An educational serial blending dramatic scenarios with expert advice to guide prospective parents through the complete natal period.
This thirteen-part instructional serial follows a central cast of actors as they play archetypal prospective parents facing the challenges of childbirth. The ensemble, including Pete (Gerry Sundquist) and Sandra (Lynne Miller), portray a range of characters and situations, from expectant couples to medical staff and relatives. Each episode is structured around a specific stage of pregnancy or early parenthood, with the dramatised scenes serving as a starting point for practical advice and discussion. The programme’s on-screen expert, consultant paediatrician Dr. Hugh Jolly, appears in each instalment to address the characters’ concerns and provide authoritative guidance.
Broadcast in a daytime slot, All About Babies was a notable television hybrid. Producer Paul Martin described its structure as “a cross between Dr. Finlay’s Casebook and Crossroads,” a description that captures its unique blend of serialized drama and didactic purpose. The scripts, from writers Colin Shindler and Gail Renard, used fictional situations to make medical and psychological information accessible. To ground the drama in reality, the production also incorporated filmed inserts featuring genuine expectant parents and documentary-style “mother’s eye-view” sequences.
Broadcast: ITV – ATV, 13 Episodes, Thursdays, 10 March – 2 June 1977
Written by: Colin Shindler, Gail Renard
Producer: Paul Martin
Director: David Dunn
Programme Expert: Dr. Hugh Jolly
Main Cast: Gerry Sundquist (Pete), Lynne Miller (Sandra), Lesley North, Margaret Lawley, Lloyd McGuire
