

The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin. Around this central theme are the lives of his family, most notably his brother and partner, shop owner Robert, and his sister Elizabeth, giving insight into the lifestyle and customs at the time, not only at sea, but also ashore. The series also illustrates some of the changes in business and shipping, such as from wooden to steel ships and from sailing ships to steam ships. It shows the role that ships played in affairs like international politics, uprisings and the slave trade.
6.0
Avg Rating
10
Rated Episodes
6.0
Best: S1E1
6.0
Worst: S2E10
The Wind Blows Free
S1 E1
Plain Sailing
S1 E2
Other Points of the Compass
S1 E3
An Inch of Candle
S2 E10
Fetch and Carry
S2 E4
The Hard Case
S2 E1
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Anne is Pregnant and is asked to buy a new house. James discovers an abandoned ship.
Five years have elapsed. Onedin is a prisoner in a settlement in South America from where he is rescued by Captain Baines, and they return to Liverpool. Macaulay, a wealthy Australian, keen to invest …
James Onedin returns to Liverpool, his ships laden with grain from Turkey. The sale of this will pay off the interest on the debt and start him back on the road to solvency. As further collateral, he …
Five ships, all carrying iron plate, have foundered - people betting on the losses, including Mr. Dunwoody, Elizabeth's clerk, who buys the company house where Robert and Sarah live, forcing them to r…
Having exposed Macauley's insurance scam James proposes to Letty, who accepts. Daniel also returns to Liverpool, now a very wealthy man. Robert considers opening a department store and travels with Ca…
On the eve of his voyage to Montevideo Letty tells James she will marry him - in her own good time. She also gives William financial backing for his engineering schemes. Samuel meanwhile stows away on…
Letty tells James she invested in William's steam engine project and he buys a flour mill in her name, sailing to Pennsylvania to buy loose grain from an ex-Cavalry officer who drives a hard bargain. …
William makes his peace with his parents but assures them that his interest in developing steam engines supersedes his desire to inherit the shipyard. James's failure to listen to William results in t…
James and Captain Baines sail to Palermo to pick up emigrants for America. Whilst James is ashore with his Sicilian agent Benito, several Mafia bandits led by local don Ranocci take over the ship and …
James is importing jute from Scotland and is not happy to learn that Letty's mill-workers are repairing old jute sacks, which, given that she believes in a fair wage, is under-cutting him. They argue …
James and Letty are to be married on board ship by Captain Baines but this nearly does not happen when a group of shanghaied sailors attempt to overwhelm them, the plan being foiled by elderly Captain…
Fearing unrest in South Africa Daniel asks James to bring home a large amount of gold from the country - unofficially. James naturally wants his cut. Tim, a young crew member, is subjected to a crossi…
William takes a Frazer ship out in fog and gets it in a collision with one of the Onedin ships. It is arranged that the elderly, weak Captain Oliphant should be held responsible. Oliphant later kills …
Samuel does not let sentiment cloud his father's death, proposing to Letty that her mill-workers make bed linen which he will sell through a catalogue for his store, though Letty drives a harder barga…
Daniel is anxious to break the Liverpool to Manchester railway's transport monopoly of the Merseyside docks and rail board. Elizabeth suggests that they use the canal system to beat the railways. Dani…
James and Sir Daniel combine to thwart William in his bid to buy the five ships belonging to elderly Captain Murchieson on behalf of devious banker Josiah Beaumont, whom Elizabeth sees as a bad influe…
Elizabeth clashes with Daniel over his support for the Manchester Ship Canal, which she fears will weaken Liverpool as a port. Her anger is compounded when she is approached for patronage by charismat…
Letty tells James that she is pregnant and Charlotte gives William the same news. He is stunned and, as he does not love her, refuses to marry her - although she has confided in Samuel that she believ…
