Play for Today

Épisode 1 - The Long Distance Piano Player

15 octobre 1970

A man tries to break the world's record for nonstop piano playing

Épisode 2 - The Right Prospectus

22 octobre 1970

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

Épisode 3 - The Lie

29 octobre 1970

""The Lie"" refers to the 8-year marriage of a couple who are constantly hurting each other.

Épisode 4 - Angels Are So Few

5 novembre 1970

A man claiming to be an angel enters the household of a bored housewife and teaches the family a few lessons

Épisode 5 - The Write-Off

12 novembre 1970

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.

Épisode 6 - I Can't See My Little Willie

19 novembre 1970

A man has a mid-life crisis in his brother's pub where sees life as a game show

Épisode 7 - A Distant Thunder

26 novembre 1970

A boy's hero-worship of his distinguished father is threatened by the intrusion of echoes from the hero's wartime past.

Épisode 8 - Hearts and Flowers

3 décembre 1970

A TV host and his architect brother attend their father's funeral

Épisode 9 - Robin Redbreast

10 décembre 1970

Norah Palmer (Anna Cropper) is a television script editor who temporarily moves to a remote English country village to rebuild her life. At first, she finds that the villagers are friendly, if a little eccentric. When she becomes pregnant to the handsome villager Rob, she begins to suspect the locals of conspiring against her, preventing her from leaving the village for her home in London. With its combination of unsettling folk rituals and insular regional communities, Robin Redbreast is considered to be an influence and precursor to The Wicker Man (1973), and has built up a cult following over the years since its original broadcast. Made during the golden age of British TV drama, and originally shown in the Play for Today strand, this provocative and unsettling drama was directed by the renowned producer / director James McTaggart from a script by John Bowen.

Épisode 10 - The Hallelujah Handshake

17 décembre 1970

A petty thief and social misfit finagles his way into a church congregation

Épisode 11 - Alma Mater

7 janvier 1971

A civil servant working abroad revisits his old school

Épisode 12 - Circle Line

14 janvier 1971

A play by a student about a student, and his unexpected reactions to the pressure or vacuum of student life. Something, too, of what the rest of us look like from that young point of view.

Épisode 13 - Hell's Angel

21 janvier 1971

The adopted child is useful; the grown-up boy a problem. But it isn't so easy to drop a person.

Épisode 14 - The Piano

28 janvier 1971

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

Épisode 15 - Billy's Last Stand

4 février 1971

Billy is his own boss. But Darkly has plans for him...

Épisode 16 - The Rainbirds

11 février 1971

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.

Épisode 17 - Reddick

18 février 1971

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

Épisode 18 - The Foxtrot

29 avril 1971

An odd menage a trois results when a woman and her lover are visited by her long-lost husband

Épisode 19 - When the Bough Breaks

6 mai 1971

When an injured baby arrives at the hospital, a social worker looks for the parents

Épisode 20 - Orkney

13 mai 1971

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

Épisode 21 - The Rank and File

20 mai 1971

The story of the Pilkington glass workers strike of 1970

Épisode 22 - The Man in the Sidecar

27 mai 1971

A succesful novelist Edith lives with her husband and his friend, but she decides to ask the friend to leave.

Épisode 23 - Everybody Say Cheese

3 juin 1971

The story of a disintegrating marriage told through family photos

Épisode 1 - Traitor

14 octobre 1971

A British aristocrat turned Russian spy is visited in Moscow by Western journalists

Épisode 2 - Edna, the Inebriate Woman

21 octobre 1971

An elderly woman refuses help out of a predicament

Épisode 3 - Evelyn

28 octobre 1971

Frank is 40 and worried about his age, which he says is 35. His girlfriend keeps him young, but who are her friends?

Épisode 4 - O Fat White Woman

4 novembre 1971

The wife of a headmaster discovers that he has been physically abusing his students

Épisode 5 - Thank You Very Much

11 novembre 1971

Épisode 6 - Michael Regan

18 novembre 1971

A man gets revenge on a pub owner

Épisode 7 - Skin Deep

25 novembre 1971

There's nothing like working for a big American company, who really look after their staff. Nothing.

Épisode 8 - Pal

2 décembre 1971

White Luke and Black Norman would be natural enemies. But circumstances force them into an unholy alliance and a growing friendship.

Épisode 9 - The Pigeon Fancier

9 décembre 1971

Len Shelton retires from a lifetime in the coal mines and finds that his pigeons become a symbol of hope.

Épisode 10 - Home

6 janvier 1972

A story about four elderly "loonies" living in a rest home

Épisode 11 - Still Waters

13 janvier 1972

Épisode 12 - Stocker's Copper

20 janvier 1972

In Cornwall, just before World War I, a striking miner befriends a cop

Épisode 13 - The House on Highbury Hill

27 janvier 1972

The path of righteousness is a stony one. And Lo! for Daniel it is stonier than most.

Épisode 14 - In the Beautiful Caribbean

3 février 1972

A story about unemployment and the Black Movement in Jamaica

Épisode 15 - Ackerman, Dougall and Harker

10 février 1972

A salesman learns a few lessons from the locals when he goes to Yorkshire for a business course

Épisode 16 - The Villa Maroc

17 février 1972

A couple and their daughter take a trip to Africa

Épisode 17 - Cows

24 février 1972

A country family stream out of their house after a social worker has an accident outside their home. But who is the one that needs the help?

Épisode 18 - A Time to Keep

27 avril 1972

Épisode 19 - The Fishing Party

1 juin 1972

The adventures of three Derbyshire miners going fishing

Épisode 1 - The Reporters

9 octobre 1972

'We're in a very funny game, and the bit you're joining is getting funnier all the time...'

Épisode 2 - A Life Is for Ever

16 octobre 1972

The story of a man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing a cop

Épisode 3 - Carson Country

23 octobre 1972

A story about the origin of the Stormont state

Épisode 4 - Man Friday

30 octobre 1972

The story of Robinson Crusoe from Man Friday's viewpoint

Épisode 5 - Triple Exposure

6 novembre 1972

A hippie breaks into the house of a middle-aged couple and forms a relationship with them

Épisode 6 - Better than the Movies

13 novembre 1972

Stand on your own two feet... Go for the things in the ads... But it's not quite as easy as it sounds.

