Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (TV serial)

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Charlotte Coleman and Geraldine McEwan in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Created by	Jeanette Winterson
Directed by	Beeban Kidron
Starring	Charlotte Coleman Geraldine McEwan Kenneth Cranham Cathryn Bradshaw
Opening theme	Rachel Portman
Country of origin	UK
No. of episodes	3
Production
Producer(s)	Phillippa Giles
Running time	165 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC Two
Original release	10 January 1990 – 24 January 1990

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was a 1990 BBC television drama, directed by Beeban Kidron. Jeanette Winterson wrote the screenplay, adapting her semi-autobiographical first novel of the same name (published 1985). The BBC produced and screened three episodes, running to a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes.^[1] The series was released on DVD in 2005.^[2]

The series won the BAFTA award for Best Drama.

Storyline

Charlotte Coleman starred as Jess, a girl growing up in a Pentecostal evangelical household in Accrington, Lancashire, England in the 1970s, who comes to understand that she is a lesbian. The allegorical fairytales that are woven into the novel do not appear on the screen. Miss Jewsbury's love-making with the underage Jess, which appears in the novel, was also excluded. Even with these cuts the series caused controversy when shown due to the remaining lesbian sex scenes and its portrayal of the Elim Pentecostal faith.

Cast

• Jess - Charlotte Coleman
• Small Jess - Emily Aston
• Jess's mother - Geraldine McEwan
• Pastor Finch - Kenneth Cranham
• William - Peter Gordon
• Cissy - Barbara Hicks
• Elsie - Margery Withers
• May - Elizabeth Spriggs
• Mrs Green - Freda Dowie
• Miss Jewsbury - Celia Imrie
• Jess's real mum - Sophie Thursfield
• Mrs Arkwright - Pam Ferris
• Mrs Virtue - Katy Murphy
• Mrs Vole - Sharon Bower
• Doctor - David Thewlis
• Gypsy - Kay Clayton
• Church Pianist - Tamar Swade
• Melanie - Cathryn Bradshaw
• Graham - Richard Henders
• Katy - Tania Rodrigues

Awards

The series won the BAFTA award for Best Drama.

In 2010, The Guardian ranked the serial at number 8 in their list of "The Top 50 TV Dramas of All Time".^[3]

Further reading

• Hallam, J. & Marshment, M. "Framing Experience: Case Studies in the Reception of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" Screen No. 36, 1995: pp. 1–15
• Hinds, H. ([1992] 1996) "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit: reaching audiences other lesbian texts cannot reach" In: J. Corner & S. Harvey (eds) Television Times: A Reader London: Arnold, pp. 98–110; ISBN 0-340-65233-0

References

1. JOHN J. O'CONNORPublished: November 29, 1990 (1990-11-29). "Review/Television; A Lesbian Comes of Age, And Not in an Easy Way - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
2. "Oranges-Are-Not-the-Only-Fruit - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
3. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jan/12/50-best-tv-dramas-brideshead

External links

• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit at the British Film Institute
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit at the BFI's Screenonline
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit at the Internet Movie Database