By Bread Alone

There are some new arrivals at Whitecross. They include a young couple called Judy and
Philip and a sensitive man called Lewis. There is much to do at the settlement now that it is
spring. The digging of a drainage ditch is one of the current projects. Alan is working on the
ditch with Lewis, but Lewis is finding the task difficult.

Lewis decides to reveal that before the death he was a Church of England vicar. The
catastrophe had made him lose his faith, but now he feels it returning. He asks Greg to help
him turn his shirt around in order for it to resemble a dog collar shirt. The community reacts
in different ways to the news.

Daniella, as a devout Catholic, is ecstatic at the news. Lewis explains that he cannot give her
confession as he was of a different denomination. Nevertheless she decides to make a proper
dog collar shirt for him.

Jack, who was a carpenter before the death, is also distracted from his work by Lewis'
revelation and spends some time making a lectern for him, instead of mending the plough.
Charles and many other leading members of the community see this sort of work as a waste
of time, especially when there are so many other practical things to do. Ruth tries to talk
some sense into Jack.

Greg asks Lewis if he can speak to Jenny, who has been depressed of late. Jenny gives him
short shrift, as she cannot see a place for faith in the world since the death. She is especially
upset because she is worrying about having brought baby Paul into their current existence.
Lewis appears to be more popular elsewhere and bowing to popular demand, agrees to hold
a service on Sunday. In the mean time he continues to help Alan with the ditch.

Judy and Philip are unhappy with the regime at Whitecross believing it to be too hierarchical.
They especially dislike what they describe as the elite ruling class. They air their concerns
with Lewis.

The next day, Charles discovers a problem with the drainage ditch which has been left
unmanned. He also finds that Lizzie has been left to milk the cows on her own. The carpentry
is also empty. Alan, Hubert or Jack cannot be found anywhere.

Charles asks Daniella where they have gone, but she has no idea. She shows him the surplus
she has made for Lewis. Lewis is angry with Daniella when he realises she has spent a long
time making vestments for him.

Judy and Philip tell Charles that they have decided to leave, citing the community's social
order and the need for freedom as the main reasons behind their decision. Charles tries to
persuade them to stay, but he is unsuccessful. He realises that they will encounter more
problems in the future with retaining young people at Whitecross.

It turns out that Alan, Jack, Hubert have left their duties to retrieve some hymn books from a
nearby church for the upcoming service.

Greg shows Charles his new equipment for producing methane gas. Charles is impressed.

Lewis has removed his dog collar as he is once more having a crisis of faith. He tells Jenny
that he is concerned that he may have influenced Philip and Judy's decision and that he is
not worthy of serving the community as its pastor.

Charles and Greg tell Lewis that he can't let the community down now, especially as Daniella
and Jack have gone to so much trouble for him. Lewis complies and dons the dog collar once
more.

Most of the community join in the Sunday service. Charles and Greg, however, do not attend.

Episode Review

This thought provoking and underrated episode is the first from the pen of writer Martin Worth who was set to take over the series creative reins in the near future. The story principally features a vicar's decision to reclaim his faith and the consequences it has for the people around him as well as himself.

With the exception of Gone To The Angels, up to this point the series had not truly addressed the question of faith and God's existence. Most of the survivors seem to have taken the absence of any God for granted since the catastrophe of the death. So much so that Lewis' revelation that he is a man of God is startling and in some ways quite farcical. Ruth certainly seems to think so as she giggles with Pet after she has heard the news. Nevertheless the question of the importance of faith has a definite new slant in a world where survival necessarily comes before all else. The events here seek to discover if the balance can be redressed. The conclusion here appears to be that it can be to a small degree. However the fact that this subject is rarely revisited probably gives more of an answer to this question.

The best scenes in the episode are by far those which Lewis shares with Jenny. In the first, Jenny has some great dialogue. Her lament for crisp white nappies and a blue baby bath, perfectly crystallizes what it is that the survivors have lost. Her putdowns to Lewis which end with the sarcastic parting shot 'sorry I couldn't offer you any tea (vicar)' are expertly played by Lucy Fleming and a real highlight. In their second scene together it is Roy Herrick's troubled Lewis who takes the limelight as he shares with a mellowed Jenny concerns about his worth and the place of faith in the new world. That Roy was not long for the series is something of a shame, especially given his obvious chemistry with Fleming.

Rating: 7/10

Episode 21: By Bread Alone

writer: Martin Worth
first broadcast: 19th May 1976

Regular Cast:

Charles Vaughan: Denis Lill
Greg Preston: Ian McCulloch
Jenny Richards: Lucy Fleming
Alan: Stephen Tate
Daniella: Gigi Gatti
Jack Wood: Gordon Salkilld
Pet Simpson: Lorna Lewis
Ruth Anderson: Celia Gregory
Hubert Goss: John Abineri
Arthur Russell: Michael Gover
Lizzie Willoughby: Tanya Ronder
John Millon: Stephen Dudley

and introducing:

Lewis Fearns: Roy Herrick

Guest Cast:

Judy: Julie Peasgood
Philip: Martin Neil

designer: Ian Watson
director: Pennant Roberts
producer: Terence Dudley
episode recorded: 15th - 20th April 1976