Épisode 7 - The General's Day

20 novembre 1972

An elderly general woos a shy school teacher.

Épisode 8 - The Bankrupt

27 novembre 1972

A washed-up executive is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Épisode 9 - Just Your Luck

4 décembre 1972

Alison has the opportunity to escape from the drudgery of her Scottish tenement life thanks to her relationship with promising footballer Joe. Tired of Joe spending so much time training, she begins seeing poorly paid sailor Alec. Circumstances change and she now faces the prospect of marriage to Alec and moving into the tiny family home with him, his parents and his elderly grandfather.

Épisode 10 - The Bouncing Boy

11 décembre 1972

It's the big day for Dave and Meri. The baby is due - and Dave is in labour too.

Épisode 11 - Shakespeare or Bust

8 janvier 1973

The adventures of three Derbyshire miners going to Stratford-upon-Avon on a barge

Épisode 12 - Land of Green Ginger

15 janvier 1973

Building a bridge over the Humber may bring future prosperity to Hull. Sally and Mike have to decide their future now, for when the winds blow gale-force off Iceland anything could happen.

Épisode 13 - Kisses at Fifty

22 janvier 1973

A long-married husband leaves his family for a barmaid.

Épisode 14 - Highway Robbery

29 janvier 1973

What would you do if the council decided it needed your house to build a road? Is it worth a fight? Terry decides to have a go.

Épisode 15 - Song at Twilight

5 février 1973

The story of a defiant football manager in terminal decline

Épisode 16 - Only Make Believe

12 février 1973

As a playwright dictates notes about his newest play to his secretary, scenes from the play are acted out.

Épisode 17 - For Sylvia or The Air Show

19 février 1973

Was this the finest hour? Sifting the truth and fiction about the Battle of Britain, Burrows and Harding give their own account of how the nation sees its heroes - and itself.

Épisode 18 - The Operation

26 février 1973

David Adler is an operator. He strips assets, other men's wives, and his oldest friend's soul - anything for a cool million.

Épisode 19 - Access to the Children

5 mars 1973

Every Sunday, Malcolmson - a divorced man - takes his children to the zoo. As they watch the animals, he dreams of a return to married life...

Épisode 20 - Hard Labour

12 mars 1973

The trials of an overworked and underappreciated housecleaner

Épisode 21 - Man Above Men

19 mars 1973

'I'm the judge's daughter... I think he's a monstrous old man. I think all men who say "I'm only doing my job" are monstrous. I've despaired of changing him. But I'd stop short of killing him.'

Épisode 22 - Speech Day

26 mars 1973

Three underachievers have fun at a school speech day

Épisode 23 - Steps Back

14 mai 1973

'Fifteen years since I was forced t' leave, forced t' leave me roots, the territory of me heart.' When Gerry takes his fiancee Nita home to Brighouse what will they find?

Épisode 24 - Three's One

4 juin 1973

Are Maggie and Tony using each other as a means of communicating with Dr Leafer? Or are they using Dr Leafer as a means of communicating with each other?

Épisode 25 - Edward G.--Like the Film Star

11 juin 1973

Edward G is nothing like a film star; his life has been ordinary - until now. But he's just had a shattering experience.

Épisode 26 - Blooming Youth

18 juin 1973

The problems of four people sharing an apartment

Épisode 27 - The Stretch

25 juin 1973

Everyone always looked after Maureen. But her husband comes home after two years in prison and finds she has grown up and he's not ready for the change.

Épisode 28 - Making the Play

2 juillet 1973

They no longer live together because, after 11 years, the marriage is over. They're both agreed on that. So why is she always turning up to see him at the most embarrassing times? And why doesn't he feel inclined to send her away?

Épisode 1 - Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

18 octobre 1973

Mrs Palfrey tries hard to be accepted by the other residents at the Claremont. But then she meets Ludo and a real friendship begins.

Épisode 2 - Her Majesty's Pleasure

25 octobre 1973

They are all 'in' for life so the pleasures are sparse, and strictly of their own making. Their really big event is the Christmas pantomime, only this year they have lost their star. Mother Bear has escaped. Still, there is some consolation. The new arrival looks a likely Goldilocks. 'There's one or two who'll be after him,' says Woodbine - and he knows all their weaknesses.

Épisode 3 - Jack Point

1 novembre 1973

An amateur operatic society is preparing a Gilbert and Sullivan production, and someone new is needed for the role of Jack Point - but who will break this to the veteran who's always done it?

Épisode 4 - The Emergency Channel

8 novembre 1973

Dean has a rare talent. He can be made happy. He exudes happiness and confidence like a rare blossom. Both Sarah in the past, and Julia now, could do this for him. But where are they now that he is alone in Battersea Park with two suitcases and no memory?

Épisode 5 - Mummy and Daddy

15 novembre 1973

Épisode 6 - Private Practice

22 novembre 1973

Épisode 7 - Shutdown

29 novembre 1973

It is Wakes Week in the potteries. The factory is deserted but for three 'sparks' on a crash maintenance job. Maurice and Arthur are old hands, but young Bernie is green and not just with the wiring. He has conned his way in from somewhere strange. He is secretive about his background. Arthur and Maurice are hard men. They won't be fooled for long...

Épisode 8 - Baby Blues

6 décembre 1973

After ten years of trying, Lavinia, and a large team of medics, finally manage to produce a live baby. She should now be able to start living her dream, but what happens next is not at all the paradise she has been looking forward to.

Épisode 9 - Jingle Bells

13 décembre 1973

Épisode 10 - The Lonely Man's Lover

17 janvier 1974

A young farmgirl begins a romance with an artist

Épisode 11 - All Good Men

31 janvier 1974

An elderly politician looks back over his career while being interviewed by a TV producer

Épisode 12 - Joe's Ark

14 février 1974

A pet shop owner forsakes his religious beliefs when his daughter gets cancer

Épisode 13 - Hot Fat

21 février 1974

Épisode 14 - Easy Go

7 mars 1974

Épisode 15 - Headmaster

14 mars 1974

Épisode 16 - Penda's Fen

21 mars 1974

A conservative vicar's son alienates himself from his family when he finds out he's adopted

Épisode 17 - Pigeon--Hawk or Dove?

