Widows (1983 — 1985)

Widows (1983–1985), a British crime drama that originally aired in 1983 and 1985 on the ITV network, was produced by Euston Films for Thames Television. The two six-part series were written by renowned crime writer Lynda La Plante. During an armed robbery, three men — Harry Rawlins, Terry Miller, and Joe Perelli — are fatally shot, leaving behind their wives Dolly Rawlins, Shirley Miller, and Linda Perelli. With pressure from the police and a rival gang attempting to take control of Harry’s criminal empire, the widows turn to Dolly for guidance. Utilizing Harry’s infamous ‘ledgers’ which detail all of his past robberies, along with the assistance of a fourth woman named Bella O’Reilly, they decide to take matters into their own hands and pull off the heist themselves. However, during their planning they also uncover that there was a fourth accomplice who got away—leaving their husbands to die. As Dolly must deal with both the authorities and her fellow widows seeking revenge.

In 1985, a second series continued the story where the widows had returned from Rio in pursuit of Harry Rawlins, the remaining ‘fourth man’ from their original heist. Harry seeks revenge for their betrayal, while the widows have their own grudges against him for abandoning their husbands. Unfortunately, actress Eva Mottley left the production before filming began, stating that she had experienced sexual and racial abuse from the production team. Tragically, she passed away by suicide shortly after. The character of Bella was then taken over by Debby Bishop for the second series.