Lime Tree Lane was Jamaica’s first ‘slice of life’ comedic soap opera, which ran from 1988 until 1997, on what the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) TV.
The show was set in a fictional yet typical city lane and featured a wide range of characters whose paths crossed in often humourous, sometimes touching and instructive ways.
Over its roughly decade run, Lime Tree Lane provided a platform for many now well-known Jamaican actors, introducing comedian/media personality Christopher “Johnny” Daley as a young boy and adding to the lustre of journeyman players like Dorothy Cunningham (Miss Zella) and Peter Heslop (Bellyman). Like other Jamaican visual productions, the show also made its way into the homes of Jamaicans overseas, gradually paving the way for international acceptance of its cast – and leading to other work opportunities.
Cast members have come and gone, and several have opted out of the media/creative field since their stint and the show ended. Neither has Lime Tree lane been immune to tragedy, as cast members Judith Thompson (Miss Upton) and more recently, Clive Duncan (Mr Drapus) passed on. Others have migrated to other countries and entered other fields.
But the show remains a beloved staple of Jamaican television and one of the best ensemble productions anywhere. In 2018, the series was revived in an animation format ,courtesy of local production house Listen Mi Caribbean.
The rights to the show are held by Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC-J).