28 mars 1974

Épisode 18 - Three for the Fancy

11 avril 1974

Further adventures of three Derbyshire miners

Épisode 19 - The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

6 juin 1974

The exploitation of the Scottish land and its people from the 18th century to the present

Épisode 20 - Schmoedipus

20 juin 1974

A young man persuades a woman that he is her son

Épisode 21 - The Childhood Friend

27 juin 1974

Épisode 22 - A Follower for Emily

4 juillet 1974

The friendship of two residents of a retirement home ends up in marriage

Épisode 1 - Leeds--United!

31 octobre 1974

The play is based on an unofficial strike amongst female textile workers in Leeds in February 1970, demanding equal pay with male workers. Dramatist Colin Welland's mother-in-law was involved in the strike, and Welland interviewed many of those involved while preparing his script. This was the first strike by the textile workers in Leeds in 36 years. The script was originally written for Granada Television, but they rejected it initially on the grounds that it would be too expensive, although it later emerged that some at Granada were worried that the political radicalism of the play might upset advertisers. Welland then took the script to the BBC, and it was produced for the Play for Today series. After being accepted in May 1972, the play's production was continuously held up by concerns about defamation, made particularly acute by filming in Leeds, and some aspects of the play were changed to obscure the identities of the employers in the 1970 strike.

Épisode 2 - Baby Love

7 novembre 1974

After the stillbirth of her illegitimate baby, a woman steals a baby at random and is sentenced to 9 months in prison.

Épisode 3 - Back of Beyond

14 novembre 1974

Épisode 4 - The Bevellers

21 novembre 1974

The first (and last) day at work of a young apprentice in a bevelling shop at a Glasgow glass factory

Épisode 5 - Taking Leave

28 novembre 1974

Épisode 6 - Fugitive

5 décembre 1974

After 18 years as a friar, Peter is no longer sure of his vocation. It is a happy life, maybe too much so, and now he has met Clare. Will his doubts run away with him? Runaway friars are officially "fugitives" who must be persuaded back to their order.

Épisode 7 - Eleanor

12 décembre 1974

Épisode 8 - Gangsters

9 janvier 1975

Birmingham is a melting pot of races and every community has a stake in the city's underworld. When John Kline is released from prison after serving a sentence for murder, he becomes the unwilling catalyst in a gang war.

Épisode 9 - The After Dinner Game

16 janvier 1975

Épisode 10 - Breath

23 janvier 1975

A story about an asthma sufferer

Épisode 11 - The Death of a Young, Young Man

30 janvier 1975

Three young students suspended from school face various problems.

Épisode 12 - Sunset Across the Bay

20 février 1975

A elderly couple become disillusioned when they retire to their favorite holiday resort.

Épisode 13 - Funny Farm

27 février 1975

One day in the life a nurse in a mental hospital

Épisode 14 - Goodbye

6 mars 1975

Épisode 15 - Just Another Saturday

13 mars 1975

A young man participating in the Orange Parade in Glasgow becomes disillusioned with the pageant when he discovers its unpleasant and violent history and witnesses the participants' attacks on Catholics.

Épisode 16 - A Child of Hope

24 avril 1975

Épisode 17 - The Saturday Party

1 mai 1975

When a stockbroker loses his job, he decides to throw a party.

Épisode 18 - Wednesday Love

8 mai 1975

Épisode 19 - The Dandelion Clock

15 mai 1975

In Belfast, a girl awaits the return of her missing father.

Épisode 20 - Brassneck

22 mai 1975

Épisode 21 - The Floater

29 mai 1975

Épisode 22 - By Common Consent

5 juin 1975

Political fantasy about a fascist regime

Épisode 1 - Plaintiffs and Defendants

14 octobre 1975

A married barrister's life begins to unravel when it seems that his high-strung mistress may reveal all.

Épisode 2 - Two Sundays

21 octobre 1975

An author tells an old school chum that he is about to publish a novel revealing their old relationship.

Épisode 3 - Moss

28 octobre 1975

Épisode 4 - 84 Charing Cross Road

4 novembre 1975

An American woman corresponds with a London bookshop owner over a period of 20 years

Épisode 5 - Keep an Eye on Albert

11 novembre 1975

Épisode 6 - Children of the Sun

18 novembre 1975

Épisode 7 - After the Solo

25 novembre 1975

A boy enjoys success in the choir until his voice breaks at puberty.

Épisode 8 - Through the Night

2 décembre 1975

A woman goes into hospital to receive treatment for breast cancer.

Épisode 9 - A Passage to England

9 décembre 1975

A group of Asians plans to sneak into England using a fishing boat

Épisode 10 - Rumpole of the Bailey

16 décembre 1975

Rumpole defends a young West Indian boy accused of attempted murder.

Épisode 11 - The Other Woman

6 janvier 1976

An aggressive lesbian disrupts the lives of those around her.

Épisode 12 - Nuts in May

13 janvier 1976

Smug married couple Keith and Candice Marie are keen exponents of their belief in organic health food, exercise and the environment. They are on a camping holiday, where they find that it is not always easy to be tolerant of others when they don't share the same enthusiasms.

Épisode 13 - Doran's Box

20 janvier 1976

Épisode 14 - Packman's Barn

27 janvier 1976

Épisode 15 - A Story to Frighten the Children

3 février 1976

A woman encounters trouble when she arrives home late at night, but her neighbors on a nearby estate claim to have seen and heard nothing.

Épisode 16 - The Happy Hunting Ground

10 février 1976

In The Happy Hunting Ground, which is set amongst the fishing quaysides of the North East of England, manipulative Bob is first able to wangle his way into a prominent position within a fish distribution firm. It isn’t long before he has his sights not only on the boss’s job but also his wife as well.

Épisode 17 - The Jumping Bean Bag

17 février 1976

Épisode 18 - Clay, Smeddum and Greenden

24 février 1976

A play based on three short stories about the Scottish people and their relationship with the land: ""Clay"" concerns a farmer's obsession with his fields to the exclusion of his dying wife; ""Smeddum"" is about an indomitable woman and her large family; and ""Greenden"" tells the story of an unhappy woman from the city living with her indifferent husband in the country.

