Hard Labour (Play for Today)

• Liz Smith as Mrs Thornley • Clifford Kershaw as Mr Jim Thornley • Polly Hemingway as Ann Thornley • Bernard Hill as Edward Thornley • Alison Steadman as Veronica Thornley • Vanessa Harris as Mrs Lily Stone • Cyril Varley as Mr Sid Stone • Linda Beckett as Julie • Ben Kingsley as Naseem • Alan Erasmus as Barry • Rowena Parr as June • June Whittaker as Mrs Rigby • Paula Tilbrook as Mrs Thornley's friend • Keith Washington as Mr Shaw • Louis Raynes as Tallyman • Diana Flacks as Mrs Betty Rubens ==Theme==

"The polarity between the worlds of Mrs Stone and the lady who cleans her house (the central figure, Mrs Thornley, the Catholic house-cleaner) is icily delineated. In the middle is the new housing estate, where Mrs Thornley's son, Edward, (played by Bernard Hill in his professional début), a car mechanic, lives with his wife Veronica (Alison Steadman)." ==References==