James learns of Charlotte's situation but refuses permission for her to marry William, whom he regards as worthless, and sends her out of Liverpool to have her child. He also encourages Daniel to stan…
As the council election approaches, Elizabeth, equally disapproving of her husband's interest in the Manchester Ship Canal and his rival Beaumont's plan to enrich himself with his 'new' Liverpool, ens…
Newly elected to Parliament Daniel joins with Elizabeth to prevent William from selling the Frazer Line to an apparent consortium, actually a front for Beaumont. To take his mind off his son's death J…
Newly elected to Parliament Daniel joins with Elizabeth to prevent William from selling the Frazer Line to an apparent consortium, actually a front for Beaumont. To take his mind off his son's death J…
Leaving Letty feeling adrift in their new, large country house James sails to Belfast, persuading cash-strapped Captain Seth Burgess to cut him into his steamship line. William returns from two years …
William's death causes a rift between Charlotte and Samuel, not helped when they learn that William left his son twenty thousand pounds. Seth Burgess is duped by the infamous tavern-keeper Paddy West …
Whilst Charlotte becomes bored with life with Samuel, James learns that Elizabeth is sailing to South Africa with a mysterious and dangerous cargo. She is in fact gun-running. James needs money for th…
James takes Mr. Da Silva and his cargo of lemons to the Azores but crew members Harris and McDade bully cabin boy Tom into helping them rob his possessions and kill the bosun when he tries to stop the…
Seth Burgess obtains a contract to take China clay to Jamaica but whilst James is transporting it Burgess elopes with Charlotte and her Onedin line shares. Whilst Samuel shows no interest in pursuing …
Whilst Charles Marston goes into partnership with Elizabeth to build a South American railway Sarah accepts a marriage proposal from steamboat captain Dampier. Captain Baines sails to France with a pa…
Letty faces opposition to establishing her orphanage from bigots who feel it will lower the tone of the area. Despite herself Elizabeth finds herself falling for Charles Marston and agrees to ship a c…
James pursues Charlotte and Burgess to Cyprus where he exposes the young captain's interest in his daughter as being purely mercenary, persuading a despairing Charlotte to return home with him. Samuel…
The Doyles return to Liverpool and Samuel declares his love for Helen but Charlotte refuses to divorce him - whilst Sarah and Fergus spend time together. Elizabeth learns that Daniel is the new ambass…
Letty has died from diphtheria caught from one of her orphans and Elizabeth has returned from Turkey to ensure the orphanage remains open. Sarah is on a Cook's tour of the world, Samuel has his own sh…
Still in Bulgaria having dropped off the disguised, fugitive Prince Alexander Onedin and Captain Baines are captured by Tsarists, a fifty thousand pound ransom being required for their freedom. By sel…
An ancient cannon Captain Baines believes to have belonged to Henry Morgan and spirited Margarita, daughter of South American president Juarez, join James' latest cargo but on arrival in Margarita's h…
James marries Margarita and they sail to Sumatra to establish trade in the East Indies, staying with Dutch ship-owning brothers Max and Theodore Van der Rheede. The brothers are not happy to learn tha…
Defying the superstition that it is bad luck to set sail on a Friday, James travels to Africa and outwits a local witch doctor to establish a trading post on the Niger. However he falls out with Capta…
Captain Baines leaves the Onedin Line and, with Tom aboard, collects his first cargo as owner of the 'Sea Spray'. James suffers as some clients will only trust their freight to his old ship-mate and t…
Devastated by Tom's death, Captain Baines blames Onedin for hectoring the boy into running away and joining the 'Sea Spray'. With no ship of his own he allows Van Der Rheede to bail him out but Van De…
Charlotte is reunited with her father after visiting him in jail. Margarita and Samuel pursue the man suspected of planting the necklace on James' ship, only to find he is dead. However a letter arriv…
Max Van Der Rheede is imprisoned and James is free. He beats Samuel to the contract of transporting nitrate and sets sail with his first cargo. Against his orders Margarita accompanies him. She is pre…