The teen equestrian drama Follyfoot was an unusually glossy international co-production between an ITV franchise company (Yorkshire Television) and TV München in West Germany. Shot on film and on location on the Harewood Estate near Yorkshire Television's Leeds studio, it attracted notable acting and directorial talent. This episode, 'The Distant Voice', was no exception - it was the fourth episode to be directed by Stephen Frears, who had already made a name for himself as a television director more than a decade before he made the surprise hit feature film My Beautiful Laundrette.

Follyfoot follows the story of Dora (Gillian Blake), a well-to-do but emotionally neglected young woman who finds her calling when she goes to live and work at her uncle's stable. In 'The Distant Voice' Dora is now the owner of Follyfoot, as her uncle is too ill to continue, and she is having a difficult time managing the stables and its staff - not least her complicated relationship with stable hand Steve (Steve Hodson). When she is asked to take care of an infectious horse, Dora must decide the right thing to do.

The drama and dialogue of Follyfoot is sincere in foregrounding the care and consideration of horses, while at the same time always carrying the subtext of hormonal teen romance! The job Dora has to do is in many ways a metaphor for her journey to emotional maturity and navigating adulthood.