Épisode 19 - Love Letters on Blue Paper

2 mars 1976

Why has Sonia taken to writing letters to her husband, posted to him in the letter-box just outside their house -love letters, on blue paper, recalling with increasing vividness the early days of their courtship and marriage?

Épisode 20 - Willie Rough

9 mars 1976

A story depicting life in a shipyard

Épisode 21 - Tiptoe through the Tulips

16 mars 1976

Épisode 22 - The Peddler

23 mars 1976

Épisode 23 - Early Struggles

30 mars 1976

A story about a father's attempts at single parenthood

Épisode 24 - Double Dare

6 avril 1976

A playwright spends an afternoon in a hotel room with an actress who takes on the role of call girl for research purposes.

Épisode 25 - Where Adam Stood

21 avril 1976

Written by Dennis Potter, this play is an adaptation of Edmund Gosse's autobiographical book Father and Son (1907)

Épisode 26 - The House of Bernarda Alba

28 juillet 1976

The eldest daughter of a domineering, overprotective mother becomes engaged to an unprincipled young man who has money.

Épisode 1 - The Bar Mitzvah Boy

14 septembre 1976

Starring Jeremy Steyn, Kim Clifford, Mark Herman, Adrienne Posta, Maria Charles, Pamela Manson and Bernard Spear, the play tells the story of a young Jewish boy, Eliott Green (Steyn), in a working class family living in North East London of the 1970s, and the apprehensions the boy feels over his forthcoming Bar Mitzvah. Meanwhile, the family prepares for the celebration, preoccupied with their own preparations for the b'nai mitzvah.

Épisode 2 - Bet Your Life

21 septembre 1976

Épisode 3 - Rocky Marciano Is Dead

28 septembre 1976

Épisode 4 - The Elephants' Graveyard

12 octobre 1976

Two men supposedly at work go to the Scottish hillsides every day instead.

Épisode 5 - Housewive's Choice

19 octobre 1976

Épisode 6 - Your Man from Six Counties

26 octobre 1976

A young man from Belfast is sent south to stay with relatives in an attempt to keep him out of trouble.

Épisode 7 - Buffet

2 novembre 1976

Épisode 8 - Love on a Gunboat

4 janvier 1977

Épisode 9 - The Kiss of Death

11 janvier 1977

A young man's chances at romance are thwarted by his own shyness.

Épisode 10 - Our Flesh and Blood

18 janvier 1977

Épisode 11 - Do As I Say

25 janvier 1977

Épisode 12 - Spend, Spend, Spend

15 mars 1977

The rags-to-riches-to-rags story of a 1960s football pools winner, based on a true story

Épisode 13 - A Photograph

22 mars 1977

Michael Otway has everything to live for, but he is going to die. His life is elegant, his marriage comfortable, his career successful. But from the moment an inexplicable photograph arrives in the morning post all that world is to be turned upside down.

Épisode 14 - The Price of Coal (1)

29 mars 1977

A pair of plays, broadcast over two weeks, about mining life: ""Meet the People,"" about a coal mining community preparing for a royal visit, and ""Back to Reality,"" about a coal mining disaster that brings tragedy to a community.

Épisode 15 - The Price of Coal (2)

5 avril 1977

Épisode 16 - Gotcha

12 avril 1977

A student holds his teacher hostage in the classroom on the last day of school.

Épisode 17 - Campion's Interview

12 avril 1977

A headmaster takes on the Education Authorities on behalf of his pupils, exposing the political pressures behind the creation of a comprehensive school.

Épisode 18 - A Choice of Evils

19 avril 1977

The story of Father Borelli who in Rome during World War II must choose between freedom and his principles

Épisode 19 - The Country Party

26 avril 1977

Épisode 1 - Stronger than the Sun

18 octobre 1977

A worker discovers a radioactive leak at the nuclear power plant where she works and tries to make it public knowledge.

Épisode 2 - Come the Revolution

25 octobre 1977

Épisode 3 - Abigail's Party

1 novembre 1977

Acerbic comic drama about a neighbours' get-together in suburbia, in which the consumption of alcohol leads to the airing of prejudices and snobberies. The most memorable of Mike Leigh's submissions to Play for Today during the late '70s/early '80s, Abigail's Party is dominated by Alison Steadman's juggernaut performance as the monstrous hostess Beverly. Overbearing, tasteless, pretentious and vicious, Beverly exemplifies the English suburban middle classes at their most grotesque. A product of Leigh's famously improvised writing style, the play was originally performed on stage and has since been revived in hundreds of productions worldwide.

Épisode 4 - Oy Vay Maria

8 novembre 1977

The story of the romance between a Jewish boy and an Irish Catholic girl

Épisode 5 - Nipper

15 novembre 1977

Épisode 6 - One Day at a Time

22 novembre 1977

Épisode 7 - The Mayor's Charity

29 novembre 1977

Épisode 8 - Catchpenny Twist

6 décembre 1977

Three schoolteachers in Belfast give up teaching to become singers/songwriters.

Épisode 9 - Charades

13 décembre 1977

Épisode 10 - The Thin End of the Wedge

20 décembre 1977

Épisode 11 - Scully's New Year's Eve

3 janvier 1978

A Liverpool teenager has a hectic night out on New Year's Eve.

Épisode 12 - Licking Hitler

10 janvier 1978

During World War II, a young woman joins the propaganda department and makes radio broadcasts to Germany from a British country house.

Épisode 13 - Red Shift

17 janvier 1978

Three men at three different times in history come to Mow Top Hill in search of sanctuary from their troubles: a Roman soldier, an English Civil War rebel and a 1970s teenager. Somehow they seem to be linked through an energy within the hill and an axe. Is history doomed to repeat itself or can loving another person free them?

Épisode 14 - The Spongers

24 janvier 1978

The story of a single mother of four living on welfare

Épisode 15 - Destiny

31 janvier 1978

A story dealing with racial tensions and fascism during a by-election in a West Midlands town

Épisode 16 - Our Day Out

7 février 1978

Our Day Out is a television play about deprived children from Liverpool in the United Kingdom. It was written by Willy Russell

Épisode 17 - The After-Dinner Joke

14 février 1978

The story of a well-meaning charity worker

Épisode 18 - The Legion Hall Bombing

22 août 1978

The story of the trial of Willie Gallagher, convicted of bombing the Strabane British Legion Hall in 1976.

