‘Dallas’ again in Britain

Press, 11 July 1980, Page 11

‘Dallas’ again in Britain

From

KEN COATES

in London

The Soap Opera “Dallas” that eventually hooked 24 million viewers in Britain with the shooting of JR. the man they loved to hate, will begin again from the very first episode, on 8.8. C.-2. Comparitively few. a mere eight million, watched on that historic Tuesday night in September, 1978, when a new cult was born. Gradually. the numbers watching swelled, and half the nation came to understand what Terr,’ Wogan (who runs a 8.8. C. radio chat show every morning) was on about when he spoke of Bobby the Wet, Lucy the Poison Dwarf and Sue Ellen of the bee-stung lips and the purse-sized flask of bourbon. Another popular serial. “Edward and Mrs Simpson” is also to be rescreened beginning this week. Viewers can be excused for thinking that repeating such highly popu-

lar programmes is largely a waste of time since most people who wanted to watch' them have already seen them. Blit Professors A. S. C. Ehrenberg and G. J. Goodhardt say in a study made for the Independent Broadcasting Authority that on the first run of “Edwarda and Mrs Simpson,” on 10 per cent of the viewers of any one episode of a seven-part serial see all the episodes. The longer the series, “Dallas” has run to 52 episodes so far, the fewer the number who see them all. There is no word yet when “Dallas” will be continued, but it is certain J.R. did not suffer a fatal wound: Larry Hagman who plays J.R., turned up for work on the set last month. He had not actually signed a new contract, and would not until he got a share in the merchandising rights to the name J.R., but C.B.S. expects he will be there in the autumn.