| Bread is a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991. The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool, in the district of Dingle, led by its matriarch Nellie through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related. Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie, left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill'. Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud and the sale of stolen goods. |
| Name | Character | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Jean Boht | Nellie Boswell | 74 |
| Jonathon Morris | Adrian Boswell | 74 |
| Victor McGuire | Jack Boswell | 61 |
| Peter Howitt | Joey Boswell | 39 |
| Melanie Hill | Aveline Boswell | 35 |
| Deborah Grant | Leonora Campbell | 21 |
| Peter Byrne | Derek | 20 |
| Joanna Phillips-Lane | Roxy | 15 |
| Caroline Milmoe | Julie Jefferson | 12 |
| J.G. Devlin | Father Dooley | 11 |
| Rita Tushingham | Celia Higgins | 10 |
| Charles Lawson | Yizzel | 10 |
| Katy Carmichael | Connie | 5 |
| Reginald Marsh | Doctor | 5 |
| Mary Maude | Lady Bowford | 4 |
| Evie Garratt | Mrs. Cumberland | 4 |
| Peter Clapham | Lord Bowford | 3 |
| Barry McCarthy | RSPCA Warden | 2 |
| Barry Woolgar | Policeman | 2 |
| Carl Rice | Boy | 2 |
| Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | 1 |
| Barbara New | May's Neighbour | 1 |
| Derek Deadman | Robber's Mate (Jacko) | 1 |
| Sunetra Sarker | Nurse | 1 |
| Greg Ellis | PC Lloyd | 1 |
| Al Hunter Ashton | Badger | 1 |
| Sonia | Ellia Stephens | 1 |
| Lia Williams | Hotel Maid | 1 |
| Christine Kavanagh | Sally | 1 |
| Danny Cunningham | Youth | 1 |
| Linda McCartney | Linda McCartney | 1 |
| Brian Croucher | Dino the Robber | 1 |
| Brian Croucher | Policeman | 1 |
| Robert East | Prosecuting Counsel | 1 |
| Christopher Ellison | DHSS Claimant | 1 |
| Christopher Ellison | Mr. Wilson | 1 |
| Charles Pemberton | DHSS Claimant | 1 |
| Tim Dantay | Hijacker | 1 |
| Reginald Marsh | Mr. Rachel | 1 |
| Charles Simon | Solicitor | 1 |
| David Quilter | Mr. Masefield | 1 |
| John Woodnutt | Vicar | 1 |
| John Woodnutt | Mr. Newton | 1 |
| Pamela Sholto | May | 1 |
| Michael Angelis | Mr. Cossack | 1 |
| Josie Kidd | DHSS Claimant | 1 |
| Anthony Dutton | Dealer | 1 |
| Noel Collins | Mr. Hayworth | 1 |
| Mark Curry | Photographer | 1 |
| Pamela Cundell | Woman at Police Station | 1 |
| Peter Clapham | Sale Representative | 1 |
| James McMartin | Driver | 1 |
| Eddie Ross | Mr. Kelly | 1 |
| Christian Ealey | Kid | 1 |