Take three

T&T’s Westwood Park aired from 1997 to 2004 — and since then has been a rerun staple

Classic Caribbean TV series

Did you know the invention of television has a Caribbean angle? By some accounts, Scottish engineer John Logie Baird produced the world’s earliest prototype on a cocoa estate in Trinidad, circa 1920. Within three decades, TV was on its way to being the world’s dominant medium for entertainment, education, and public influence. And without a doubt it gets even better when we hear our accents, see our surroundings, and hear our own stories being shared with a wider audience on screen. In honour of World Television Day on 21 November, here are three classic Caribbean TV series to take you down memory lane.

Royal Palm Estate

Jamaica, 1994–2015

For twenty-one years, the fictional Blackburn family were regular visitors in the homes of viewers in Jamaica and around the Caribbean. Set on a former plantation, the Royal Palm Estate soap opera centred around the lives of the prominent Blackburns, symbols of an older past. Elements of mystery, comedy, romance, and even murder boosted the plot. In an interview with the Jamaica Gleaner, the series’ director Lennie Little-White once said he believed the secret of its longevity was in portraying characters at all socio-economic levels, so viewers could recognise themselves. You can find a few of the eight hundred episodes on YouTube.

Bajan Bus Stop

Barbados, early 1990s

Aptly named after an iconic feature of the island’s landscape, this comedy offered snapshots of ordinary life and provided insight into Bajan culture, in nine hilarious episodes. No secret escaped the ears of Ms Pearly, whose curtain twitched ever so slightly during juicy conversations at the bus stop in front of her house. Sometimes she wasn’t so demure, either. Decades later, fans continue to call for a reboot.

Westwood Park

Trinidad and Tobago, 1997–2004

Reruns and shared clips on social media are proof that some TV series never get old. Westwood Park, centring on the wealthy Du Soleil and Gunn-Munroe families, demonstrated that all that glitters is literally not gold. Manipulation and power enveloped the Gunn-Munroe family, while social conscience ruled over the Du Soleils. Against a backdrop of luxurious locations around T&T, the series intricately wove together universal topics of hate and greed, corruption and romance, and a striving for social justice into one captivating TV show. “It still has legs,” says creator Danielle Dieffenthaller. Westwood Park also aired around the Caribbean and internationally.

Shelly-Ann Inniss