Series synopsis
Playhouse is a British drama television series that premiered on BBC Two on March 13, 1974. It ended on May 20, 1983. It was created by Sarah Pia Anderson. It stars Hugh Burden, Robert Urquhart, Johnny Briggs and Norman Wisdom.
A one-hour anthology television series of one-off contemporary and classic dramas produced by the BBC.
Premise
A one-hour anthology television series of one-off contemporary and classic dramas produced by the BBC.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Hugh Burden as Lawrence Hastings
- Robert Urquhart as Emrys
- Johnny Briggs as Brian
- Norman Wisdom as Bernard Flood
- Nick Berry as Carter
- Alan Lake as Alun
- Judi Dench as Sister Scarli
- Fulton Mackay as Austin Miller
Supporting cast
- Stephanie Cole as Gladys Flood
- Peter Attard as George Flood
- Ray Hassett as Priest
- Garry Cooper as Orderly
- Ivan Steward as Orderly
- Bill Dean as Painter
- John Kani as Styles / Buntu
- Terrence Hardiman as Raymond
- Jan Francis as Judy
- Tim Barlow as Mr. Smith
- John Savident as Dunswick
- Maggie Steed as Sylvia
Guest cast
- Hugh Burden as Lawrence Hastings
- Robert Urquhart as Emrys
- Johnny Briggs as Brian
- Norman Wisdom as Bernard Flood
- Nick Berry as Carter
- Alan Lake as Alun
- Judi Dench as Sister Scarli
- Fulton Mackay as Austin Miller
- Stephanie Cole as Gladys Flood
- Peter Attard as George Flood
- Ray Hassett as Priest
- Garry Cooper as Orderly
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 117 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | March 13, 1974 | August 13, 1974 |
| Season 2 | 3 | January 8, 1975 | July 9, 1975 |
| Season 3 | 9 | March 19, 1976 | May 14, 1976 |
| Season 4 | 6 | September 29, 1976 | November 3, 1976 |
| Season 5 | 1 | January 12, 1977 | January 12, 1977 |
| Season 6 | 31 | November 7, 1979 | August 10, 1980 |
| Season 7 | 29 | October 31, 1980 | July 10, 1981 |
| Season 8 | 35 | October 30, 1981 | May 20, 1983 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sizwe Bansi Is Dead Two Black South Africans discover what it means to lose their passbooks, which they must carry to prove their identity during the apartheid era. |
March 13, 1974 |
| 2 | The Joke | August 6, 1974 |
| 3 |
The Cafeteria An eccentric Jewish writer is drawn into the world of an apparently delusional young woman and her invalid father. |
August 13, 1974 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Breakthrough On a remote Cornish coast, a small group of scientists at an out of the way research laboratory delve into the mystery of what happens at the moment of death. |
January 8, 1975 |
| 2 |
Mrs. Acland's Ghosts An isolated woman is haunted by the ghosts of her dead siblings. |
January 15, 1975 |
| 3 |
Diane Teenager Diane Weaver lives with her abusive single father. A religious local boy only who wants to be her friend, but she doesn't like him as much as he does her. What no one realizes is how far the abuse goes. |
July 9, 1975 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Kites Retired prep school headmaster Lawrence Hastings has few pleasures in life. One is kite flying, until this too is spoilt by the intrusions of an irritating small boy. |
March 19, 1976 |
| 2 | An Accident of Class and Sex | March 26, 1976 |
| 3 |
A Martyr to the System A school lecturer is possessed by the spirit of Othello during the teaching of Classics. |
April 2, 1976 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Mind Beyond: Meriel, the Ghost Girl Psychic investigator George Livingston is asked to attend a séance. Can it be that he has finally discovered a genuine supernatural phenomena!? |
September 29, 1976 |
| 2 |
The Mind Beyond: Double Echo Alison has suffered Autism since childhood. Now 17, her parents take her to Dr. Mallam for psychotherapy. Alison is tested with Zener cards, leading him to suspect she is telepathic. |
October 6, 1976 |
| 3 |
The Mind Beyond: The Love of a Good Woman A pair of childhood sweethearts have their peaceful life interrupted when a vulgar woman from her dreams show up in reality. |
October 13, 1976 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Achurch Letters A play about the (celibate) relationship between writer George Bernard Shaw and a famous drug addict actress. |
January 12, 1977 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
School Play A play about the horrors of life at an English public school - with all the schoolboys played by adults. |
November 7, 1979 |
| 2 |
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour A dissident, Alexander, has been pronounced insane by the authorities (although he isn't), and finds himself sharing a cell with a genuine mental patient, Ivanov. |
November 14, 1979 |
| 3 |
The Brylcreem Boys Cpl. George Hunn's sentry post is knocked over and he wakes to find he is suffering from frost bite of the face. Sent to hospital he is put on a ward with aircrew who have mental issues. He is trapped reenacting their missions at night. |
November 21, 1979 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Caught on a Train Peter boards a train to attend an important business meeting across Europe. His trip is complicated by two women also assigned to his compartment. One is an independent American whom Peter finds attractive. The other is Frau Messner, an extremely particular and demanding older European woman. Between the two of them, they try different aspects of Peter's patience... |
October 31, 1980 |
| 2 |
Fatal Spring Using a remarkable blend of dramatic techniques, this study of three English poets – also three courageous soldiers – gradually develops towards their historical and crucial meeting. |
November 7, 1980 |
| 3 |
The Black Madonna Lou Parker feels very strongly that she and her husband, Ray, are different from the Farrells and the Ackerleys. With them it's all television. But she and Ray have the local library and The Observer. They keep abreast. They're different. |
November 14, 1980 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mrs. Reinhardt An Englishwoman seeking to escape her marriage arrives at French hotel. |
October 30, 1981 |
| 2 |
Last Summer's Child A boy feels restless during a hot summer in prewar Cornwall. |
November 6, 1981 |
| 3 | Autumn Sunshine | November 13, 1981 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC Two |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 13, 1974 |
| Last aired | May 20, 1983 |
| Runtime | 35 minutes |
| Status | ended |