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Tenko
Title caption that was seen throughout the series.
Created by	Lavinia Warner
Written by	Jill Hyem Anne Valery Paul Wheeler
Directed by	Pennant Roberts David Askey David Tucker Jeremy Summers Michael Owen Morris
Starring	Ann Bell Stephanie Cole Stephanie Beacham Louise Jameson Patricia Lawrence Veronica Roberts Emily Bolton Jeananne Crowley Elizabeth Chambers Claire Oberman Jean Anderson Burt Kwouk Rosemary Martin Elizabeth Mickery
Theme music composer	James Harpham
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3, plus 1 feature length reunion special
No. of episodes	31
Production
Producers	Ken Riddington Vere Lorrimer
Running time	50 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	22 October 1981 (1981-10-22) – 16 December 1984 (1984-12-16) 26 December 1985

Tenko is a television drama series co-produced by the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which was broadcast between 1981 and 1985.

The series dealt with the experiences of British, Australian and Dutch women who were captured after the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, after the Japanese invasion, and held in a fictional Japanese internment camp on a Japanese-occupied island in the Dutch East Indies in modern day Indonesia between Singapore and Australia (the actual location of the island is not revealed in the series but it is assumed that the fictitious locations are set in south east Sumatra). Having been separated from their husbands, herded into makeshift holding camps and largely forgotten by the British War Office, the women had to learn to cope with appalling living conditions, malnutrition, disease, sexual violence and death.

Background

Tenko was created by Lavinia Warner after she had conducted research into the internment of nursing corps officer Margot Turner (1910–1993) for an edition of television programme This Is Your Life and was convinced of the dramatic potential of the stories of women prisoners of the Japanese. Aside from the first two episodes, set in Singapore, which were written by Paul Wheeler, the series was written by Jill Hyem and Anne Valery. War hero and prisoner of war Margaret Thomson was consulted about the series but she did not like to talk about her experiences and never watched the programmes.

Owing to high production costs, only the first two episodes of the first series were filmed on location in Singapore, together with the post series reunion extended episode. For the majority of series 1 and 2, set in the camp, the programme was filmed in a specially constructed set in Dorset. Hankley Common was also used.

The series takes its name from the Japanese word tenko (点呼) which means "roll-call". POWs and internees in Japanese-run camps had regular roll-calls, where they had to line up and number off or were counted in Japanese.

A total of thirty episodes were produced over three series between 1981 and 1984, followed by a one-off special (which was twice the length of the other episodes), Tenko Reunion, in 1985. Only Ann Bell, Stephanie Cole and Claire Oberman appeared in all thirty episodes plus the reunion.

Series One (1981)

Ten fifty-minute episodes broadcast 22 October to 24 December 1981.

The first series depicts the events leading up to the fall of Singapore to the invading Japanese forces in 1942, and the abortive evacuation of civilians from the city. As the war in Europe suddenly erupts into a world war, a group of British and Dutch women find themselves forced to cope with captivity in a Japanese internment camp. They also must find a way to live together as a community, breaking down the barriers of class and race between them, if they are to survive.

Marion Jefferson is enlisted as the leader of the women due to her husband being a colonel. Sylvia Ashburton learns to see past race when she begins to bond with Christina Campbell. Dorothy Bennet suffers the loss of her infant daughter, Violet, due to malnutrition. A pregnant Sally Markham suffers the tragedy of stillbirth. Sally then grows close to nurse Nellie Keane, and rumours begin to circulate about their intimacy.

In the last episode of the series, the women celebrate Christmas before being marched through the jungle to another camp.

Series Two (1982)

Ten fifty-minute episodes broadcast 21 October to 23 December 1982.

The second series continues with the women marching through the jungle and being split up before they arrive at a new camp, an old mission school, on New Year's Day 1943. Tensions arise as the internees are forced to adhere to the new regime implemented by the strict and fierce official interpreter, Miss Hasan.

After a joyous reunion with old friend, Lillian, Marion is forced to take a back seat as the women's official leader in favour of the overbearing wolf in sheep's clothing, Verna Johnson. Sally sinks into depression following the death of her husband and vows to take her own life. Dorothy continues to trade favours with the guards, teaching English to Shinya in exchange for cigarettes and later discovers that she is pregnant. Sister Ulrica vows to not speak in order to repent for her feelings of hate towards the Japanese. Blanche returns later in the series, as does Yamauchi, as he is promoted to Major and becomes the new commander. Rose escapes to meet Bernard but they are caught when one of the women informs Yamauchi.

As conditions in the camp worsen, the women take a stand against Verna and Miss Hasan but they are prevented from exposing them when an allied plane bombs the camp.

Series Three (1984)

Ten fifty-minute episodes broadcast 7 October to 16 December 1984.

The third series starts just before the end of the war in early August 1945 and the internees are in their third camp and are living under appalling and harsh conditions with Marion Jefferson once again being leader of the group and the remaining prisoners of the camps are told by Yamauchi that the war has ended. They are later liberated by Allied troops and travel to Singapore. Billeted at Raffles, the women are free. However, peacetime only brings further dilemmas for the women as they struggle to forge new futures in an uncertain new world.

Marion struggles as she assumes the role of the "colonel's wife" which causes friction between Clifford and herself. Joss strikes up a relationship with Stephen. Maggie and Dorothy become embroiled in a love triangle with the handsome rogue, Jake.

Tenko Reunion (1985)

A double-length special was broadcast on 26 December 1985.

Set in 1950, Marion organises for the women to reunite in Singapore five years after their liberation from the camp. After an evening at Raffles Hotel, the women plan to continue their celebrations the following day at the residence of 'Metro Goldwyn' van Meyer but they are interrupted by the infiltration from mercenaries in search of weapons and ammunition, leading to a shocking revelation about one of the women.

Main cast list

DVD release and books

All three series plus the Reunion Special were released in one DVD box-set in 2011 through Acorn Media UK.

Three paperback books were published in the 1980s. One covering the first series, titled Tenko, while a second called Last Tenko, covered the second and final series. The third book, written by Anne Valery, covered the Reunion.

A book about the making of Tenko called Remembering Tenko by Andy Priestner was published in October 2012.

References

1. Warner, Lavinia; Sandilands, John (29 March 1982). "dustjacket". Women Beyond the Wire: Story of Prisoners of the Japanese, 1942-45. Michael Joseph Ltd. ISBN 978-0718119348.
2. Ewan, Elizabeth L.; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Sian; Pipes, Rose (8 March 2006). The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women: From Earliest Times to 2004. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 353–. ISBN 978-0748617135.
3. "Bomb alert hits 'Tenko' beauty spot". Sunday Mirror. 19 November 2000.
4. Warren, Jane (4 November 2010). "Tainted by Tenko". Daily Express. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

External links

• Tenko website authorised by creator Lavinia Warner
• Tenko at the BFI's Screenonline
• Tenko at BBC Online
• Tenko at IMDb
• Tenko at epguides.com
• Lavinia Warner's page on Tenko
• RealPlayer version of the opening titles, at the BBC Cult homepage
• A brief essay on the series, and an episode guide

• 1981 Australian television series debuts
• 1981 British television series debuts
• 1985 Australian television series endings
• 1985 British television series endings
• 1980s British drama television series
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
• BBC television dramas
• British prison television series
• Television series set in 1941
• Television series set in 1942
• Television series set in 1943
• Television series set in 1945
• World War II television drama series
• British English-language television shows
• Television series by BBC Studios