1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane With… Jan Harvey (Jan Howard in “Howards’ Way”)

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

“Howards’ Way” was a British television series aired on BBC1 from 1985 til 1991. It ran for 6 seasons and 78 episodes. The series focuses on the lives of the Howard family who live near the Hampshire coast in the south of England and their yachts and businesses. Jan Harvey played Jan Howard for the entire 6 seasons.

KB: “Howards’ Way”: What was the show about?

It’s about the Howard family; Tom, his wife Jan and their two children Lynne and Leo. They live in a large house near the Hampshire coast and are keen sailors. The series opens with Tom and the children winning a yacht race and over a celebratory dinner, he announces to the family that he has lost his job at the aviation company, and the world tilts.

KB: How did you get the part as Jan Howard?

The producer of a series I was filming at the time recommended me to Gerry Glaister. I was called in for an interview and left with the first three episodes under my arm! Happy days!

KB: What did you like about the character and how do you make it your own?

Jan was a fantastic character to play. She began as the bewildered betrayed wife, fearful of losing money and status. and ended up as a successful business woman running her own fashion house. From day one I chose high heels, expensive fabrics and shoulder pads – well it was the 80’s – and encouraged the writers to develop a more independent and confident version of the original.

KB: How did a week on the set look like from getting the script to filming?

The interiors were all shot in studios in Birmingham, and for this we rehearsed in London for 10 days. We had technical and producer runs and finally decamped to Birmingham. We would shoot multi camera for two days shooting two episodes at the same time. All exteriors were shot on film in and around Southampton. Episodes 1-7 in May and 8-13 in October. It was a continuity nightmare for wardrobe,makeup, technicians and actors, as everything was shot by location and out of sequence.

KB: When was the show filmed?

1985 . – 1991.

KB: The series had many scenes filmed on boats and yachts. Are you a fan of the waters and sailing?

I think that I only got a boat twice during filming – but in reality I love everything to do with the sea.

KB: There are people comparing the show to the US shows “Dallas” and “Dynasty”: why do you think this is and is it a fair comparison?

I think it probably was an English version of those – but on a smaller and more realistic level. It had a mixture of wealth, cut throat business and glamour, and like the American series, was extremely popular.

KB: Do you have a favorite episode on the whole show and why this one?

I loved doing the fashion show episodes, particularly the one filmed in Malta. I think that was series 5.

KB: Looking back now would you have played Jan Howard differently?

No, I believe she was a woman of her time, and many women followed her example and reinvented themselves after their children left home and created their own businesses. Life truly was beginning again at 40.

KB: Why do you think “Howards’ Way” is still so beloved even after 40+ years?

It caught the zeitgeist, but equally it dealt with all the dramas that life throws at us; success, failure, love, hate, jealousy and ambition – something for everyone, and relatable characters to root for. I loved it!