The Cedar Tree was a television serial that ran from 1976-1979 on ITV in the United Kingdom.
It involved the story of the Bourne family, hailing from an aristocratic background, before the turn of the Second World War.
The Cedar Tree was an ATV Production and recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham. Two established cast members were the veteran actress Joyce Carey and Susan Skipper, who played one of the Bourne family's daughters.
In February 2013 it was announced the first 1976 series was to be released on DVD.
Episodes
S01E01 Victoria
September 20, 1976
Holiday cheer abounds at Larkfield Manor as the Bourne family prepares their Christmas celebration, but the mood is tempered by youngest daughter Victoria, overwrought at the announcement that she must continue her education abroad.
Elizabeth meets Dr. Cropper's handsome young associate Dr. Brian Harrington, and the two grow closer as they share their mutual interest in medicine. However, Elizabeth is dismayed to learn a secret regarding Brian's private life.
Middle daughter Anne prepares for a fancy dress party, and the family is shocked by the immodest costume she selects. When Arthur forbids her to wear the costume, Anne defies him.
Anne's shocking defiance of her father's orders threatens familial harmony at Larkfield Manor. With the family's encouragement, Anne must admit to an icy Arthur that she was in the wrong.
Frank Chapman, head dairyman for the Bourne family, confides to Arthur that his son Alan has gotten his girlfriend Peggy into trouble. When Arthur and Helen intercede, Arthur finds himself threatened by Mr. Wickham, the...
Helen befriends Mrs. Wickham, and the two work in tandem to affect some understanding between Arthur and Mr. Wickham. Alan reaches a decision about marriage to Peggy and accepting the Bourne cottage.
Elizabeth returns from London insisting she's over her infatuation with Brian Harrington, but her feelings are reignited when Brian confides in her about his wife Kaye's involvement with another man.
Against all odds, Anne enters a competition with her beloved mare Tallulah, while Elizabeth continues to pursue a seemingly futile relationship with Brian. Later, the Bourne family faces a crisis when Anne is seriously injured...
The Bourne family awaits word of Anne who has not regained consciousness and must undergo tests for possible brain damage. Meanwhile, the crisis brings Elizabeth and Brian even closer together.
Recuperating from the accident, Anne invites handsome but conceited actor Gerald Hope Langley to spend Easter with her at Larkfield Manor. Gerald's transparent interest in Phyllis appalls Helen and incites Anne's jealousy.
Following an embarrassing incident with Anne, Helen bans spoiled, boisterous Rex Burton-Smith from associating with the family. However, Victoria senses a quiet, very different side to Rex and makes plans to join him in a...
With help from Anne and Elizabeth, Victoria plans another adventure with Rex, but unknown to them all, his bravado obscures a devastating secret that is certain to break Victoria's heart.
Anne and Elizabeth's beaus are on opposing sides as the cricket match gets underway. Later, Sir Nigel demonstrates an exceptional talent for bad sportsmanship at the after-party.
Elizabeth befriends newcomer Rachel Earnshaw who has moved to the village from London following a public divorce. The two share the bond of falling in love with the wrong person, but their friendship is threatened...
When Mrs. Earnshaw suffers another nervous collapse requiring Elizabeth to look after her, Arthur invites her to the Bourne home, where she soon reveals more about her life than Elizabeth cares to hear.
With Arthur and Helen on holiday in Scotland, Victoria finds it unwise to invite a visiting Klaus for the weekend, until the girls decide to hold a house party with a London acquaintance of Anne...
The weekend doesn't unfold as planned for the Bourne sisters when Anne is a slave to the kitchen, chaperon Mrs. Walden attempts to seduce Klaus, and Elizabeth must dodge the undesirable attention of Mrs. Walden's...
Lady Alice sulks after she's offered the honor of opening the annual village fête, but is subsequently displaced by Earl Mulligan, a popular American film star from Hollywood. On the eve of the fête, Mulligan...
Elizabeth decides to continue her education in a London teaching hospital, but just as she persuades Arthur to accept her decision, a phone call from Brian could change her entire future.
Brian and Anne fail to understand Elizabeth's sudden reticence to accept a future with Brian. When Elizabeth suggests Brian would give up his Catholic faith if he really loved her, Anne counters that Elizabeth might...
Helen entertains wealthy new neighbors the Cartlands but is unnerved when she discovers that Arthur and Rosemary Cartland share a past association. Meanwhile, in London visiting Aunt Phyllis, Anne experiences headaches and double vision.
A jealous Helen wonders if Arthur once had an affair with Rosemary. Arthur hires petty thief Jim Tapper to help Gates with the estate. Phyllis returns Anne to Larkfield Manor early and worries the Bournes...
Elizabeth returns from Wales, has a startling encounter with Jim Tapper, and learns that Anne is undergoing medical tests in London. An anxious Helen must wait as Dr. Cropper confers with Arthur regarding the results...
Elizabeth learns more about Jim Tapper. After Anne's diagnosis, Arthur and Helen agree she must leave immediately for experimental treatment in Germany.
