Play for Today

Season 11

BBC anthology series featuring original plays, theatrical and literary adaptations from 1970-1984. Over 300 episodes aired, each 50 mins to 1 hr 40 mins long. Some were later developed into series, like Rumpole of the Bailey.

Where to Watch Season 11

27 Episodes

Pasmore
E1
PasmoreColin Pasmore tests his strength against his family ties but finds them stronger than he ever imagined.
C2H5OH
E2
C2H5OH"In heaven there is no drama - drama depends on failure and conflict. My trade is a scrutiny of hell. For any proud dramatist his style is his prejudice."
The Adventures of Frank: Everybody's Fiddling Something
E3
The Adventures of Frank: Everybody's Fiddling SomethingWriter-director John McGrath deliberately shies away from naturalism in an experiment that mixes blue screen, songs, and characters realising they're acting within a play. This first of two parts sees Frank travel to a hostile London.
The Adventures of Frank: Seeds of Ice
E4
The Adventures of Frank: Seeds of Ice
Minor Complications
E5
Minor ComplicationsKay Gilbert goes into hospital for a minor operation which goes badly wrong. This play tells the story of her fight for compensation.
Number on End
E6
Number on EndWhat could Steve Jackson's documentary film expose that must be concealed from the African leaders meeting in Brussels? Steve Jackson is on the run and the wrong decision could prove fatal.
Jude
E7
JudeTwelve-year-old Jude has never met Dick, his father. One Sunday afternoon Dick impulsively engineers a meeting, which has distressing consequences.
The Flipside of Dominick Hide
E8
The Flipside of Dominick HideDominick Hide, a time traveller from London in the year 2130, is studying the city's transport system of 1980. Breaking the rules, he lands his craft to seek out his great-grandfather. Compared to his anaesthetised home, 80s London is filthy and polluted...and yet...it exudes an excitement that soon draws him in.
Name for the Day
E9
Name for the DayClive admits himself to a psychiatric hospital after undergoing a breakdown. His wife wants him back home, but in order for Clive to be released, he has to want to be cured.
Jessie
E10
JessieIn Victorian times, a nanny cares for a mute boy, who becomes overly attached to her.
Beyond the Pale
E11
Beyond the PaleA vacation at a seaside hotel in Ireland changes the lives of four friends.
The Muscle Market
E12
The Muscle MarketThe problems of an owner of a building contractor company in Liverpool
A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
E13
A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado"They're nice affable gobblers and we're in the nice affable gobbling business." Tom and Gwen soon find that their gastronomical retreat from the rat race is anything but an escape when the Porters come to dine.
Dear Brutus
E14
Dear Brutus"They say that in the wood you get what nearly everybody here is longing for - a second chance." J. M. Barrie's fantasy play, depicting alternative realities for its characters and their eventual return to real life.
The Cause
E15
The CauseA confused industrial dispute at a London hospital triggers off in trade unionist George Harley's mind memories of his days fighting in the Spanish Civil War, when the issues seemed so much clearer.
Beloved Enemy
E16
Beloved EnemyThe head of a multinational corporation wants to do business with the Soviets
The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion Dinner
E17
The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion DinnerA group of men hold a reunion dinner in Tokyo
The Union
E18
The UnionYou know the nuts and bolts of our policy? To penetrate the unions. To use all sorts of stratagems, manoeuvres, illegal measures, evasions, subterfuges, to carry on Communist activities inside them at all cost.
Sorry
E19
SorryTwo very different women share an office, a common enemy, and a sense of humour.
Shai Mãlã Khani: The Garland
E20
Shai Mãlã Khani: The GarlandWhen her 17-year-old son Roy falls in love with a Muslim girl, and a Bangladeshi butcher seeks help from her husband Raji, Leela realizes that the tears and romance of Indian cinema are closer to her own life than she has ever imagined.
The Sin Bin
E21
The Sin BinSix lifers living in an experimental self-rehabilitation unit attached to an ordinary prison participate in a group therapy session. All of them have spent many years in prison and have little chance of ever getting out.
Before Water Lillies
E22
Before Water LilliesAn evening with the Parent-Teacher Association gets out of hand.
Bavarian Night
E23
Bavarian NightWhen the dynamic young head-master of St Peter's Primary School decides to liven up a parents' fund-raising social by hiring a Bavarian band, he little suspects the hidden passions that are about to be unleashed.
The Good Time Girls
E24
The Good Time GirlsNancy and Ella are two bored housewives starved of affection when their husbands are away on the oil rigs. The rules are simple: have some fun, just make sure nobody finds out, and you don't get emotionally involved.
Baby Talk
E25
Baby TalkIt's such a simple, natural thing to have a baby, thinks Mary. But she and husband Paul are preoccupied with their careers. Can their young neighbour Tessa help - or are the emotions around a new baby more complex than anyone had expected?
A Turn for the Worse
E26
A Turn for the WorseSoldiers are subjected to a brutal and sadistic kind of psychological training exercise
Psy-Warriors
E27
Psy-WarriorsSoldiers are captured and interrogated by terrorists: but is it real or only a sadistic form of psychological training exercise?