Jo Kendall, Kate Lansbury and David Collings head the cast of this six-part BBC serial that dramatised Compton Mackenzie's 1913 coming-of-age novel about Michael and Stella Fane, siblings born outside marriage to wealthy parents. Broadcast between 10 May and 14 June 1969, the 45-minute episodes charted their psychological journey through Edwardian society's disapproval.
Ray Lawler's adaptation arrived during a period when the BBC regularly wiped master tapes, and Sinister Street became another casualty. Every instalment was erased shortly after transmission, leaving no surviving footage and only a handful of production stills. The series holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only television version of Mackenzie's work ever attempted.
What remains are Radio Times listings and cast memories, including Joan Hickson and Angela Baddeley among the supporting players. The loss represents more than just missing television; it erases a key transitional work that bridged the gap between the corporation's 1950s literary adaptations and the more psychologically complex serials of the 1970s.
Production Details
BBC One / 1 Season / 6 Episodes / 1969
Created by: Ray Lawler
Writer(s): Ray Lawler
Producer(s): David Conroy
Main Cast
Jo Kendall as Mrs Ross
Brett Usher as Michael Fane
Gillian Hawser as Stella Fane
Kate Lansbury as Annie
Jeanne Moody as Mrs Fane
David Collings as Henry Meats
Michael Osborne as Alan Merivale
Joan Hickson as Mrs Cleghorne
Elaine Taylor as Lily Haden
Robert James as Dickie Prescott
Valerie Gearon as Sylvia Searlett
Edward Caddick as Syd Carvell
