Why don't we have things like 'Play for Today' anymore?

[vixen1700]

Whatever happened to the BBC or ITV making one hour or so interesting and thought provoking one-off dramas like they did in the '70s or '80s?

A one off under the guise of 'Play for Today' or individual plays like Thriller or Tales of the Unexpected.

They don't have to be vehicles for big actors, but as long as they're interesting and well done, surely we have the writing talent for such things, and the budgets needn't be massive. In fact if the reality/cooking budgets were brought down a bit I'm sure they'd easily be doable.

This 'Play for Today' particulally sticks in my mind as a good one, and after looking it up, it was from 1980.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flipside_of_Domin...

Edited by vixen1700 on Friday 4th November 14:14

[elster]

They do quite a bit on BBC, usually a series of 6 or so every 6 months.

One off dramas, remakes of classics, etc.

[OllieC]

havent seen the example you quote, but the original 'Boys from the Blackstuff' (not the later mini series) was a cracking example of the kind of thing I would like to see more of on these days.

[vixen1700]

elster said:

They do quite a bit on BBC, usually a series of 6 or so every 6 months.

One off dramas, remakes of classics, etc.

Yeah, there was quite a good little set a while back where the main character was in the dock and how they got there. Can't remember what it was called though.

[davepoth]

Well, commissioning such wonderful series as "Don't Scare the Hare" (returning for a second run amazingly) and "The Voice" ("It's like the X-Factor except the judges face the other way. Will you pay me £20 million? Excellent") means there isn't much resource left over to educate, inform, or for that matter entertain.

[carmonk]

The only decent drama nowadays is created and / or written by Jimmy McGovern - e.g. 'The Street' & 'The Accused'. Haven't seen much in the last 10 years than comes close to his stuff.

[Morningside]

davepoth said:

Well, commissioning such wonderful series as "Don't Scare the Hare" (returning for a second run amazingly) and "The Voice" ("It's like the X-Factor except the judges face the other way. Will you pay me £20 million? Excellent") means there isn't much resource left over to educate, inform, or for that matter entertain.

I think Kyle is being paid £1 millon for this due to the unique way the BBC is funded.

Yes, I too would love more programming like this but it is not popular enough to vouch the expenditure.

[davepoth]

I think that's a bit wrong. If there wasn't a load of utter st on the TV, people would still watch what was on, such is the nature of television.

People used to watch the intermissions. I like to watch "pages from CEEFAX".

If they got rid of, for example, Eastenders, or rather than got rid of it sold it to Channel 5 for lots of money, They could put on something interesting instead.

[Eric Mc]

Lots of good docuemtaries still being commissioned by the Beeb,

But it is true that the one off drama does seem to have died a death on TV.

It is alive and well on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra though.

[2slo]

All to do with the projected viewing figures. More viewers will watch dross like big brother or a series about following Katie Price round than would watch play for today etc. Programmes which require some degree of intelligence to follow will always be in the minority, attract fewer viewers and hence be less attractive to TV producers/ financiers.