Philip Martin, who died last December, was the author of two Play for Todays – Gangsters (1975, which subsequently spun off into two BBC series, 1976-78) and The Remainder Man (1982). Forgotten Television Drama pays tribute by publishing an article in three parts, drawn from extensive interviews with Martin conducted by Tom May last year. […]
Category: BBC
By Simon Farquhar Written by E. A. Whitehead, directed by Claude Whatham, produced by Graeme McDonald. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.25pm on Tuesday 23 March 1976. Through the BBC Plays Department, the Royal Court and the burgeoning fringe, Britain was thrusting some seriously good writers into the spotlight in the 1970s, and it is telling […]
By Jonathan Owen Written by David Mercer, directed by Christopher Morahan and produced by Graeme McDonald. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.25pm on Monday 27 November 1972. The Bankrupt was the only play purposely written for Play for Today by the prolific David Mercer. It may seem surprising that this sole bona fide encounter between the […]
By Jon Dear Written by Julia Jones, directed by Desmond Davis and produced by Graeme McDonald. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.25pm on Thursday 14 November 1974. Less than ten per cent of Plays for Today were written by women and four of those were by Julia Jones, yet she remains a largely neglected writer. A […]
by John Cook ‘The television play is virtually the last place on the box where the individual voice and the personal vision is central to the experience.’[1] ‘Play for Today ! Just for today !… Something easy, undemanding. It’s all part of the commercial ! It’s all “pass the time”‘ ! How do we reconcile […]
By Tom May Written by David Edgar, directed by Barry Davis and produced by Kenith Trodd. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.25pm on Thursday 7 November 1974 David Edgar’s Baby Love is a significant addition to the Play for Today strand; it is an edgy, archetypally ‘underdog’-centred drama that addresses difficult, emotive issues. Directed by Barry […]
By Simon Farquhar Written by Douglas Livingstone, directed by Alan Clarke and produced by Irene Shubik. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.20 pm on 19th November 1970. The stately BBC1 continuity announcer Peter Bolgar fell shy of introducing the play by name. However, despite its knavish title, I Can’t See My Little Willie proved to be […]
By Joseph Oldham Written by Dennis Potter, directed by Alan Bridges and produced by Graeme McDonald. Broadcast on BBC1 at 9.20 pm on Thursday 14 October 1971. ‘Exiled in Moscow’, declared the front cover of the Radio Times (9-15 October 1971), heralding the return of Play for Today for its second series. The main image […]
I had the good fortune to interview the actor Maurice Roëves (who has died at the age of 83) on two occasions. Maurice had an extraordinarily prolific 55-year career in film, theatre and especially television, the span and range of which (“beginning with an episode of Doctor Finlay’s Casebook in 1966 and concluding with a […]
By Michael Herbert ‘In writing you’re always looking for conflict…’ Malcolm Hulke ‘To my mind the basic problem is that writers are by their nature back-room-minded introverts and yet, in the publicity jungle, they find themselves pitted against an army of highly extroverted actors and actresses. I don’t blame promotion people at all for taking the […]
Forgotten Television Drama 