1970
1h 15m

Summary BBC anthology series featuring original plays, theatrical and literary adaptations from 1970-1984. Over 300 episodes aired, each 50 mins to 1 hr 40 mins long. Some were later developed into series, like Rumpole of the Bailey. View more details

1970
1h 15m

Play for Today

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Nigel Hawthorne Alison Steadman David Daker Tony Caunter

All cast & crew

7.8

Details

Genres : Comedy Mystery Horror Drama

Release date : Oct 14, 1970

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Official sites : BBC

Language : English

Filming locations : England, UK

Production companies : British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Details

Genres : Comedy Mystery Horror Drama

Release date : Oct 14, 1970

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Official sites : BBC

Language : English

Filming locations : England, UK

Production companies : British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Photos

Alan Bennett, Thora Hird, and Julie Walters in Intensive Care (1982)

Claire Nielson and Fulton Mackay in Play for Today (1970)

Eileen McCallum in Play for Today (1970)

Victor Carin and Gerda Stevenson in Play for Today (1970)

Debbie Farrington, Lizzie Mickery, and Edward Peel in Play for Today (1970)

Episodes

View All Seasons

Episode 1 • Oct 14, 1970

The Long Distance Piano Player

Play For Today began with Alan Sharp's script about a man whose marriage is under strain when he undertakes a piano-playing marathon over four days. Starring Ray Davies, it remains in the BBC archives only as a black and white copy.

Episode 2 • Oct 21, 1970

The Right Prospectus

A couple look for the proper school, not for their children but for themselves.

Episode 3 • Oct 28, 1970

The Lie

A couple are trapped in their marriage and way of life. Locked up in their bourgeois inferno.

Episode 4 • Nov 04, 1970

Angels Are So Few

For the BBC's WEDNESDAY PLAY series, Dennis Potter offered one of his "visitation dramas": Housewife Cynthia Nicholls is married to prudish Richard Nicholls. One day, her mundane household chores are interrupted by the arrival on her front step of scruffy, coarse Michael Biddle. He claims to be an angel, but on the face of it, he could simply be a deranged street person. She challenges the angel Michael by pointing out that he has no wings.

Episode 5 • Nov 11, 1970

The Write-Off

A man is made redundant but can't bring himself to let anyone know, plunging into a web of deceit as he keeps up the charade he is still in work.

Episode 6 • Nov 18, 1970

I Can't See My Little Willie

When it's time to wet the baby's head, it's surprising the secrets that emerge. This edition is missing from the BBC archives, though a domestic copy of the soundtrack exists.

Episode 7 • Nov 25, 1970

A Distant Thunder

A newly-appointed knight finds his celebrations cut short by someone who was witness to his treachery during the war. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 8 • Dec 02, 1970

Hearts and Flowers

A TV host and his architect brother attend their father's funeral. This edition remains in the BBC archives only in black and white.

Episode 9 • Dec 09, 1970

Robin Redbreast

After a long-term relationship ends, Norah moves to a remote house in the country. The locals are friendly., if eccentric. She starts a flirtatious relationship with young gamekeeper, Rob. But events at a festival have her feeling manipulated. Only later, do the consequences of that relationship leave her trapped in a nightmare.

Episode 10 • Dec 16, 1970

The Hallelujah Handshake

A lonely young man longing to be accepted lies his way into a local church. The priest and his congregation soon begin to unravel his tales as his actions become versatile.

Episode 11 • Jan 06, 1971

Alma Mater

A civil servant working abroad revisits his old school. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 12 • Jan 13, 1971

Circle Line

A cynical student has a radically different view of life from his landlady, leading to conflict. Matters come to a head when he sleeps with her fourteen-year-old brother. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 13 • Jan 20, 1971

Hell's Angel

A couple are distressed by the changes in their adopted teenage son when he joins a biker gang. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 14 • Jan 27, 1971

The Piano

An old couple refuse to move when they find out that they can't take their piano with them.

Episode 15 • Feb 03, 1971

Billy's Last Stand

Billy, a self-employed coal-shoveller, gains a seedy business partner and competition in the form of a rival coal-shoveller. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 16 • Feb 10, 1971

The Rainbirds

A man who attempted suicide by jumping out a window is saved only to live in a coma, in which he has fantasies about his relatives and nightmare creatures.

Episode 17 • Feb 17, 1971

Reddick

Charges that the Reverend 'Red' Reddick is exploiting his youth club members leads to an explosive confrontation.

Episode 18 • Apr 28, 1971

The Fox Trot

The lives of Gwen and Arthur are complicated when Gwen's long-lost husband comes back on the scene, and none of them seem to notice when their situation is reflected on TV. This edition remains in the BBC archives only in black and white.

Episode 19 • May 05, 1971

When the Bough Breaks

An ultra-realistic procedural drama of a social worker's investigation into the case of a battered infant received critical acclaim.

Episode 20 • May 12, 1971

Orkney

A trilogy of plays - "A Time to Keep", "The Whaler's Return" and "Celia" - exploring the life of the Orkney islanders in the past and present.

Episode 21 • May 19, 1971

The Rank and File

When a pay discrepancy continues without any resolution, glass factory workers turn to their union for support. But when it is not forthcoming, they take things into their own hands.

Episode 22 • May 26, 1971

The Man in the Sidecar

Edith is a very successful writer. Her husband, Gerald, is a very much less successful one, as she never fails to remind him. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

Episode 23 • Jun 02, 1971

Everybody Say Cheese

The story of a disintegrating marriage told through family photos. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.

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