Épisode 19 - Unknown

Épisode 1 - Nina

17 octobre 1978

The story of two Soviet dissidents living in London and slowly coming apart under the strain of his drinking and her enforced separation from her child

Épisode 2 - Victims of Apartheid

24 octobre 1978

Épisode 3 - A Touch of the Tiny Hacketts

31 octobre 1978

A young man is declared a hero when he catches a burglar until it's discovered that the burglar is a dwarf.

Épisode 4 - Dinner at the Sporting Club

7 novembre 1978

A story about young boxers whose fighting provides entertainment for diners at a sporting club

Épisode 5 - Donal and Sally

14 novembre 1978

Épisode 6 - Sorry

21 novembre 1978

Consists of two plays ""Audience"" and ""Private View"" about a brewery worker and writer who incurs the wrath of the autocratic government

Épisode 7 - Butterflies Don't Count

28 novembre 1978

'Whether priest or thespian, never once let yourself doubt that the role you're playing is real. Lead your little flock from childhood to the grave via God's sweet sacraments and let no doubts intrude -ever. Once you start to question - you're finished.'

Épisode 8 - Soldiers Talking Cleanly

5 décembre 1978

Épisode 9 - One Bummer Newsday

12 décembre 1978

Épisode 10 - The Out of Town Boys

2 janvier 1979

Épisode 11 - Vampires

9 janvier 1979

Épisode 12 - The Chief Mourner

16 janvier 1979

Épisode 13 - Waterloo Sunset

23 janvier 1979

A young man and an old woman try to fit in when their neighborhood goes West Indian

Épisode 14 - Blue Remembered Hills

30 janvier 1979

The play activities of seven children living in the countryside during the summer of 1943 end in tragedy; the children were played by adults in childrens clothing. The title is taken from A.E. Housman's 1896 poem: "Into my heart an air that kills; From yon far country blows; What are those blue remembered hills..." It's 1943 on a summer's afternoon and 7 children play in the fields & woods of old England. The children's roles are all played by adults to act as "A magnifying glass to show what it's like to be a child." "When we dream of childhood," said Dennis Potter, "we take our present selves with us. It is not the adult world writ small; childhood is the adult world writ large." Since Potter viewed childhood as "adult society without all the conventions and the polite forms which overlay it," he repeated the device he had introduced 14 years earlier (in "Stand Up, Nigel Barton"); children's roles were cast with adult actors in this naturalistic memory drama of a "golden day" that turns to tragedy. On a sunny, summer afternoon in bucolic England of 1943, seven West Country children (two girls, five boys) play in the Forest of Dean. Their games and spontaneous actions (continuous and in real time) reflect their awareness of WWII, but no adults are present to intrude. As the group moves through the woods and back to the grassy hills, their words and actions illustrate how "childhood is not transparent with innocence." When the two girls push a pram into a barn to play house, the casting concept is heightened, doubling back on itself in a remarkable moment: adults are suddenly seen to be acting as children who are pretending to be adults, and lines from Housman echo across the years: "That is the land of lost content/I see it shining plain/The happy highways where I went/And cannot come again."

Épisode 15 - Who's Who

6 février 1979

A story about a dinner party given by the managers and employees of a brokerage house.

Épisode 16 - The Last Window Cleaner

13 février 1979

The Irish troubles as seen by residents of a boarding house called ""The Crumlin View""

Épisode 17 - Ploughman's Share

27 février 1979

Épisode 18 - Degree of Uncertainty

6 mars 1979

Épisode 19 - Light

13 mars 1979

Épisode 20 - Coming Out

10 avril 1979

A closeted homosexual writer is content to lead a double life

Épisode 21 - Don't Be Silly

24 juillet 1979

A young wife tries to cope with her abusive husband.

Épisode 22 - Pillion

The play is set in the shed belonging to an enthusiastic motorcycle mechanic, Fenton. He and his group of like-minded friends meet regularly – all are engaged in rebuilding an ageing Triumph motorcycle. Recorded in 1979 but never transmitted.

Épisode 23 - Helen Mirren Remembers... Blue Remembered Hills

2 juin 2024

Dame Helen Mirren looks back on her role in the episode Blue Remembered Hills.

Épisode 1 - Long Distance Information

11 octobre 1979

A fanatical Elvis Presley fan is working as a disc jockey when his idol dies

Épisode 2 - Cries from a Watchtower

18 octobre 1979

Épisode 3 - Comedians

25 octobre 1979

Budding comedians take an evening class taught by a retired performer and, for their final exam, must perform for an impresario in a nightclub.

Épisode 4 - Even Solomon

1 novembre 1979

Épisode 5 - Just a Boys' Game

8 novembre 1979

The plot revolves around the life of Jake McQuillan who lives in the shadow of his dying grandfather, who was once the town's toughest hard man. Despite their hatred of each other, Jake's sole aim is to be as tough as the old man was. One day in Jake's life, as he drifts, drinks and fights, leads to a bleak realization. Just a Boys' Game features Frankie Miller, Gregor Fisher, Ken Hutchison and Hector Nicol.

Épisode 6 - Billy

15 novembre 1979

A 4-year-old boy is abused by his father

Épisode 7 - A Hole in Babylon

29 novembre 1979

A Hole in Babylon dramatises the botched 1975 Spaghetti House Siege in Knightsbridge. Middle-aged petty criminal Frank Davies, accompanied by two young men, Wesley Dick and Anthony Monroe, prepare to rob the restaurant. The younger men want out but Frank keeps them focused. As the three cross the point of no return, things immediately go wrong. The police are called and the siege is on. What began as a means to an end is now repackaged as a political and revolutionary act. Frank Davis assumes command of the quickly improvised Black Liberation Army.

Épisode 8 - The Slab-Boys

6 décembre 1979

Follows the antics of Slab Boys Phil, Spanky and Hector as they try to scrape through life in the 50s

Épisode 9 - Katie

13 décembre 1979

Épisode 10 - The Network

20 décembre 1979

Épisode 11 - Chance of a Lifetime

3 janvier 1980

A young man quits school and joins the army.

