Television plays from the 1960's and 1970's: Armchair theatre, Play for Today, The Wednesday Play.

[tim]

The one off TV play was the format that a lot of directors and writers who went on to greater fame cut their teeth in: Ken Loache, Mike Lee, Denis Potter, Stephen Poliakov, Alan Bennett etc. It is also clearly one tyat s of limited interest to programme commisioners of today. However, lots of them seem to be available on line and give a better insight into the period than much if the retro-drama that fills our screens today. I generally prefer watching TV set in the 60's hat was made in the 60's rather than something set in the 60's made six monhs ago

The reason for posting this is that I've just spent an hour watching a 1964 court drama about possible medical malpractice' that may sound rather dry, but its got Dandy Nichols and the unageing Peter Sallis and other fine actors to liven up what turns out to be a dark comedy.

So here's " The Trial of Dr Fancy".



If you don't like it post something better and if you like it post something anyway. Even if you don't post explore the back-streets of Youtube for some gritty Northern realism or its country lanes of post-Oxbridge whimsy

 

[a_chap]

Can we include Crown Court too? They were, after all, one off TV plays albeit spread over five days.

I keep buying Crown Court DVDs but rearely have time to watch them

 

[blossie33]

This one was (is) a classic

 

[oryx]

The one off TV play was the format that a lot of directors and writers who went on to greater fame cut their teeth in: Ken Loache, Mike Lee, Denis Potter, Stephen Poliakov, Alan Bennett etc.

...and Alan Clarke*, who went on to do Scum and The Firm.



This one (Penda's Fen) is bonkers, of its time, weird and evocative - about adolescence, not fitting in, religion and society, the relationship between humankind and the landscape. There was a proper full-screen version on YouTube but it's suspended for copyright reasons. I remember being blown away by it in my very early teens.

*makes me think of a discussion in a pub a few years ago when me and two friends were discussing 'Alan Clarke'. Such was the drunken nature of the debate that one meant the director, one the Thatcherite MP of the diaries fame, and one (me ) the 1970s Leeds Utd player.

 

[Brainaddict]

Digging this up in case anyone can give some more recommendations. The 1970s was something of a high point of British television imo. There was a particular boom in what is these days called folk horror, though I'm interested in other stuff too. I'm a fan of Penda's Fen, and Children of the Stones. I also watched the Stone Tapes recently. And I discovered there were a lot of ghost stories made - I watched this the other day:


Any other television recommendations from before Thatcherism erased a lot of the country's ability to produce culture?

 

[Brainaddict]

Incidentally I see Penda's Fen is off youtube in any decent form and isn't on piratebay. I could try to upload it somewhere if a few people want it.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Trevor Griffith's Comedians is a Play for Today I watched as a teenager. Brilliant performances from Jonathan Pryce and Bill Fraser in particular. It's on YouTube in parts

 

[golightly]

Digging this up in case anyone can give some more recommendations. The 1970s was something of a high point of British television imo. There was a particular boom in what is these days called folk horror, though I'm interested in other stuff too. I'm a fan of Penda's Fen, and Children of the Stones. I also watched the Stone Tapes recently. And I discovered there were a lot of ghost stories made - I watched this the other day:


Any other television recommendations from before Thatcherism erased a lot of the country's ability to produce culture?

I recall seeing the Stone Tape when it was broadcast in 1972, and being quite affected by it. Mention of it here makes me want to see it again. Thanks Brainaddict.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Incidentally I see Penda's Fen is off youtube in any decent form and isn't on piratebay. I could try to upload it somewhere if a few people want it.

I’ve never heard of it before, but now I want to see it.

 

[Brainaddict]

Trevor Griffith's Comedians is a Play for Today I watched as a teenager. Brilliant performances from Jonathan Pryce and Bill Fraser in particular. It's on YouTube in parts

Cool, thanks

 

[Ground Elder]

 

[Brainaddict]

Thanks, comments on that one reminded me to download boys from the blackstuff

 

[Argonia]

Trevor Griffith's Comedians is a Play for Today I watched as a teenager. Brilliant performances from Jonathan Pryce and Bill Fraser in particular. It's on YouTube in parts

Thanks for this one. I did this as a text at A-level English and enjoyed it quite a lot.

 

[discokermit]

 

[Brainaddict]

I also watched Artemis 81 recently. An interesting failure, misses the decade by a bit but in a similar vein to some of the above, just weirder.

 

[Part 2]

Incidentally I see Penda's Fen is off youtube in any decent form and isn't on piratebay. I could try to upload it somewhere if a few people want it.

It's on Torrentquest.

 

[Brainaddict]

Trevor Griffith's Comedians is a Play for Today I watched as a teenager. Brilliant performances from Jonathan Pryce and Bill Fraser in particular. It's on YouTube in parts

This was great thanks