Play for Today
Series 3
197228 episodes
Episode 1
The Reporters
Oct 9, 19721h 15m
Two provincial newspaper reporters - one a young idealist starting out on his career, the other an embittered man who previously wrote for a failed national daily - swap views.
Episode 2
A Life Is for Ever
Oct 16, 19721h 15m
The story of a man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing a cop
Episode 3
Carson Country
Oct 23, 19721h 15m
A story about the origin of the Stormont state
Episode 4
Man Friday
Oct 30, 19721h 15m
The story of Robinson Crusoe from Man Friday's viewpoint
Episode 5
Triple Exposure
Nov 6, 19721h 15m
A hippie breaks into the house of a middle-aged couple and forms a relationship with them
Episode 6
Better than the Movies
Nov 13, 19721h 15m
A man celebrating his birthday comes to appreciate the difference between media fantasy and mundane reality.
Episode 7
The General's Day
Nov 20, 19721h 15m
An elderly general woos a shy school teacher.
Episode 8
The Bankrupt
Nov 27, 19721h 15m
A washed-up executive is on the verge of bankruptcy.
Episode 9
Just Your Luck
Dec 4, 19721h 15m
A pregnant teenager sets about wooing a sailor in a sectarian council estate in Greenock.
Episode 10
The Bouncing Boy
Dec 11, 19721h 15m
A young couple have a baby boy. However, the new father doesn't take to his new position quite as well as expected.
Episode 11
Shakespeare or Bust
Jan 8, 19731h 15m
The adventures of three Derbyshire miners going to Stratford-upon-Avon on a barge
Episode 12
Land of Green Ginger
Jan 15, 19731h 15m
Faced with the prospect of being sent to work abroad, Sally Brown returns home from London to Hull, to see if she still feels the same attachment for her home town - and for her old boyfriend Mike Thurlow. Will she decide to take the job abroad or return to live with Mike in Hull?
Episode 13
Kisses at Fifty
Jan 22, 19731h 9m
A long-married husband leaves his family for a barmaid.
Episode 14
Highway Robbery
Jan 29, 19731h 15m
A man fights council plans to demolish his home to make way for a new bypass.
Episode 15
Song at Twilight
Feb 5, 19731h 15m
The story of a defiant football manager in terminal decline
Episode 16
Only Make Believe
Feb 12, 19731h 15m
As a playwright dictates notes about his newest play to his secretary, scenes from the play are acted out.
Episode 17
For Sylvia or The Air Show
Feb 19, 19731h 15m
Was this the finest hour? Sifting the truth and fiction about the Battle of Britain, Burrows and Harding give their own account of how the nation sees its heroes - and itself.
Episode 18
The Operation
Feb 26, 19731h 15m
David Adler is an operator. He strips assets, other men's wives, and his oldest friend's soul - anything for a cool million.
Episode 19
Access to the Children
Mar 5, 19731h 15m
Malcolmson spends every Sunday taking his children to the zoo, reflecting on the breakdown of his marriage and the events that brought about his divorce. Is there a chance the family can be brought back together?
Episode 20
Hard Labour
Mar 12, 19731h 15m
The trials of an overworked and underappreciated housecleaner
Episode 21
Man Above Men
Mar 19, 19731h 15m
"I'm the judge's daughter - I think he's a monstrous old man. I think all men who say 'I'm only doing my job' are monstrous. I've despaired of changing him. But I'd stop short of killing him."
Episode 22
Speech Day
Mar 26, 19731h 15m
Three underachievers have fun at a school speech day
Episode 23
Steps Back
May 14, 19731h 15m
"Fifteen years since I was forced t' leave, forced t' leave me roots, the territory of me heart." When Gerry takes his fiancée Nita home to Brighouse, what will they find?
Episode 24
Three's One
Jun 4, 19731h 15m
Are Maggie and Tony using each other as a means of communicating with Dr Leafer? Or are they using Dr Leafer as a means of communicating with each other?
Episode 25
Edward G.--Like the Film Star
Jun 11, 19731h 15m
Edward G. is nothing like a film star; his life has been ordinary - until now. But he's just had a shattering experience. This edition is missing from the BBC archives.
Episode 26
Blooming Youth
Jun 18, 19731h 15m
The problems of four people sharing an apartment
Episode 27
The Stretch
Jun 25, 19731h 15m
Everyone always looked after Maureen. But her husband comes home after two years in prison and finds she has grown up and he's not ready for the change.
Episode 28
Making the Play
Jul 2, 19731h 15m
They no longer live together because, after 11 years, the marriage is over. So why is she always turning up to see him at the most embarrassing times? And why doesn't he send her away?