Épisode 12 - Keep Smiling

10 janvier 1980

Épisode 13 - Dreams of Leaving

17 janvier 1980

A journalist moves to London and gets caught up in the big city and his romance with a rich debutante.

Épisode 14 - Thicker Than Water

24 janvier 1980

Épisode 15 - Murder Rap

31 janvier 1980

Épisode 16 - Instant Enlightenment Including VAT

7 février 1980

Weekend enlightenment seminars serve as a form of brainwashing.

Épisode 17 - No Defence

14 février 1980

Épisode 18 - That Crazy Woman

21 février 1980

Épisode 19 - A Gift from Nessus

28 février 1980

The marital and career problems of a middle-aged, middle-class man in Glasgow in the 1960s

Épisode 20 - Kate, the Good Neighbour

6 mars 1980

A compassionate elderly woman comes to the realization that she can no longer care for herself or others.

Épisode 21 - Buses

13 mars 1980

A story about the regulation of the bus industry in 1930

Épisode 22 - Shadows on Our Skin

20 mars 1980

The problems of an 11-year-old boy living in the Catholic part of Londonderry

Épisode 23 - Ladies

27 mars 1980

MIRIAM: Here we are; celebrating a marriage, eating a cake, drinking, standing in a uniform, standing in a canteen ... with a Teasmade and a red red garter ... and I want an explanation. VALERIE: I want to know why you all resent me. BRENDA: Because you're not one of us.

Épisode 24 - The Vanishing Army

3 avril 1980

A story about the highs and lows of peacetime army life

Épisode 25 - Not for the Likes of Us

10 avril 1980

Épisode 26 - The Executioner

17 avril 1980

Épisode 27 - The Imitation Game

24 avril 1980

During World War II, an idealistic young woman joins the Army Transport Service

Épisode 28 - A Walk in the Forest

14 mai 1980

A writer gets involved with a Soviet dissident

Épisode 1 - Pasmore

21 octobre 1980

Épisode 2 - C2H5OH

28 octobre 1980

Épisode 3 - The Adventures of Frank: Everybody's Fiddling Something

4 novembre 1980

Épisode 4 - The Adventures of Frank: Seeds of Ice

11 novembre 1980

Épisode 5 - Minor Complications

18 novembre 1980

Épisode 6 - Number on End

25 novembre 1980

Épisode 7 - Jude

2 décembre 1980

Épisode 8 - The Flipside of Dominick Hide

9 décembre 1980

Dominick Hide, a time traveller from London in the year 2130, is studying the city's transport system of 1980. Breaking the rules, he lands his craft to seek out his great-grandfather. Compared to his anaesthetised home, 80s London is filthy and polluted...and yet...it exudes an excitement that soon draws him in.

Épisode 9 - Name for the Day

16 décembre 1980

Épisode 10 - Jessie

23 décembre 1980

In Victorian times, a nanny cares for a mute boy, who becomes overly attached to her.

Épisode 11 - Beyond the Pale

6 janvier 1981

A vacation at a seaside hotel in Ireland changes the lives of four friends.

Épisode 12 - The Muscle Market

13 janvier 1981

The problems of an owner of a building contractor company in Liverpool

Épisode 13 - A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado

20 janvier 1981

Épisode 14 - Dear Brutus

27 janvier 1981

Épisode 15 - The Cause

3 février 1981

Épisode 16 - Beloved Enemy

10 février 1981

The head of a multinational corporation wants to do business with the Soviets

Épisode 17 - The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion Dinner

17 février 1981

A group of men hold a reunion dinner in Tokyo

Épisode 18 - The Union

24 février 1981

Épisode 19 - The Garland

10 mars 1981

Épisode 20 - The Sin Bin

17 mars 1981

Épisode 21 - Before Water Lillies

24 mars 1981

Épisode 22 - Bavarian Night

31 mars 1981

An evening with the Parent-Teacher Association gets out of hand.

Épisode 23 - The Good Time Girls

7 avril 1981

Nancy and Ella are two bored housewives starved of affection when their husbands are away on the oil rigs. The rules are simple: have some fun, just make sure nobody finds out, and you don't get emotionally involved.

Épisode 24 - Baby Talk

14 avril 1981

It's such a simple, natural thing to have a baby, thinks Mary. But she and husband Paul are preoccupied with their careers. Can their young neighbour Tessa help -or are the emotions around a new baby more complex than anyone had expected?

Épisode 25 - A Turn for the Worse

28 avril 1981

Simon Simpson runs an entertainment agency in Liverpool. At one of his regular auditions in The Bootle Railway Club he sees an aggressive young man fresh from the dole queue who calls himself Joey Dukes and dreams of becoming a professional comedian. Simpson believes the boy has talent and starts to groom him for ' stardom'.

Épisode 26 - Psy-Warriors

12 mai 1981

Soldiers are subjected to a brutal and sadistic kind of psychological training exercise

Épisode 1 - Country

20 octobre 1981

A family gathering, a christening and a dance. But it's 1945 and there are plans to be made, family wealth to protect and peace to be won.

Épisode 2 - London Is Drowning

27 octobre 1981

'Many areas of London might be under water for days. For example, the Isle of Dogs could be under eight feet of water for six days. River engineers believe that it is not a matter of if there is a flood, but when the flood comes.' (GLC)

Épisode 3 - A Room for the Winter

3 novembre 1981

James, an expatriate South African anti-apartheid fighter, deals with his nightmares and his complaining landlady in a run-down area of London, while dreaming of his lover Stephen, left behind.

Épisode 4 - No Visible Scar

17 novembre 1981

A wounded member of a rebel terrorist organisation is tended by an English nurse ... She is imprisoned, interrogated, then released to face another form of interrogation.

Épisode 5 - Iris in the Traffic, Ruby in the Rain

24 novembre 1981

In Belfast, Ruby has a cold and is caught in the rain while Iris is looking for work and gets caught in traffic

Épisode 6 - Protest

1 décembre 1981

Vaclav Havel, a leading Czechoslovakian playwright, at this time imprisoned for his beliefs, wrote "Protest" as a dramatic expression of the ambiguities of being a writer working in an oppressive regime.

