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When the Boat Comes In poster

When the Boat Comes In (1976)

Drama · History

When the Boat Comes In is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 8 January 1976 and 21 April 1981. Taking place between 1919 to 1937, Jack Ford is a veteran of The Great War who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshield in the North East of England. It dramatises the interwar political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s, and explores the impact of national and international politics upon Ford and those around him.

IMDb rating
8.4 (583 votes)
Seasons
4
Language
EN
Type
TV series
Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1976)

8.12 avg 13 episodes 8.4 → 8.1 52 min avg

Ep 1: 8.4 · 32 votesEp 2: 7.8 · 24 votesEp 3: 7.9 · 25 votesEp 4: 8.4 · 20 votesEp 5: 8.1 · 21 votesEp 6: 8.3 · 19 votesEp 7: 8.2 · 20 votesEp 8: 8.3 · 19 votesEp 9: 7.3 · 17 votesEp 10: 8.8 · 19 votesEp 11: 8.1 · 18 votesEp 12: 7.8 · 16 votesEp 13: 8.1 · 15 votes
Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1A Land Fit for Heroes and Idiots8.432
2Say Hello...... Say Tirra7.824
3Fish in Woolly Jumpers7.925
4Swords and Pick Handles8.420
5Coal Comfort8.121
6Empire Day on the Slag Heap8.319
7A First Time for Everything8.220
8Paddy Boyle's Discharge8.319
9Angel on Horseback7.317
10King for a Day8.819
11Happy New Year, Some Say8.118
12Heads You Win, Tails I Lose7.816
13Kind Hearted Rat with a Lifebelt8.115

Season 2 (1976)

8.35 avg 13 episodes 8.1 → 8.5

Ep 1: 8.1 · 14 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 15 votesEp 3: 8.4 · 17 votesEp 4: 8.2 · 19 votesEp 5: 8.4 · 15 votesEp 6: 8.4 · 14 votesEp 7: 8.3 · 13 votesEp 8: 8.7 · 13 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 13 votesEp 10: 8.2 · 13 votesEp 11: 8.3 · 12 votesEp 12: 8.5 · 12 votesEp 13: 8.5 · 14 votes
Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Ask for Twopence, Take a Penny8.114
2Tram Ride to the Bluebell8.115
3A Pillowful of Buttercups8.417
4Roubles for the Promised Land8.219
5Some Bulbs to Keep the Garden Bright8.415
6God and Love and Wellesley Street8.414
7Whatever Made You Think the War is Over?8.313
8Ladies, Women, Sweethearts and Wives8.713
9After the Bonfire8.513
10A Wreath with Our Names On8.213
11The Way It Was in Murmansk8.312
12In the Front Line You Get Shot At8.512
13The Simple Pleasures of the Rich8.514

Season 3 (1977)

8.02 avg 15 episodes 8.4 → 8.2

Ep 1: 8.4 · 16 votesEp 2: 8.2 · 14 votesEp 3: 8.2 · 14 votesEp 4: 8.0 · 13 votesEp 5: 8.4 · 13 votesEp 6: 8.2 · 13 votesEp 7: 8.0 · 13 votesEp 8: 8.4 · 13 votesEp 9: 8.2 · 14 votesEp 10: 7.3 · 15 votesEp 11: 7.8 · 14 votesEp 12: 7.6 · 13 votesEp 13: 7.5 · 14 votesEp 14: 7.9 · 15 votesEp 15: 8.2 · 20 votes
Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1A House Divided8.416
2A Tiger, a Lamb and a Basket of Fruit8.214
3My Bonnie Lass, Goodbye8.214
4A Ticket to Care for the Wounded8.013
5Travel Light, Travel Far8.413
6Requiem for a Loser8.213
7Debts Owed, Debts Paid8.013
8The Empire Builders8.413
9Look Up and See the Sky8.214
10Letters from Afar7.315
11The Father of Lies7.814
12Diamond Cut Diamond7.613
13A Marriage and a Massacre7.514
14High Life and Hunger7.915
15Please Say Goodbye Before You Go8.220

Season 4 (1981)

7.57 avg 10 episodes 7.2 → 8.2

Ep 1: 7.2 · 18 votesEp 2: 8.2 · 14 votesEp 3: 7.8 · 12 votesEp 4: 7.5 · 12 votesEp 5: 7.0 · 12 votesEp 6: 6.6 · 12 votesEp 7: 6.9 · 10 votesEp 8: 8.4 · 16 votesEp 9: 7.9 · 13 votesEp 10: 8.2 · 18 votes
Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Back to Dear Old Blighty7.218
2A Gift from Heaven8.214
3A Medal for the Argentine7.812
4Flies and Spiders7.512
5Oh, My Charming Billy Boy7.012
6Friends, Romans, Countrymen6.612
7The Bright Young Things6.910
8Action!8.416
9Comrades in Arms7.913
10Roll of Honour8.218

Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-08-19.

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