Play for Today backdrop
Drama

The Best Episodes of Play for Today

Every episode of Play for Today ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Play for Today!

Binge this in 16d 7h•Peaking at 8.7/10

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and

Airs on
BBC One
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons14

All1234567891011121314

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Play for Today Season 11 Episode 17 - The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion Dinner
    8.7/10(27 votes)

    #1 - The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion Dinner

    S11:E17

    A group of men hold a reunion dinner in Tokyo

    Director:Baz Taylor
    Writer:Stewart Parker

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Play for Today Season 4 Episode 19 - The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil
    8.6/10(67 votes)

    #2 - The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

    S4:E19

    The exploitation of the Scottish land and its people from the 18th century to the present

    Director:John Mackenzie
    Writer:John McGrath

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Play for Today Season 12 Episode 7 - United Kingdom
    8.6/10(33 votes)

    #3 - United Kingdom

    S12:E7

    Two men on a local council fight the system when forced with massive spending cuts.

    Director:Roland Joffé
    Writer:Jim Allen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Play for Today Season 6 Episode 3 - Moss
    8.5/10(16 votes)

    #4 - Moss

    S6:E3

    Moss is a miser whose only love is his grandson. Then tragedy strikes, and Moss is "reborn."

    Director:Philip Saville
    Writer:Bernard Kops

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Play for Today Season 8 Episode 14 - The Spongers
    8.5/10(83 votes)

    #5 - The Spongers

    S8:E14

    The story of a single mother of four living on welfare

    Director:Roland Joffé
    Writer:Jim Allen

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Play for Today Season 2 Episode 18 - A Time to Keep
    8.4/10(103 votes)

    #6 - A Time to Keep

    S2:E18

    No description available

    Director:Michael Simpson
    Writer:Peter Terson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Play for Today

    READ
  7. Play for Today Season 9 Episode 13 - Waterloo Sunset
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #7 - Waterloo Sunset

    S9:E13

    A young man and an old woman try to fit in when their neighborhood goes West Indian

    Director:Richard Eyre
    Writer:Barrie Keeffe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Play for Today Season 11 Episode 12 - The Muscle Market
    8.4/10(58 votes)

    #8 - The Muscle Market

    S11:E12

    The problems of an owner of a building contractor company in Liverpool

    Director:Alan Dossor
    Writer:Alan Bleasdale

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Play for Today Season 11 Episode 13 - A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
    8.4/10(8 votes)

    #9 - A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado

    S11:E13

    "They're nice affable gobblers and we're in the nice affable gobbling business." Tom and Gwen soon find that their gastronomical retreat from the rat race is anything but an escape when the Porters come to dine.

    Director:Baz Taylor
    Writer:Don Haworth

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Play for Today Season 11 Episode 5 - Minor Complications
    8.3/10(13 votes)

    #10 - Minor Complications

    S11:E5

    Kay Gilbert goes into hospital for a minor operation which goes badly wrong. This play tells the story of her fight for compensation.

    Director:Moira Armstrong
    Writer:Peter Ransley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Play for Today Season 4 Episode 20 - Schmoedipus
    8.2/10(85 votes)

    #11 - Schmoedipus

    S4:E20

    A young man persuades a woman that he is her son.

    Director:Barry Davis
    Writer:Dennis Potter

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Play for Today Season 5 Episode 8 - Gangsters
    8.2/10(63 votes)

    #12 - Gangsters

    S5:E8

    A story exploring the Birmingham underworld

    Director:Philip Saville
    Writer:Philip Martin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Play for Today Season 6 Episode 10 - Rumpole of the Bailey
    8.2/10(173 votes)

    #13 - Rumpole of the Bailey

    S6:E10

    Rumpole defends a young West Indian boy accused of attempted murder.

