What is "Play for Today"

[AllTheAll]

Please! someone explain it simply. I only know the Cure song.

Context?

The tv programme you mean?

As in the Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party thread?

It was a feature of TV back in the 70's, 80's.

Often high dramas like Play for Today and Play of the Month.

If that's what you're asking.....

Yep, context is everything 😉

Great song.

It was a BBC anthology from the 70s - 80s featuring plays and novel adaptations.

YT playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr1Fo_bqpjaHC-ne3p2akn0sxL_1sTyNa

The quality varied but there are some absolute gems.

Wow, thank you!

One I remember but sadly isn’t there is the one with Peter Firth, The Flipside of Dominic Hyde, about a time traveller. Really loved that one. There was a follow up a few years later too.

Scum was one of the better known ones - the BBC banned it before transmission, and it ended up being made into a film.

Thank you all especially the links. I am watching some of them.
70s and 80s plays and novel adaptations.

It makes more sense that there was a "Play of the Month" too. The "Play for Today" was probably all abuzz about what the play (or adaptation) was going to be. I can just imagine how exciting that must have been for viewers. The anticipation, the actual play, and now we have the nostalgia.

It was a bit before my time so I appreciate the explanations.

“Stockers copper “ and “Edna, the inebriate woman “. Were ones worth watching.

I wouldn't say abuzz! It was a regular slot on the BBC - weekly, IIRC, and probably only part of the year, not every single week. Some were excellent, some weren't, much like any other mainstay of the schedules. A lot of writers, directors and actors made their names by working on Play for Today. Mike Leigh did particularly well out of it. Nuts in May as well as Abigail's Party. Some successful series started in that strand too, I think.

They were usually just one-off adaptations of original stage plays & filmed for tv. Sometimes a bit 'arty' and didn't always get big audiences.

Abigail's Party was a roaring success because ITV was on strike and BBC2 coverage affected by a storm, so everyone watched it on BBC1 and was hooked.

Was that the one where the character took the name "Gilby" from a bottle of gin behind the bar?

We still refer to Peter Firth as "Gilby" whatever he's in.

I remember it as a series rather than a one off but it was a scarily long time ago so I could be wrong.