It has been more than three decades since the final episode of Bread aired
It has been more than three decades since the final episode of Bread aired
It’s been over 30 years since the cast of Carla Lane’s Bread provided viewers with a unique glimpse into Liverpool life, a perspective only this city could offer. Set in Liverpool during the mid-’80s, the series centers around the devoutly Catholic Boswell family and first aired on May 1, 1986. It didn’t take long for the show’s iconic ceramic hen from the title sequence and the theme tune sung by the cast to become familiar to millions of viewers.
The street featured in the show was Elswick Street in Dingle, and it ran for eight series until 1991. As one of the nation’s favorite sitcoms, Bread was created by the late Carla Lane, who sadly passed away in 2016.
Viewers will remember many unforgettable moments, including Rita Tushingham’s guest appearance as the neighbor Celia, Liverpool singer Sonia playing Adrian’s girlfriend Ellia, and the family’s holiday to Italy in the 1988 Christmas special, among others. But what have the stars of the show been up to since then?
After Bread, the cast has participated in a variety of projects, including Hollywood films, theater tours, and soap operas. Unfortunately, some of the legendary actors are no longer with us. Here, we take a brief look back at what several of the characters have done since the show ended.
Jean Boht – Nellie Boswell
Jean Boht played Nellie, the matriarch of the family and “tough love” mum to the Boswell clan. Fearsomely protective of her children, Nellie was a fan favourite who demanded respect at the kitchen table from her sons.
Wirral-born Jean’s career spanned the years from 1962, seeing her star in Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, Juliet Bravo in the mid-1980s, and Mothers And Daughters, in 2004. She has also visited soapland, with appearances in Casualty, Doctors, Holby City and The Bill.
She also appeared on stage with Jeremy Irons in Embers in 2006 and starred in Chris Shepherd’s award-winning short film Bad Night for the Blues in 2010.. In her personal life, Jean, now aged 90s, married American conductor Carl Davis in 1970 and together they have three daughters.
Boht died aged 91 on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Sharing the news in a statement, her family said: “Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned. She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.”
Ronald Forfar – Freddie Boswell
Nellie’s adulterous husband Freddie Boswell was played by Ronald Forfar. Recognisable from his shock of untrained white hair and a cheeky comeback, Freddie’s affair with Lilo Lil was a constant through.
Forfar previously starred in an episode of ITV spy series The New Avengers in 1976 and in TV series Airport Chaplain the following year. And after finishing Bread, he continued to have a prestigious acting career as well as becoming a novelist.
He went on to appear in the Chuckle Brother’s Chucklevision several times between 1998 and 2002. Forfar lived in Normandy renovating a country cottage between 1996 and 2009, before moving to Paris and Kent in later years, but died aged 81 in September 2020.
Eileen Pollock – Lilo Lill
Despite not being a Boswell, Eillen Pollock’s character Lilo Lill was one of the most recognisable characters on the show. Eileen brought to life Lilo Lil, who was the ‘other woman’ in Freddie Boswell’s marriage to Nellie, between 1986 and 1991.
The Belfast actress later appeared in the film version of Frank McCourt’s book Angela’s Ashes in 1999 and starred in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman movie Far and Away in 1992, as landlady Molly. And in more recent years, Eileen turned her attention to the theatre, performing in a one-woman show Now I’m Sixty and in 2010 directed The Irish Wake of Paddy McGrath.
She also delighted audiences with appearances in numerous pantomimes – which she said fulfilled a childhood dream of hers. But in 2020, her family announced she had sadly died at the age of 73.
Jonathon Morris – Adrian Boswell
Jonathon played Adrian Boswell, who stood out from his brothers as he looked to pursue a creative career. Best known for his role in Bread as Adrian Boswell, Boswell has continued to act.
He presented CBBC game show The Movie Game from 1991 to 1993, replacing Phillip Schofield and made appearances on the popular ’90s Channel 5 game show Night Fever. Prior to Bread, he had previously starred in the short-lived ITV sitcom That Beryl Marston!
