Play for Today — LLMpedia

Contents

Play for Today

Play for Today was a British television anthology series broadcast on BBC1 between 1970 and 1984 that presented contemporary television plays by leading writers and directors, often featuring prominent actors from the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and film. The series became a major platform for dramatists associated with the Angry Young Men movement, the Liverpool Playhouse, and the British New Wave, attracting commissions tied to institutions such as the Arts Council of Great Britain and broadcasters like the Independent Television (ITV). Play for Today episodes frequently engaged with events including the Miners' Strike (1972), the Troubles (Northern Ireland), and social issues raised after the Suez Crisis and the Post-war consensus.

Overview

The anthology format followed precedents set by The Wednesday Play, Armchair Theatre, and adaptations aired by the BBC Television Service and featured one-off dramas written by figures such as Dennis Potter, Harold Pinter, John Osborne, Alan Bennett, and David Hare. Production teams drew on personnel from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the Cinematograph Films Act 1948-era film industry, and television practitioners associated with Ealing Studios and Hammer Film Productions. The series showcased actors who worked with the Royal Court Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, and emerging screen performers who later appeared in Doctor Who, Coronation Street, and Z-Cars.

Development of the series grew out of a desire at the British Broadcasting Corporation to maintain a strand for original televised drama following the cancellation of The Wednesday Play; commissioning editors included figures such as Sydney Newman’s successors and BBC drama controllers influenced by programming at the Festival of Britain and policies set by the Board of Governors of the BBC. Producers such as Kenith Trodd, Gareth Davies, and Mark Shivas worked with directors from the National Film School, alumni of Oxford University Dramatic Society and technicians from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Budgetary constraints prompted collaborations with independent companies like Omnibus Productions and filmmakers who had worked on Free Cinema documentaries and features screened at the London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.

Standout episodes included plays by Dennis Potter such as scripts starring performers associated with the Lyric Hammersmith and directors who had worked on Play for Today’s predecessor strands; works by Harold Pinter and David Mercer attracted critical attention at festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe and retrospectives at the British Film Institute. Other notable contributions came from playwrights like Alan Bennett, Caryl Churchill, Rita Mae Brown-adjacent commentators, and television adaptations of stage works that had premiered at the Royal Court Theatre or the Manchester International Festival. Directors including Ken Loach, Stephen Frears, and Mike Leigh used the series to refine approaches later visible in films screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival.

Recurring themes included class conflict debated after the General Strike (1926)’s historiography, regional identity as discussed in studies of Northern Ireland and Scotland’s devolution debates, and portrayals of institutions such as the National Health Service and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Critics from publications like The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, Sight & Sound, and New Statesman debated the series’ political stances, often comparing episodes to contemporary film work from Ken Loach and Mike Leigh and theatrical output from the Royal Court Theatre. Awards recognition included nominations and wins at the BAFTA Awards, mentions at the Prix Italia, and retrospectives curated by the British Film Institute and academic analysis in journals published by Routledge and Cambridge University Press.

The series aired on BBC1 and occasional repeats appeared on BBC Two and in regional scheduling on BBC North West and other regional centres; archival prints are held in collections at the British Film Institute and the BBC Archives. Its influence is evident in later anthology and drama strands such as Screen Two, Playhouse and episodes of The Comic Strip Presents...; alumni advanced to film careers showcased at Cannes Film Festival and led theatre institutions including the Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre. Scholarly conferences at institutions like King's College London, University of Manchester, and University of Leeds have examined the series’ cultural impact, and the BBC’s approach to single-play drama remains a reference point in programming debates within the Board of Governors of the BBC and among critics at The Guardian and The Observer.

Category:British television series