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The Best Episodes of Play for Today Season 3

Every episode of Play for Today Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Play for Today Season 3!

Binge this in 1d 7h•Peaking at 7.9/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Play for Today Season 3 Episode 1 - The Reporters
    7.0/10(14 votes)

    #1 - The Reporters

    S3:E1

    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.

    Director:Michael Apted
    Writer:Arthur Hopcraft

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  2. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 2 - A Life Is for Ever
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - A Life Is for Ever

    S3:E2

    The story of a man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing a cop

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 3 - Carson Country
    6.7/10(13 votes)

    #3 - Carson Country

    S3:E3

    A story about the origin of the Stormont state

    Director:Piers Haggard
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 4 - Man Friday
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Man Friday

    S3:E4

    The story of Robinson Crusoe from Man Friday's viewpoint

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 5 - Triple Exposure
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Triple Exposure

    S3:E5

    A hippie breaks into the house of a middle-aged couple and forms a relationship with them

    Director:Alan Cooke
    Writer:David Halliwell

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  6. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 6 - Better than the Movies
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Better than the Movies

    S3:E6

    A man celebrating his birthday comes to appreciate the difference between media fantasy and mundane reality.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:John Elliot

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  7. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 7 - The General's Day
    7.7/10(31 votes)

    #7 - The General's Day

    S3:E7

    An elderly general woos a shy school teacher.

    Director:John Gorrie
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 8 - The Bankrupt
    5.6/10(12 votes)

    #8 - The Bankrupt

    S3:E8

    A washed-up executive is on the verge of bankruptcy.

    Director:Christopher Morahan
    Writer:David Mercer

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  9. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 9 - Just Your Luck
    7.5/10(31 votes)

    #9 - Just Your Luck

    S3:E9

    A pregnant teenager sets about wooing a sailor in a sectarian council estate in Greenock.

    Director:Mike Newell
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 10 - The Bouncing Boy
    6.8/10(9 votes)

    #10 - The Bouncing Boy

    S3:E10

    A young couple have a baby boy. However, the new father doesn't take to his new position quite as well as expected.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 11 - Shakespeare or Bust
    7.9/10(51 votes)

    #11 - Shakespeare or Bust

    S3:E11

    The adventures of three Derbyshire miners going to Stratford-upon-Avon on a barge

    Director:Michael Simpson
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 12 - Land of Green Ginger
    7.5/10(38 votes)

    #12 - Land of Green Ginger

    S3:E12

    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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 13 - Kisses at Fifty
    7.4/10(115 votes)

    #13 - Kisses at Fifty

    S3:E13

    A long-married husband leaves his family for a barmaid.

    Director:Michael Apted
    Writer:Colin Welland

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  14. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 14 - Highway Robbery
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Highway Robbery

    S3:E14

    A man fights council plans to demolish his home to make way for a new bypass.

    Director:Michael Apted
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 15 - Song at Twilight
    7.7/10(10 votes)

    #15 - Song at Twilight

    S3:E15

    The story of a defiant football manager in terminal decline

    Director:Herbert Wise
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 16 - Only Make Believe
    7.7/10(21 votes)

    #16 - Only Make Believe

    S3:E16

    As a playwright dictates notes about his newest play to his secretary, scenes from the play are acted out.

    Director:Robert Knights
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  17. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 17 - For Sylvia or The Air Show
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - For Sylvia or The Air Show

    S3:E17

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 18 - The Operation
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #18 - The Operation

    S3:E18

    David Adler is an operator. He strips assets, other men's wives, and his oldest friend's soul - anything for a cool million.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 19 - Access to the Children
    7.0/10(18 votes)

    #19 - Access to the Children

    S3:E19

    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?

    Director:Philip Saville
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 20 - Hard Labour
    7.3/10(443 votes)

    #20 - Hard Labour

    S3:E20

    The trials of an overworked and underappreciated housecleaner

    Director:Mike Leigh
    Writer:Mike Leigh

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  21. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 21 - Man Above Men
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Man Above Men

    S3:E21

    "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."

    Director:Alan Clarke
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 22 - Speech Day
    6.8/10(14 votes)

    #22 - Speech Day

    S3:E22

    Three underachievers have fun at a school speech day

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 23 - Steps Back
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Steps Back

    S3:E23

    "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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 24 - Three's One
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Three's One

    S3:E24

    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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Play for Today Season 3 Episode 25 - Edward G.--Like the Film Star
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Edward G.--Like the Film Star

    S3:E25

    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.

    Director:James Ferman
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Reporters" is the best rated episode of "Play for Today" season 3. It scored 7/10 based on 14 votes. Directed by Michael Apted and written by Arthur Hopcraft, it aired on 10/9/1972. This episode is rated 7.0 points higher than the second-best, "A Life Is for Ever".