Unknown Drama #6

Here is another preserved 1980s TV clip query posted on an internet forum site. This time the actress involved has been identified with reasonable confidence and a contender for the programme has also been pinpointed. All that is missing is some additional confirmations.

In the scene a red haired woman is laying naked on a nude beach and is jeered at by some lads on the promenade until she gets up to confront them and they run away. No character names are heard being used.

Responders to this post suggested that he woman looked like the barmaid from early Only Fools and Horses episodes who occasionally had some lines and was credited as Julie La Rousse. She appeared (sometimes uncredited) in several episodes of the sitcom from 1982-1983 during the 2nd and 3rd series. After comparing her image I would agree it seems likely to be her.

Responders also recognised one of the lads as being a young Sean Chapman. This also checks out as almost certainly correct, he is the one seen on the left in the picture below.
　
On Sean Chapman's credits there is one thing that seems like it could be a possible source for the clip.
He was in a 1982 episode of the BBC's SCENE series entitled "Ties".

Cast: Tammi Jacobs (as Karen), Gillian Taylforth (as Sandra), Jacqueline Clarke (as Mother), Gordon Salkilld (as Father), Ray Burdis (as Graham), Julian Jones (as Colin), Sean Chapman (as Steve), Andrew Ashby (as Roy), Billy Fellows (as Eric).
IMDB Summary: "Karen and her older sister Sandra both take a trip to Brighton due to unforeseen circumstances"
BFI Summary: "Drama by Barry Purchese, aimed at teenagers, about two sisters who have different attitudes to boys, marriage and life, until a trip to Brighton causes each to think again."

The "Brighton" setting is the main reason it seems a good possibility. Because clearly the scene has a seaside setting and Brighton is known to have a nude beach. Julie La Rousse is not listed but since she does not actually have any dialogue that might be because she went uncredited (assuming it is this programme at all).

Of course given that the SCENE series was aimed at teenagers and shown during the daytime schools programming slot, it might perhaps seem a bit unlikely that such a scene would be included. It certainly wouldn't today in a drama aimed at teenagers (not even in post-watershed adult dramas most of the time). SCENE was however a thought-provoking series that covered a number of hard-hitting issues and perhaps they were simply more bold and daring back then.

At any rate this is currently the best (and only) possibility found. If it is indeed Julie La Rousse as suspected then the fact that she looks very similar to how she appears in her Only Fools and Horses appearances tends to support the year of 1982.

What is needed to add this one to the site as a fully fledged entry is some confirmation that Julie La Rousse was connected to it. Or an identification of either of the two lads seen with Sean Chapman who will hopefully be amongst the credited names - or, if not, a different identification may help to turn the spotlight towards another programme altogether.

Incidentally it's possible that "Julie La Rousse" is in fact some sort of a pseudonym, since her name pretty much translates to "Julie the Redhead" which seems to fit her too well to be a pure coincidence.
　
Here is my scene description prepared ready for the site when and if I'm satisfied everything ties together:-
Rear nudity and most of the front of her breasts are seen while she is laying on a towel on (Brighton's) nude beach as she looks up when she hears three rowdy lads jeering at her from the promenade - her breasts are against a towel so no nipple nudity is seen - then topless from a medium distance as she stands up holding a towel loosely around her waist and boldly walks over to the lads intending to confront them - this unnerves them and they scarper before she reaches them - then briefly topless as she turns back satisfied she has seen them off with rear nudity seen as she returns to her position on the beach.



　

Julie La Rousse in Only Fools and Horses

The lads from the clip with Sean Chapman on the left