Storyline

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.

First Aired

1970-10-15
Last Aired

1984-08-28
Creator
Genre

Drama
Seasons

14
Episodes

309
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

BBC One

Keywords:

anthology based on play or musical

Stream and watch Play for Today

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13

Season 14

1. The Long Distance Piano Player

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

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

75mins 1970-10-15

2. The Right Prospectus

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

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

75mins 1970-10-22

3. The Lie

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

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

75mins 1970-10-29

4. Angels Are So Few

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

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

75mins 1970-11-05

5. The Write-Off

A man is made redundant but can't bring himself to let anyone know, plunging into a web of deceit as h...More

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.Less

75mins 1970-11-12

6. I Can't See My Little Willie

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

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

75mins 1970-11-19

7. A Distant Thunder

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

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

75mins 1970-11-26

8. Hearts and Flowers

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

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

75mins 1970-12-03

9. Robin Redbreast

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

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

75mins 1970-12-10

10. The Hallelujah Handshake

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

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

75mins 1970-12-17

11. Alma Mater

A civil servant working abroad revisits his old school

A civil servant working abroad revisits his old schoolLess

75mins 1971-01-07

12. Circle Line

A cynical student has a radically different view of life from his landlady, leading to conflict. Matte...More

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.Less

75mins 1971-01-14

13. Hell's Angel

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

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

75mins 1971-01-21

14. The Piano

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

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

75mins 1971-01-28

15. Billy's Last Stand

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

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

75mins 1971-02-04

16. The Rainbirds

A man who attempted suicide by jumping out a window is saved only to live in a coma, in which he has f...More

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.Less