Épisode 7 - United Kingdom

8 décembre 1981

Two men on a local council fight the system when forced with massive spending cuts.

Épisode 8 - PQ17

15 décembre 1981

During World War II, a British officer is ordered to abandon a Russian convoy.

Épisode 9 - The Factory

22 décembre 1981

A manager, a foreman, and two workers are all that remains of a factory yet labor relations stay the same

Épisode 10 - England's Green and Pleasant Land

5 janvier 1982

Local Government Elections 1982 A motorway extension is to be built - the route will be through either the local golf course or the allotments. Which will go, the golfer's beloved greens or the allotment holders' precious land? ' Watergate ' comes to South Yorkshire.

Épisode 11 - A Cotswold Death

12 janvier 1982

A police inspector investigates the murder of an Arab sheik who had become a village's Lord of the Manor.

Épisode 12 - Under the Skin

19 janvier 1982

"When you get to a man in the case, They're like as a row of pins - For the colonel's lady an' Judy O'Grady Are sisters under their skins." (Rudyard Kipling)

Épisode 13 - Commitments

26 janvier 1982

Politics and relationships during the last years of the Heath government

Épisode 14 - Life After Death

2 février 1982

Meg: We were so close, we loved each other, we made a whole together. I feel cut in half.

Épisode 15 - The Silly Season

9 février 1982

Four students working in a factory cause emotional, as well as industrial catastrophe, for when theory and reality meet it is the 'Silly Season'.

Épisode 16 - Too Late to Talk to Billy

16 février 1982

A family in Belfast deals with life after the death of the mother from cancer

Épisode 17 - Willie's Last Stand

23 février 1982

A comedy by JIM ALLEN Every man needs just one night out, off the leash. Willie's attempt to prove himself provides a painfully funny and painfully sad comment on the battle of the sexes.

Épisode 18 - Tishoo

9 mars 1982

It is the mid-1980s. The Economy has not improved. For 17 years Professor Frank Merrick has been ensconced in a Research Lab of a Provincial University working on a cure for the common cold. He is very near success. Can he avoid becoming yet another victim of the eternal cutbacks?

Épisode 19 - Home Sweet Home

16 mars 1982

A story about the lives of three postal sorters and their dysfunctional families.

Épisode 20 - A Sudden Wrench

23 mars 1982

Christine takes up an unusual line of work and proves she is not just another bored housewife.

Épisode 21 - Eve Set the Balls of Corruption Going

30 mars 1982

Adolescents will always be obsessed by the same old subject, even when they are educated by nuns. Six ex-Classmates meet for the first time in 12 years and hilarious memories change into highly emotional situations.

Épisode 22 - Whistling Wally

6 avril 1982

' While Wally was happy there wasn't much wrong with the world, and pints seemed a small price to pay for what he gave us. But don't forget what we gave him. We gave him the knowledge he was important, at least to us.....

Épisode 23 - Richard Eyre Remembers... Country

25 juillet 2024

Celebrated theatre, film and television director Richard Eyre has forged links with some of Britain’s finest writers - one of the most notable being Trevor Griffiths, whose landmark piece, Comedians, he directed, as well as this prescient and still relevant production, Country. Set on the night of the Labour Party’s momentous election victory in 1945, Country contains the rage and compassion for which Griffiths was well known. Richard takes us through the genesis of the project and recalls how persuading Leo McKern to play the part of Sir Frederick Carlion unlocked the door to the stellar cast that followed. He talks of Griffiths’s belief in the power of television to make arguments and tells us about the surprising links between Country and The Godfather!

Épisode 1 - Soft Targets

19 octobre 1982

A story about a homesick Russian journalist in London at the end of the cold war

Épisode 2 - Three Minute Heroes

26 octobre 1982

'Hello. I'm Billy and I'm going to enjoy myself first.' Saturday. Out on the streets, young people looking for fun. Billy, living for Two-Tone music. Adrian, only limping when he walks. Lectric, dressed to kill. Debbo, bored with stereotypes. Rhoda, bored with Elvis. Elvis, playing games. They move around the city in the day, making life happen wherever they are. They come together at nights to listen to their music. For as long as the song lasts, they're heroes. Three minute heroes.

Épisode 3 - The Remainder Man

2 novembre 1982

A man with an obsession - a family trapped - but maybe there is a way out, after all?

Épisode 4 - Intensive Care

9 novembre 1982

A man holds a lonely vigil at the bedside of his dying father.

Épisode 5 - A Mother Like Him

16 novembre 1982

A family of five orphaned children are going to be split up into different homes. What will happen if the eldest is officially made their foster parent?

Épisode 6 - John David

23 novembre 1982

Patrick and Judith have everything prepared for the arrival of their first child but when he is born, they are quite unprepared for the crisis they must face.

Épisode 7 - Aliens

30 novembre 1982

In June 1940 Italy entered the war. With Britain threatened by a German invasion thousands of Italians were seized and thrown into security camps, with other friendly aliens - and Nazis.

Épisode 8 - Another Flip for Dominick

14 décembre 1982

Two years after his journey to the past, Dominick Hide has been promoted to instructor and is no longer a time traveller. Then one of his pupils, Pyrus Bonnington, goes missing during a visit to 1982 London. Hide must track him down and prevent Pyrus damaging the past, but will the temptation to re-visit his own history be too strong to resist?

Épisode 9 - Last Love

1 mars 1983

Tending her husband's grave one day, Annabel Fox meets Jack Ives, a retired regimental sergeant-major. But when their friendship turns to love and talk of marriage, Annabel's children step in. They have other plans for her and, anyway, "He's so common, Mummy..."

Épisode 10 - Gates of Gold

8 mars 1983

In 1959 County Antrim, two traveling evangelists help a mentally retarded teenager

Épisode 11 - Wayne and Albert

15 mars 1983

Forced on each other's company through no fault of their own and having nothing in common, Albert and his grandson, Wayne, are soon at daggers drawn. Until, that is ...

Épisode 12 - Atlantis

22 mars 1983

Goff and Lytton have a dream - a canal boat of their own on which to cruise the inland waterways. The reality is the boatyard of Josh Adkins and a rusting hulk called Atlantis.