    Director:John Gorrie
    Writer:John Mortimer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Play for Today Season 7 Episode 12 - Spend, Spend, Spend
    8.2/10(81 votes)

    #14 - Spend, Spend, Spend

    S7:E12

    The rags-to-riches-to-rags story of a 1960s football pools winner, based on a true story

    Director:John Goldschmidt
    Writer:Jack Rosenthal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Play for Today Season 10 Episode 4 - Even Solomon
    8.2/10(17 votes)

    #15 - Even Solomon

    S10:E4

    Stephen Piper is a quiet young man. A virgin, he shows no interest in sex, and is cruelly scorned by an aggressive female neighbour when he rebuffs her advances. He lives with his mother, an overbearing woman who mocks him for being wet. But Stephen has a secret. An accurate and heartfelt depiction of the challenges he faces and a fascinating glimpse at the gender politics of the day.

    Director:Roger Bamford
    Writer:Andrew Taylor

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Play for Today Season 14 Episode 8 - Under the Hammer
    8.2/10(15 votes)

    #16 - Under the Hammer

    S14:E8

    Concerning the life of the artist Vincent Van Gogh

    Director:Richard Wilson
    Writer:Stephen Fagan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Play for Today Season 4 Episode 1 - Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
    8.1/10(37 votes)

    #17 - Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

    S4:E1

    Mrs Palfrey tries hard to be accepted by the other residents at the Claremont. But then she meets Ludo and a real friendship begins.

    Director:Michael Lindsay-Hogg
    Writers:Ray Lawler, Elizabeth Taylor

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Play for Today Season 5 Episode 1 - Leeds--United!
    8.1/10(93 votes)

    #18 - Leeds--United!

    S5:E1

    About a strike in a textile factory, based on a true story

    Director:Roy Battersby
    Writer:Colin Welland

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Play for Today Season 5 Episode 17 - The Saturday Party
    8.1/10(31 votes)

    #19 - The Saturday Party

    S5:E17

    When a stockbroker loses his job, he decides to throw a party.

    Director:Barry Davis
    Writer:Brian Clark

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Play for Today Season 8 Episode 15 - Destiny
    8.1/10(32 votes)

    #20 - Destiny

    S8:E15

    A story dealing with racial tensions and fascism during a by-election in a West Midlands town

    Director:Mike Newell
    Writer:David Edgar

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Play for Today Season 10 Episode 3 - Comedians
    8.1/10(71 votes)

    #21 - Comedians

    S10:E3

    Budding comedians take an evening class taught by a retired performer and, for their final exam, must perform for an impresario in a nightclub.

    Director:Richard Eyre
    Writer:Trevor Griffiths

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Play for Today Season 11 Episode 8 - The Flipside of Dominick Hide
    8.1/10(427 votes)

    #22 - The Flipside of Dominick Hide

    S11:E8

    Dominick Hide, a time traveller from London in the year 2130, is studying the city's transport system of 1980. Breaking the rules, he lands his craft to seek out his great-grandfather. Compared to his anaesthetised home, 80s London is filthy and polluted...and yet...it exudes an excitement that soon draws him in.

    Director:Alan Gibson
    Writers:Jeremy Paul, Alan Gibson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Play for Today Season 6 Episode 8 - Through the Night
    8.0/10(16 votes)

    #23 - Through the Night

    S6:E8

    A woman goes into hospital to receive treatment for breast cancer.

    Director:Michael Lindsay-Hogg
    Writers:Trevor Griffiths, Jan Griffiths

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Play for Today Season 7 Episode 3 - Rocky Marciano Is Dead
    8.0/10(15 votes)

    #24 - Rocky Marciano Is Dead

    S7:E3

    Harry Marcus is a former welterweight champion mourning the loss of the past and dreaming of a return to the glory years of boxing. When a squatter moves in next door, does he have what it takes to fulfil Harry's dreams?

    Director:Graham Evans
    Writer:Bernard Kops

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Play for Today Season 8 Episode 6 - One Day at a Time
    8.0/10(16 votes)

    #25 - One Day at a Time

    S8:E6

    "People coming to their first AA meeting, prosperous people, sometimes, accustomed to the best. They look round the places where we meet, and you can see them thinking: what am I doing here? I owe my life to these rooms!"

    Director:Ronald Wilson
    Writer:Denis Cannan

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"The Kamikaze Ground Staff Reunion Dinner" is the best rated episode of "Play for Today". It scored 8.7/10 based on 27 votes. Directed by Baz Taylor and written by Stewart Parker, it aired on 2/17/1981. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil".