Armchair Theatre was ITV’s flagship drama anthology series. Initially screened between 1970 and 1973, it was hugely popular, with viewing figures occasionally reaching twenty million, and became a byword for quality in televised drama.
Pioneering, immensely influential and sometimes challenging in its content, the series consistently drew upon a wide range of talent. Armchair Theatre became a showcase for the post-war generation of British writers who sought to place sensitive social topics - in particular the British class system - under the microscope. Throughout, the series featured a number of powerful, award-winning plays, and its lasting influence was a testament to producer Sydney Newman’s passionate belief in television’s potential to bring high-quality drama to the viewing public.
For the first time, this collection brings together eight plays, broadcast between 1970 and 1973. Featuring scripts by Colin Welland (his BAFTA-winning Say Goodnight to Your Grandma), Ian Kennedy-Martin, Fay Weldon (as Laurence Wells), Roy Clarke and Brendan Behan’s brother Dominic, the plays feature key performances from accomplished television actors including Tom Bell, Billie Whitelaw, Richard Beckinsale, Peter Barkworth, Rita Tushingham and Beryl Reid.
Contains: Say Goodnight to Your Grandma (Jim Goddard, 1970), The Office Party (1971), Brown Skin Gal, Stay Home and Mind Bay-Bee (Mike Vardy, 1971), Detective Waiting (Peter Duguid, 1971), Will Amelia Quint Continue Writing ‘A Gnome Called Shorthouse’? (James Gatward, 1971), The Folk Singer (Piers Haggard, 1972), A Bit of a Lift (Dennis Vance, 1973) and Little Red Riding Hood (Joan Kemp-Welch, 1973).
