Barriers (ITV - Tyne Tees) (1981-82)

Barriers

Rather a downbeat kind of series, I remember it being shown on a Sunday afternoon about 4pm (ish), this is probably why no one remembers it!
The series starts with solicitor Vince Whitaker (Paul Rogers), informing public schoolboy, Billy Stanyon (Benedict Taylor) of the death of his parents in a sailing accident. This incident leads to the revelation that Billy was adopted. Whitaker tries to help Billy locate his real parents and they set out on a journey to solve the mystery. After following a trail of false starts, dead ends and cryptic clues that takes them across Europe, Billy eventually finds out his real parents were killed in a border skirmish on the Austrian / Hungarian border in 1963. He also establishes the identity of the man who drove the car in which they died, Konrad Spetz. Spetz admits the true story to Billy who ends up feeling that the man is the closest link to his real family and although he hates him, also wants to remain close and spend more time with him. Spetz is wanted by police for a string of deceptions and crimes, including murder. Spetz tries to escape as the net closes and Billy follows pleading with Spetz to stay, but he will not listen and accidentally falls to his death on the Alps, as Billy desperately tries to hold his arm . Billy meets Whitaker at the base of the mountain, dejected, and declares "It's over, it's all over".

Spetz admits everything to Billy

After viewing, you can't help but wonder how a pissy regional network like Tyne Tees managed to come up with such a deep, meaningful and well acted series. I have never seen it repeated since the original broadcasts, which is a shame, as it was intended as a family show (albeit a rather gloomy one!). The quality of the filming leaves much to be desired, an unforgivable crime, because many of the locations are quite breathtaking, but I suppose Tyne Tees had exhausted their budget on  the A-list cast, who included Michael Gough, Laurence Naismith, Siân Phillips, Patricia Lawrence, Nicholas Courtney & Robert Addie.
Barriers was broadcast as 2 series in 1981-1982