-13) |
| James voyages to Fuchou, China for a cargo of tea and in hope of gaining the Pringlehoffer. Miss Biddulph distinguishes herself in coping with injury on board, and gains in James' estimation. James hopes to take the Teawynd home round Cape Horn. Daniel, however, who has arrived just before him wins the contract – by the innovation of the transcontinental railroad: Just as steam is displacing James' sailboats, America is growing onto the world business scene. Robert is elected to parliament, to represent his Liverpool constituency. | ||||
| 41 | "Port Out, Starboard Home" | Roger Jenkins | David Weir | 20 January 1974 (1974-01-20) |
| Robert has moved to London and feels himself rising in society. Carried away, he plans to commit Onedin to a Mexican railroad. James travels with Caroline, leaving Leonora Biddulph distressed, and, for the first time, angry and impatient. Baines is stranded in the Arctic after Fogarty, bull-headed, wrecks the ship they are traveling in on ice. James is happy in London, and enjoying Caroline's easy company. Robert's wife invites Leonora to visit, causing tension, and setting the scene for her to find new love with Hugh. Fogarty is rescued, but James sets out rescue Baines as soon as he learns he is lost. Finding Captain Baines, his "right hand", he learns that the railroad scheme is a con. | ||||
| 42 | "The Passenger" | Peter Graham Scott | Cyril Abraham | 27 January 1974 (1974-01-27) |
|
The girls take Leonora in hand. Wishing to make her more attractive to James, they make her more attractive to men: dress, hair, a bone corset... and an introduction to James' younger cousin Richard. Fogarty notes that Albert Frazer's patent for a hydraulic steering linkage, unique and working reliably on the Anne Onedin, is potentially very valuable, and about to expire. He plots to profit from this, in return for payment from Frazer, and run away to Australia with Elizabeth Frazer. James is transporting bullion from Baltimore to Liverpool for an American – which turns out to be sea piracy. Fogarty's plan is undone when Robert finds out about the patent, and wishes to buy it for the company. When Frazer finds out, he is furious. Giving Fogarty £1000, he washes his hands of him. Elizabeth on hearing that Fogarty is using her (Albert's) money for "their" plans, also abandons him. He emigrates alone. Caroline tells James that had he asked for her hand again in marriage she would have said yes, but that the marriage would have been one he'd regret. He needs a loving, devoted wife who will bear him sons. She leaves for London. James proposes to Leonora, who tells him it is too late: the banns of marriage are to be read the coming Sunday: she is engaged to Richard. As James sits alone, contemplative, his daughter with Anne enters the room, clutching her dolls. Peter Gilmore plays both James and Richard Onedin. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Onedin Line Episodes
Famous quotes containing the word series:
“History is nothing but a procession of false Absolutes, a series of temples raised to pretexts, a degradation of the mind before the Improbable.”
—E.M. Cioran (b. 1911)