Épisode 13 - The Last Term

5 avril 1983

Épisode 14 - Reluctant Chickens

12 avril 1983

A comedy about a couple who want their adult, successful, offspring to fly the nest.

Épisode 15 - Shall I Be Mother?

19 avril 1983

Susan and Jenny are aged 13 and 14 and in care. Jenny's mother has died, Susan hasn't seen hers for years Both influence the close, stormy relationship that develops between the two girls.

Épisode 16 - The Falklands Factor

26 avril 1983

The 18th century writer Samuel Johnson writes a political pamphlet protesting the British going to war with Spain after the 1790 invasion of the Falkland Islands.

Épisode 17 - A Matter of Choice for Billy

10 mai 1983

When his father leaves Belfast to seek work in England, a young man looks after his sister

Épisode 18 - Being Normal

27 juillet 1983

Richard invites Bill and Jody Pym to stay with him for the weekend. Bill seeks Richard’s aid as a writer in publicising the story of his daughter Sadie to aid other parents in Bill and Jody’s situation.

Épisode 19 - Floating Off

24 août 1983

A businessman tries to keep his son from finding out about an unconventional deal he and his secretary are making with a merchant bank.

Épisode 20 - Stan's Last Game

25 octobre 1983

Play about amateur football in the north of England. As a cup clash approaches, rival club chairmen Reg and Percy set out to prove that football is a matter of life and death, even at non-league level.

Épisode 1 - Young Shoulders

14 février 1984

Cynical teenager Andrew Groves re-evaluates his attitude to life and his parents after his sister dies in a plane crash.

Épisode 2 - A Coming to Terms for Billy

21 février 1984

When his father comes home to Belfast after more than 2 years in England, conflicts arise with Billy

Épisode 3 - Z for Zachariah

28 février 1984

After a nuclear holocaust, only a man and a woman survive in a Welsh valley.

Épisode 4 - Moving on the Edge

6 mars 1984

The study of a woman who is falling apart, but who, at the bottom of the slope, begins to rebuild some hope for her future.

Épisode 5 - Desert of Lies

13 mars 1984

An expedition tracing the path of long-lost missionaries meets with tragedy in the Kalahari Desert.

Épisode 6 - Hard Feelings

20 mars 1984

A group of unemployed Oxford drop-outs living in a Brixton commune get their come-uppance by one of them.

Épisode 7 - Under the Hammer

27 mars 1984

Concerning the life of the artist Vincent Van Gogh

Épisode 8 - King

3 avril 1984

A man who has had a good life in England wants to retire to Jamaica, but the celebration with his daughters doesn't go as expected.

Épisode 9 - Rainy Day Women

10 avril 1984

In 1940, during World War II, an officer is sent to investigate rumors of German spies in a sleepy village where various people are the victims of war hysteria

Épisode 10 - Dog Ends

17 juillet 1984

In a future society where euthansia is common, a man signs papers to have his father put down

Épisode 11 - The Groundling and the Kite

24 juillet 1984

Peter is a songwriter, while his old friend Jimmy is an Artists and Repertoire man. But when Jimmy tries to sell one of Peter's songs, Peter is furious. Can the friendship survive?

Épisode 12 - The Cry

31 juillet 1984

In 1959 Ulster, a journalist witnesses the beating of a youth

Épisode 13 - It Could Happen to Anybody

14 août 1984

A long-suffering Glasgow housewife puts up with years of her husband's violence and drunkenness - and then something happens which makes her snap and fight back.

Épisode 14 - Only Children

21 août 1984

Jill has everything; a successful career, four close, if somewhat exotic, friends (her 'family') and a live-in lover. They provide for all her needs including, eventually, a baby. But that is where reality sets in.

Épisode 15 - The Amazing Miss Stella Estelle

28 août 1984

Stella, 14, works nights. She sings 60s numbers between the stripper with a snake and gorgeous Doris in working men's clubs. She knows what makes her act a success, but does she want to be the breadwinner for her family?

Épisode 16 - Punters

27 novembre 1984

What is the secret of Joey and Spansky's success at the races?

Épisode 17 - Talk to Me

11 décembre 1984

Matthew and his wife are deeply suspicious of psychoanalysis. It's not their sort of thing at all.

Épisode 17 - Brimstone and Treacle

25 septembre 1987

The Bates sadly care for their severely disabled daughter Pattie. Martin arrives at their door claiming to be her college friend. He charms them into accepting him as a lodger and carer for Pattie. But Martin is not all he seems.

Épisode 18 - Bird Fancier

15 janvier 1985

A young boy is drawn into the world of pigeon racing in a northern English town.

Épisode 18 - Scum

27 juillet 1991

Roy Minton's play deals with the subject of youth imprisonment and its lack of actual rehabilitation practised during the 1970s in young offenders' institutions. The film also deals with racism, authority, gang rape and suicide. Hardened Trainee 4737 Carlin (Ray Winstone) arrives at a new borstal after allegedly brutally attacking a prison officer at his previous borstal. On arrival he is subject to abuse from the prison officers and Pongo (the Daddy) because of his previous reputation. Using the hostile environment to his advantage, Carlin decides to become “The Daddy” of his wing. One of the young inmates, Davis, is gang-raped by two other inmates and subsequently commits suicide in his cell, using a razor blade.

Épisode 19 - Brigadista

5 février 1985

When best-selling author James Fuller Hayes comes to Glasgow to publicise his personal account of the Spanish Civil War, a surprise reunion with two of his old comrades from the Int Brigade reveals contradictory & devastating information.

Épisode 20 - Kenneth Branagh Remembers... Billy Plays

5 octobre 2022

Kenneth Branagh looks back on his experiences working on the first major production of his career: Graham Reid’s Billy Plays trilogy. The three Play for Today dramas won great praise for the way they captured ordinary working class lives in Belfast, set against the backdrop of The Troubles. The acclaim Branagh received for his portrayal of big-hearted, hot-headed Billy got his career off to a perfect start. He gives his perspective on why the drama was so well-received, recalls working with his fellow cast, and casts an experienced, critical eye over his own youthful performance.