Play for Today Vols. 1-3

[GaryC]

Ted Kotcheff (the only non-Brit to direct an episode) and Mike Newell are, I think, the only living filmmakers who helmed episodes, and I hope they appear on this. Newell's work is also represented on the BBC's incredible BS Johnson collection You're Human Like the Rest of Them

Of the six directors represented in this box set, Horace Ové is also still with us.

[ikms]

Really glad this series is continuing. I finally picked up the first two (S&H overseas has been a mess this decade) and watched the first set in a week. Turns out the BFI won't even ship this particular BD box overseas, but as a non-Brit, every film here is new, and all were worth my time. I was trying to think what Play for Today I might have seen before in other contexts, could only come up with the entries on the Alan Clarke set, Redbreast/RedShift via the BFI DVDs, Brimstone & Treacle via the Potter DVD collection, and the Rumpole Pilot. As typical of the BFI releases though, blind buys are handsomely rewarded.

[MichaelB]

Much of Mike Leigh's 1970s output was for the Play for Today strand, and it's been compiled in the Mike Leigh at the BBC DVD compilation.

(Although I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a Blu-ray revamp of Abigail's Party - even if it happens, it'll be an upscale from its native standard definition video.)

[JSC]

Apart from Mike Leigh and Dennis Potter, there's a few others that are either
included in box sets or as stand-alone releases.

Home David Storey
The Fishing Party Peter Terson
Sunset Across the Bay Alan Bennett
Spend! Spend! Spend! Jack Rosenthal
Our Day Out Willy Russell
The Imitation Game Ian McEwan
The Black Stuff Alan Bleasdale

[Terry Pearson]

Does anyone know if there are any plans to continue releasing BBC Play For Today on DVD? As far as I can see, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 exist - any possibility we may see Volume 4 and/or more in the forseeable future? Someone mentioned Horace Ove in a previous post. His play 'The Garland' would certainly be worth including.

[MichaelB]

I gather they didn’t sell enough to make future volumes viable - these are very expensive projects to put together in terms of retrospective rights clearances.