[2][3] In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing.

The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays.

[3] When Compact began, the editor was female, Joanne Minster (Jean Harvey); she was replaced after the first six months by Ian Harmon (Ronald Allen),[3] the son of the magazine's owner.

Compact featured the first regular Black character in a British soap opera, photographer Jeff Armandez (Horace James), who appeared in 26 episodes from August to October 1964.

[2] Morris Barry, actor and BBC director – he directed three Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press.