Born in Manchester in 1960, Morris also appeared in Beau Geste, Doctor Who, and The Prisoner of Zenda and in 2005 he competed in the third series of Channel 4 sports-based reality show The Games. In 2012, he revisited the setting of Bread on Elswick Street in Dingle ahead of his appearance in an ECHO Arena production of Sleeping Beauty.
Peter Howitt – Joey Boswell
Peter Howitt played the oldest of the Boswell children, Joey, until series five when Graham Bickley replaced him. The actor’s first notable roles were in the long-running ITV series How We Use To Live and in Emmerdale in 1985.
Peter has since gone on to write and direct romantic comedy and box office hit Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, as well as Johnny English and Dangerous Parking. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife and family.
The writer and director recently paid tribute to Carla Lane’s essential role in shaping the show. He said: “She wrote about five or six hit shows, consistently good, consistently funny. I flew all the way to Liverpool when she died. It was so important to pay my respects to someone who changed my life. It changed all of our lives.”
Victor McGuire – Jack Boswell
Victor McGuire, from Tuebrook, played the loveable Jack Boswell in Bread and has since made notable appearances on both cinema and television screens. He later went on to play Ron Wheatcroft opposite Nicholas Lyndhurst in Goodnight Sweetheart and starred in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Woman in Black, Dalziel And Pascoe, Casualty and 2point4 Children.
He has also appeared as security guard Ian in the Sky1 sitcom Trollied, Casualty, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens in 2015, and had a spell as Big Garth on Coronation Street in 2019. More recently, viewers will have spotted him in The Responder and Kate and Koji.
In 2020 he appeared as a policeman in an advert for Haribo. He also starred in ITV sitcom Kate & Koji as a customer named Mr. Mulholland, which he later reprised in 2022.
Gilly Coman – Aveline Boswell
Gilly Coman played Nellie’s daughter Aveline, who was rose among the thorns of her brothers in the Boswell family. At the centre of one of Bread’s most memorable moments, more than 21m viewers watched her Catholic character marry Protestant vicar Oswald in 1988.
The actress also starred in Brookside, Coronation Street and Inspector Morse. Tragically, the mother-of-three died in 2010, of a suspected heart attack, aged 54.
Nick Conway – Billy Boswell
Youngest son Billy Boswell was played by Nick Conway. In the show, the character seemed to have a battle on his hands just to achieve the most basic of tasks – though not always through any fault of his own.
Nick also appeared in Starting Out, Thank You Mrs Clinkscales, When Saturday Comes, Keep On Running and Juliet Bravo. The actor, from Shrewsbury, has starred in episodes of The Bill, Doctors and Coronation Street as recently as 2010.
He has featured in many theatre productions and currently runs a theatre school. He currently works as a DJ under the name Nick Campbell.
Melanie Hill – Aveline Boswell
Actress Melanie Hill replaced Gilly as Aveline on Bread and stayed with the show until it was brought to an end in 1991. In her career, she was had starring roles in The Syndicate, BBC drama Waterloo Road and in the film Stardust.
She is known for playing Cathy Matthews in Coronation Street between 2015 and 2022. Nowadays, she can be seen on Casualty where she plays Siobhan McKenzie.
What are your favourite memories of Bread? Let us know in the comments section below.
Bryan Murray – Cousin Shifty
Decades after Bread aired, some of the cast members spoke to the ECHO and reflected on making the programme, their most memorable moments and working with Carla Lane, one of the most celebrated TV writers of her generation. Bryan Murray, now in his seventies played The Boswells’ cousin Shifty, a role for which he won a BBC TV Personality of the Year Award.
He said: “When you meet Jean, the warmth she gives you is the equivalent of your mother. You’re being welcomed home. Jean was amazing.” Bryan has since gone on to star in a variety of television programmes and films such as Fair City and Brookside, Silent Witness and The Tudors.