As Anne and Helen prepare for their journey to Germany, Anne bids emotional farewells to her family. Elizabeth must face delaying her education in order to assume Helen's position at Larkfield Manor.
Lady Alice secretly insists upon paying for Anne's expenses. While the Bourne family prepares for the Christmas season, a brave Anne begins her treatment in Germany.
Lady Alice and Nanny continue to eye Jim Tapper with suspicion. Uncovering Jim's sensitive side, Elizabeth gives him an appropriate gift for Christmas, leading to a disagreement in the family. A quiet Victoria debates the...
Victoria plays the wallflower when the Cartlands visit. With Helen abroad, Lady Alice wonders about Rosemary's intentions toward Arthur. Aunt Phyllis invites the girls to London for a party and has a word with Elizabeth...
Arthur fails to return from his trip to see Admiral Burrell. A restless Elizabeth wants to leave for Phyllis' party in London. Nanny wants Gates to have a word with Jim, whom she distrusts. A...
At Phyllis' party, Victoria meets Jewish music student Emil Schwartz. Elizabeth is pursued by writer Ambrose Fielding and later makes a discovery about him. Victoria helps Elizabeth solve a problem, but it backfires, resulting in...
With most of the family abroad and Nanny ill, Larkfield Manor seems quiet as a tomb. Rumors of the impending death of King George cast a somber pall over the house. Lonely and bored, Victoria...
Despite their best attempts to keep the dinner party amiable, Elizabeth and Victoria are unable to change Phyllis' foul mood during the dinner party. A private argument between Elizabeth and Phyllis deteriorates into a vicious...
Gates catches young Jim Tapper reading a copy of Great Expectations lent to him by Elizabeth and returns the book without asking Jim. Arthur supports Gates against Elizabeth resulting in a disagreement between father and...
Arthur gives Jim a second chance after his accident. Gates and Nanny take an interest in helping Jim learn how to get on in domestic service. Elizabeth refuses to accept that her desire to help...
Phyllis and Charles anxiously await word on the identity of the unidentified Englishman in hospital following a beating in Hamburg. Elizabeth confides in Charles about Arthur's odd disappearances and her suspicions regarding his relationship with...
The strain of keeping up Sir Michael's charade begins to affect Arthur's disposition. Charles receives a disturbing letter from Helen, who shares a troubling incident between Arthur and Rosemary. Alice encourages Charles to demand that...
Phyllis arrives unexpectedly at Larkfield Manor for the family Easter Party and is dismayed to learn that the Cartlands have been invited. Elizabeth and Victoria disagree about Victoria's desire to look more alluring for Peter...
Phyllis flees back to London following the ghastly incident with Rosemary. Charles remembers Peter from Eaton and stuns Arthur with the revelation of why Peter left school at sixteen. Elizabeth learns Peter's secret from Arthur...
Victoria senses conflict between her music studies and Alice's preoccupation with her coming out season. Peter asks Elizabeth to the ballet, but she steers him toward Victoria. Nanny comforts Elizabeth, who feels that everyone else...
Phyllis feels her age after Victoria describes her visit to a nightclub with Peter. Later, while shopping for her coming out wardrobe, Victoria and Lady Alice quarrel over Victoria's affinity for a cocktail dress. Peter...
The summer heat and multiplying guests are problems at Larkfield Manor. First, Elizabeth is ill-prepared for the arrival of Victoria, Phyllis, and Charles. Then, a letter from Arthur announcing his arrival that evening further complicates...
Gwilym charms the Bourne household with the exception of Arthur. Gwilym's passionate objection to war of any kind infuriates Arthur, who is quite vocal in his disdain for Gwilym's opinions. Elizabeth confronts her father with...
When Jim and Gates' motorbike disappear at the same time, Gates jumps to the conclusion that Jim has stolen it. Elizabeth delays reporting the incident to the police in hope that Jim will return with...
A stern Arthur sorts out Jim and smooths things over with Gates. Talk of civil unrest in Spain leads Nanny to the wireless where she hears disturbing news. Arthur places a call abroad to gather...
Elizabeth decides it's time she goes to London to see if a career in medicine is what she truly wants. With Victoria's friend Laura Collins due to arrive for a long holiday, Nanny grouses that...
Elizabeth has an opportunity to use her medical training after someone falls from the cedar tree. Mrs. Gates feels that Elizabeth is continuing to hold her feelings inside. Victoria imparts Helen's wise words in an...
Larkfield Manor is poised for desolation as the summer of 1936 draws to an end. With Arthur away, Phyllis returns to her flat in London, while Elizabeth and Victoria plan to join her in a...
Laura inadvertently receives the brunt of Elizabeth's anger over Victoria's ill-timed revelation to Rosemary. Charles has a heart-to-heart with Laura, but she offers him sage advice regarding Liz and Vicky. Peter shares his concern for...
The Bourne family eagerly anticipates the return of Arthur after a two month absence, but Laura is intimidated by the commander. Victoria lets slip Phyllis' secret meeting with Jack. Rosemary Cartland invites herself round to...
