# The Fosters (British TV series)

The Fosters is a British television show, produced by London Weekend Television, which aired on ITV from 9 April 1976 until 9 July 1977.
It was created by Jon Watkins and was the first British sitcom to feature an entirely black cast. The show was based on the American sitcom Good Times, adapted by Watkins and developed by Norman Lear. The series starred Norman Beaton as Samuel Foster, and also featured Lenny Henry in his first regular TV role. The Fosters ran for two series, with a total of 27 episodes. The show's final episode was broadcast on 9 July 1977.

## Overview

The Fosters is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 1976 to 1977. Created by Jon Watkins, the series was based on the American sitcom Good Times, developed by Norman Lear, Eric Monte, and Mike Evans. The Fosters featured an all-black cast, one of the first British television shows to do so, and paved the way for future series such as The Real McCoy, No Problem!, Desmond's and The Lenny Henry Show. The show starred Norman Beaton as Samuel Foster, a hard-working man supporting his family in a South London council flat, and Isabelle Lucas as his wife, Pearl. Other cast members included Carmen Munroe, Lenny Henry, Sharon Rosita, and Lawrie Mark. The show ran for two series and produced 27 episodes before its final broadcast on 9 July 1977.
The pop singer Linda Lewis appeared in the "Take Your Partners" episode in season 2.

## Cast

* Norman Beaton as Samuel Foster
* Isabelle Lucas as Pearl Foster
* Carmen Munroe as Vilma
* Lenny Henry as Sonny Foster
* Sharon Rosita as Shirley Foster
* Lawrie Mark as Benjamin Foster

## Episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | 9 April 1976 (1976-04-09) | 2 July 1976 (1976-07-02) |
| New Year Special | 1 | 1 | 1 January 1977 (1977-01-01) | 1 January 1977 (1977-01-01) |
| 2 | 13 | 13 | 16 April 1977 (1977-04-16) | 9 July 1977 (1977-07-09) |

## Series 1

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Sex and the Black Community" | 9 April 1976 (1976-04-09) |
| 2 | 2 | "My Son the Lover" | 16 April 1976 (1976-04-16) |
| 3 | 3 | "God's Business Is Good Business" | 23 April 1976 (1976-04-23) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Check Up" | 30 April 1976 (1976-04-30) |
| 5 | 5 | "Black Jesus" | 7 May 1976 (1976-05-07) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Man I Most Admire" | 14 May 1976 (1976-05-14) |
| 7 | 7 | "Situations Vacant" | 21 May 1976 (1976-05-21) |
| 8 | 8 | "Sonny Gets a Patron" | 28 May 1976 (1976-05-28) |
| 9 | 9 | "Buy Now, Pay Later" | 4 June 1976 (1976-06-04) |
| 10 | 10 | "The Windfall" | 11 June 1976 (1976-06-11) |
| 11 | 11 | "Over the Hill" | 18 June 1976 (1976-06-18) |
| 12 | 12 | "The Matchmaker" | 25 June 1976 (1976-06-25) |
| 13 | 13 | "Benjamin's Rebellion" | 2 July 1976 (1976-07-02) |

## New Year Special

| No. | Title | Original release date |
| 14 | "New Year with the Fosters" | 1 January 1977 (1977-01-01) |

## Series 2

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
| 15 | 1 | "The Nude" | 16 April 1977 (1977-04-16) |
| 16 | 2 | "Up In Arms" | 23 April 1977 (1977-04-23) |
| 17 | 3 | "Give a Little Whistle" | 30 April 1977 (1977-04-30) |
| 18 | 4 | "Take Your Partners" | 7 May 1977 (1977-05-07) |
| 19 | 5 | "That Lovely Weekend" | 14 May 1977 (1977-05-14) |
| 20 | 6 | "The Family Business" | 21 May 1977 (1977-05-21) |
| 21 | 7 | "The Bargain" | 28 May 1977 (1977-05-28) |
| 22 | 8 | "The Diet" | 4 June 1977 (1977-06-04) |
| 23 | 9 | "Home and Away" | 11 June 1977 (1977-06-11) |
| 24 | 10 | "Who Needs Friends?" | 18 June 1977 (1977-06-18) |
| 25 | 11 | "That's My Boy" | 25 June 1977 (1977-06-25) |
| 26 | 12 | "The Family Way" | 2 July 1977 (1977-07-02) |
| 27 | 13 | "The House Guest" | 9 July 1977 (1977-07-09) |

## DVD release

| DVD | Release date |
| The Complete Series 1 | 5 July 2010 |
| The Complete Series 2 | 5 September 2011 |