Wish You Were Here

About this Broadcast

In a staid English seaside town after the Second World War, young Lynda grows up with her widowed father and younger sister. At 16, she seeks out sexual encounters, and eventually becomes pregnant by an acquaintance of her father. David Leland's comedy drama based on the early life of brothel madam Cynthia Payne, starring Emily Lloyd, Tom Bell and Jesse Birdsall

1987 HD subtitles

Comedy General Historical/Period Drama Movie/Drama

Cast & Crew

Emily Lloyd (Actor) .. Lynda

Tom Bell (Actor) .. Eric

Jesse Birdsall (Actor) .. Dave

Clare Clifford (Actor) .. Mrs Parfitt

Geoffrey Durham (Actor) .. Harry Figgis

Pat Heywood (Actor) .. Aunt Millie

Barbara Durkin (Actor) .. Valerie

Chloe Leland (Actor) .. Margaret

David Leland (Director)

More Information

Did You Know..

Emily Lloyd (Actor) .. Lynda

Tom Bell (Actor) .. Eric

Jesse Birdsall (Actor) .. Dave

Born: February 13, 1963 in London

Best Known For: Eldorado and Bugs.

Early-life: Jesse was born in 1963, the son of renowned Penguin Books designer Derek Birdsall. He showed a passion for acting and first came to public attention in the serial Annika in 1984, his first notable TV role. He subsequently appeared in the movie Wish You Were Here (1987), directed by David Leland and co-starring Emily Lloyd. He was cast in notorious BBC soap Eldorado in 1992.

Career: Eldorado was mauled by viewers and critics and cancelled after one year. Nonetheless, the amount of coverage the programme received for its perceived low quality and lack of success would gain Birdsall much exposure, and from 1995 to 1999 he played one of the lead characters in another BBC1 programme, the successful futuristic action/adventure series Bugs. Since then, he has appeared in episodes of The Bill, Footballer's Wives, and EastEnders.

Quote: Following the critical response to Eldorado. 'We're working on the scripts. It'll get better'.

Trivia: He has twice been convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.