Based on the autobiographical books by Elspeth Huxley. This was an expensively made series by the Euston Film arm of Thames Television with location shooting in Kenya and featuring a whole herd of safari animals.
The first episode sees Tilly Grant (Hayley Mills) and daughter Elspeth arrive in Kenya to join her husband to start a coffee plantation before the outbreak of the first world war.
Husband Robin has suffered some business losses back in Britain and he has found out that the plantation is far from what was promised in the business prospectus. They really would have to start everything from scratch.
With advice from a neighbouring landowner, the Grants need to learn how to hire local natives as workers and build a house. They also need to deal with problems when a local woman has a sick child.
By the end of the first episode Tilly wonders what she has taken on. She is miles from nowhere, undertaking an endeavour which might not succeed and a daughter who gets no schooling.
Hayley Mills and Holy Aird are the standouts in this first episode trying to come to terms with their new life.
In the early 1980s this was definitely exotic and from the first episode you can sense it has a more feminist leaning. Definitely different from Euston Film which was better known for macho cops and villains sagas.
It does have some similarities to the later Oscar winning film Out of Africa.
The first episode sees Tilly Grant (Hayley Mills) and daughter Elspeth arrive in Kenya to join her husband to start a coffee plantation before the outbreak of the first world war.
Husband Robin has suffered some business losses back in Britain and he has found out that the plantation is far from what was promised in the business prospectus. They really would have to start everything from scratch.
With advice from a neighbouring landowner, the Grants need to learn how to hire local natives as workers and build a house. They also need to deal with problems when a local woman has a sick child.
By the end of the first episode Tilly wonders what she has taken on. She is miles from nowhere, undertaking an endeavour which might not succeed and a daughter who gets no schooling.
Hayley Mills and Holy Aird are the standouts in this first episode trying to come to terms with their new life.
In the early 1980s this was definitely exotic and from the first episode you can sense it has a more feminist leaning. Definitely different from Euston Film which was better known for macho cops and villains sagas.
It does have some similarities to the later Oscar winning film Out of Africa.
