The golden age of British television was built on one-off plays

History · Published 5 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Between 1970 and 1984, the BBC's Play for Today transformed the small screen. From social realism to science fiction, these standalone dramas became a cultural benchmark, spawning legendary series and sparking intense national controversy through their unflinching depictions of British life.

Successor to the 1960s series The Wednesday Play, Play for Today moved its transmission to Thursdays to accommodate sports programming. Under the early guidance of producers Irene Shubik and Graeme MacDonald, the strand became a powerhouse of original television drama. While many episodes were written specifically for the medium, the series also adapted novels and stage plays, often featuring works that would later become iconic television series, such as Rumpole of the Bailey. The production team saw several key leadership transitions, including the long tenure of Kenith Trodd between 1973 and 1982. The series also drew from a prestigious roster of writers, including Ian McEwan and Dennis Potter.

The anthology was not without friction. The BBC occasionally pulled productions from the schedule due to controversial content, such as Dennis Potter’s 1976 play Brimstone & Treacle and Roy Minton’s Scum in 1977. These works were so impactful that they eventually bypassed censorship by being remade as feature films. Other episodes, like The Other Woman, faced scrutiny for their graphic depictions of lesbianism. The series' reach extended into the realm of science fiction with 1980's The Flipside of Dominick Hide. It also served as a launching pad for talent, notably featuring Kenneth Branagh in his first acting role.

The era of the single play eventually gave way to the dominance of serials and series in the 1980s, leading to the strand's conclusion in August 1984. Despite the loss of many original videotapes—thirty-seven episodes from the 1970–1975 period were wiped after transmission—the legacy remains. In 2000, five Play for Today episodes appeared in a BFI survey ranking the 100 best British TV shows of the 1900s. The decline of the format was part of a broader shift toward concentrated serials in the 1980s. This era of single dramas eventually transitioned into the Screen Two and Screen One programs on BBC2 and BBC1.

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