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Play for Today

Play for Today Poster

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Drama

3.2 / 5

15th October 1970 - 28th August 1984
Writer
Colin Welland
Producer
Graeme MacDonald
Top Cast
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The Long Distance Piano Player Still
The Long Distance Piano Player
15th October 1970

Episode 1

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

The Right Prospectus Still
The Right Prospectus
22nd October 1970

Episode 2

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

The Lie Still
The Lie
29th October 1970

Episode 3

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

Angels Are So Few Still
Angels Are So Few
5th November 1970

Episode 4

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

The Write-Off Still
The Write-Off
12th November 1970

Episode 5

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.

I Can't See My Little Willie Still
I Can't See My Little Willie
19th November 1970

Episode 6

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

A Distant Thunder Still
A Distant Thunder
26th November 1970

Episode 7

A newly-appointed knight finds his celebrations cut short by someone who was witness to his treachery during the war.

Hearts and Flowers Still
Hearts and Flowers
3rd December 1970

Episode 8

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

Robin Redbreast Still
Robin Redbreast
10th December 1970

Episode 9

A woman living in a country cottage thinks that someone is trying to get her.

The Hallelujah Handshake Still
The Hallelujah Handshake
17th December 1970

Episode 10

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

Alma Mater Still
Alma Mater
7th January 1971

Episode 11

A civil servant working abroad revisits his old school

Circle Line Still
Circle Line
14th January 1971

Episode 12

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.

Hell's Angel Still
Hell's Angel
21st January 1971

Episode 13

A couple are distressed by the changes in their adopted teenage son when he joins a biker gang.

The Piano Still
The Piano
28th January 1971

Episode 14

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

Billy's Last Stand Still
Billy's Last Stand
4th February 1971

Episode 15

Billy, a self-employed coal-shoveller, gains a seedy business partner and competition in the form of a rival coal-shoveller.

The Rainbirds Still
The Rainbirds
11th February 1971

Episode 16

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.

Reddick Still
Reddick
18th February 1971

Episode 17

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

The Foxtrot Still
The Foxtrot
29th April 1971

Episode 18

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

When the Bough Breaks Still
When the Bough Breaks
6th May 1971

Episode 19

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

Orkney Still
Orkney
13th May 1971

Episode 20

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

The Rank and File Still
The Rank and File
20th May 1971

Episode 21

The story of the Pilkington glass workers strike of 1970

The Man in the Sidecar Still
The Man in the Sidecar
27th May 1971

Episode 22

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

Everybody Say Cheese Still
Everybody Say Cheese
3rd June 1971

Episode 23

The story of a disintegrating marriage told through family photos

The Cellar and the Almond Tree Still
The Cellar and the Almond Tree
10th June 1971

Episode 24

No overview available.

Full Cast

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