After rejecting Rosemary, Arthur confides to Charles that he will never forgive her and her father for talking him into deceiving Helen. Charles advises Arthur to not drive the rest of his family away with...
Mrs. Gates speculates that Phyllis is serious about Jack Poole, the gentleman she's bringing to Larkfield Manor for the weekend. Arthur and Elizabeth discuss the growing fondness between herself and Peter Cartland. When Phyllis and...
Phyllis tells Arthur about Jack's scheme to create his own charter air firm. When she wonders if Geoffrey Cartland might be persuaded to come on board as a partner, Arthur reveals to her the trouble...
With Arthur away shooting, Phyllis and Jack seize the opportunity to pose Jack's air transfer scheme to Geoffrey. Phyllis invites Geoffrey for dinner and is surprised when he includes Penelope, his mistress. Nanny, Gates, and...
After Nanny hears a rumor from Gates about Penelope Finch, the gossip is passed on to Phyllis. Jack concocts a brilliant scheme to extricate Penelope from Geoffrey's life and enlists Phyllis's assistance. The staff wonders...
Nanny learns about the bi-election and Arthur's potential involvement. Rosemary encourages Arthur to stand for parliament, but Mrs. Hedges attempts to dissuade him for very personal reasons. After failing to disinterest Penelope in Layford, Geoffery...
The Bournes debate the potential constitutional crisis surrounding the relationship between King Edward and Mrs. Simpson. Arthur welcomes Laura into the family for the holiday season. Mrs. Hedges and her carolers make an ill-timed and...
Phyllis traveling France with Jack, and Liz's inability to come home for Christmas disappoints the Bourne family. Vicky confides to Arthur that Peter and Liz are in love and want his blessing for their engagement,...
Charles and Lady Alice engage in a tiff when he jokingly lavishes Dame Violet with praise. Meanwhile, Mrs. Gates tires of being at the Dame's beck and call, and Arthur wants the household to be...
With Arthur and Elizabeth away, Phyllis invites the family and Nanny to celebrate New Year's Eve with her in London. Jack anxiously awaits the arrival of Geoffrey, who has promised to give him a definitive...
Phyllis turns to Nanny for comfort after a terrible row with Jack. Later, Jack's actions aren't encouraging. Phyllis confides in Charles about Jack's spot of trouble, which might involve Scotland Yard. Peter is lost without...
The family fears the cedar tree branch will strike the house, but an unexpected hero saves the day. Mrs. Gates becomes more upset when Lady Alice blames Gates for the situation; he has gone without...
Detective Inspector Webster arrives to take fingerprints and question the servants and guests about the disappearance of Lady Alice's jewels. Noting that the drawer was not tampered, an inside job is suspected. Gates confirms to...
The family looks forward to a visit by James Hamilton, a young lad from Charles' former school, but Charles warns that he is not like other boys. Vicki and Nanny's attempts to break through Jamie's...
The search is on for Jamie when he bolts following the incident in the schoolroom. Charles blames himself for not recognizing the depth of Jamie's fears, but Arthur is not as understanding. Charles confides in...
Lady Alice anxiously prepares to attend the coronation, but then she receives distressing news. Arthur enlists the aid of Rosemary to solve Alice's dilemma. Victoria experiences a frightening recurring nightmare. Laura meets Klaus Von Heynig,...
Laura confides to Arthur the tension between Peter and Klaus, prompting Arthur to take action. Klaus wants Vicky to understand the Nazi party. The Bourne and Cartland families attend the coronation of King George VI....
Nanny bristles when Arthur receives a letter from Miss Gribble, the irritable, former governess to the Bourne family. With the unexpected arrivals of Phyllis and Jack, Vicky, and Liz, who brings with her a surprise...
Following Miss Gribble's observations about the suitability of Peter as a husband for Elizabeth, Phyllis extracts a confession from Liz regarding her mysterious holiday in Wales. Miss Gribble's presence at Larkfield Manor elicits the worst...
With the wedding a month away, Liz has not selected a wedding gown, and she apologizes to the Cartlands for being distracted by Arthur's upcoming bi-election. Geoffrey shares with Phyllis his determination that nothing stop...
Liz makes an unexpected move as Arthur's bi-election grows closer. Peter and Laura share a pleasant morning discussing their acceptance into the Bourne family, and later, he nods approvingly at her plans for the future....
With Arthur distracted by recent events, Liz phones the Cartlands to arrange a lunch with Rosemary. Mrs. Gates confides to Fred that Liz received a telephone call from a past acquaintance, and she finds it...
When Peter wonders about the lunch with Liz, Rosemary suggests that he and Liz arrange a meeting. Vicky discusses Klaus with her father, and Arthur regrets that he did not follow Helen's advice to send...
Phyllis shares joyous news of an engagement with Liz. Vicky and Charles have a bittersweet chat about death. Peter fears he will soon put his flight training to military use. Jack and Phyllis wonder about...
Phyllis encourages an uncomfortable Liz to tend to the surprise visitor. Unsure of Geoffrey's activities, Rosemary makes a secret request of Phyllis and Jack. Liz realizes how she would like to spend her summer, and...