The following is commentary on Episode No. 17 ("Is Your Journey Really Necessary?") from members of AFAMILYATWAR-LIST. If you wish to add your thoughts to what is being said on this page, become a part of our discussion group by clicking the "Join" button.
Richard Veit
Beyond any other episode in the series, “Is Your Journey Really Necessary?” examines in considerable depth the complex relationship between Sefton Briggs and his son, Tony. A telegram from Sefton requests that Tony ring him at once, and their subsequent conversation finds an apathetic Tony on the receiving end. He is not inclined to discuss finances, having more beguiling matters on his mind, sweetheart Jenny Graham. Tony’s description of his father is revealing. “Business before pleasure?” Jenny asks. “Business before living,” Tony replies. “Before people.”
Just when Tony has arranged for an idyllic weekend with Jenny, Sefton takes it upon himself to pay an unannounced visit, nearly scuttling the young couple’s plans in the process. Tony resents the intrusion, and, in turn, Sefton resents the fact that Tony seems more interested in pursuing romance than in securing a stable financial future for himself.
Another source of frustration for Tony: Sefton and Jenny get along surprisingly well, and she seems quite content to postpone the amorous weekend. Furthermore, Jenny hesitates to accept the ring Tony has bought for her, only agreeing to do so with the understanding that she be allowed to keep it in its box until such time as they become formally engaged. I find it intriguing that Jenny never tells Tony that she loves him, even after he openly professes his love for her. And yet, only a short while later, she readily informs Tony’s father that they love one another. Clearly, she is wary of premature commitment, a healthy attitude that demonstrates her practical nature. Tony, by contrast, appears positively impulsive, rushing headlong into a serious relationship.
Some random comments about “Is Your Journey Really Necessary?”…
Prior to Sefton’s journey to the east coast, we witness his scheming to have Edwin Ashton consent to become one of the three managing directors of the works. After thirty years of career disappointments at Briggs & Son, Edwin’s lack of trust is justified, and, accordingly, he delays giving his brother-in-law an answer until Sefton’s return to Liverpool.
Sefton’s discussion of shares with solicitor George Askew seems rather academic at this stage of the story, but these tedious numbers will grow in significance as months and years go by, particularly when provisions of the will become operative after the death of Mrs. Briggs. “You need Tony’s ten percent to be safe,” remarks Askew, an innocuous line that might easily be overlooked. Still, it is a crucial point that generates dramatic tension for much of the rest of the series.
Director Gerry Mill calls for a compelling camera shot, gazing through a broken window pane at the printing works, as we view some damage caused by the most recent air raid.
There is a beautifully acted scene in The Dolphin when Sefton asks his son about Jenny, their planned tryst (“We used to call it immoral.”), and why Tony conveniently failed to mention that he had some leave time coming.
A touching comment by Tony comes in the presence of Jenny Graham. Sefton wonders aloud, “How long has it been since we’ve talked? About three months?” With cynicism but evident sadness too, Tony quips, “I’d put it at about twenty years.”
Those “Famous Last Words” quotations of Lieutenant Commander Rupert Innes and Sublieutenant Tony Briggs would seem to be based on a writer’s actual
wartime recollections. Did John Finch perhaps interject this human element into the story, or was it the product of Geoffrey Lancashire?
By the way, Jenny (Wanda Ventham) and Rupert (Timothy Carlton) were married in real life, and their son is actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
John Finch
When commissioning writers for the series, I made a point of trying to ensure the part of the story they dealt with fitted their own personal writing style. Geoff (who died in 2004) was a first-class writer. It was a good script but came too soon, perhaps, after the Philip desert episode. Some viewers must have wanted more of the family than we got here. My fault, of course. With hindsight I could have easily edited in aspects of the story using Jean as well as Edwin, and the continuing story of Margaret must have been missed by some. I would have liked a bit more emphasis on wartime marriages. The corvette, incidentally, was hired from the Irish navy and apart from studio scenes the bulk of it was shot in southern Ireland. I thought there were some effective wartime asides.
Gert Bak Pedersen
I have recently been in touch with Wanda Ventham (Tony's girlfriend Jenny), and among other things she told me that being part of the series had brought her great joy. Actually she met her husband during 'A Family at War' namely the actor Timothy Carlton (playing the role of Rupert Innes in episode 17). So even though there wasn't going to be a lasting love between Jenny and Tony episode 17 certainly brought love in the air behind the scenes...
Richard Veit
Most interesting! I certainly can see why Tony might fall for the beautiful and classy Jenny Graham, and it is wonderful to know that a real-life romance was blooming on the set between Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton.
Many thanks indeed, Gert. Are both Wanda and Timothy still active in their performance careers?
Gert Bak Pedersen
I don't know if they are still active, but Wanda told me that they have a son who is a very succesful actor (she didn't mention his name).
Greg W.
Their son is Benedict Cumberbatch, who recently received terrific reviews for his comic turn in 'Starter for 10' and has also had significant roles in the mini-series 'To the Ends of the Earth' and 'Cambridge Spies,' along with many other film and television credits.
John Finch
Wanda was one of the main characters in a series I devised in the later eighties called "Capstick's Law." I pulled out after the first episode as I didn’t get on with the producer. As I remember it ran for six episodes but was never repeated. Wanda played a solicitor’s wife and was very good as always. I have seen her in other dramas since.
Richard Veit
I find that brief exchange between Sefton Briggs and Mr. Daniels (on the train) to be quite fascinating. Initially, it is Daniels who does virtually all the talking, with Sefton grumpily muttering one-word answers. But then, after the young lovers leave the compartment, the men’s roles are reversed. Sefton becomes the chatty one, and Daniels seems to have lost interest in conversing, closing with a one-word answer of his own, “Yes.” Sefton’s hidebound sense of morality contrasts starkly with Daniels’s more tolerant view: “Well, we must expect moral standards to be suspended in wartime.” Of course, an underlying influence on the young people’s behaviour must surely be the war itself. In peacetime, when the feeling of urgency was not so desperate, no doubt they would have sought a more private place to express their affection.
John Finch
Just a sidelight! Geoff Lancashire, who wrote this and one other episode, was a very good writer. The only problem was extracting a script before the deadline. If you were obliged to chase him to get your hands on it he would pretend not to be in. He strove for perfection, and achieved a very high standard, but television deadlines are not moveable. He was a very good family man, yet for some reason, probably connected with the pressures of his work, his marriage broke up. He died, in very sad circumstances, a couple of years back. Much younger than I am. He was, I suspect, a victim of the system.
