Three classic BBC Play for Todays come to DVD for the first time

BBC Play for Todays Our Day Out, The Imitation Game and The Fishing Party come to DVD for the first time 1st October 2018

Due to audience demand, Simply Media are delighted to release three iconic films from BBC’s Play for Today series, on DVD 1st October 2018.

Shown on BBC One from 1970-1984 and showcasing some of the best British actors and writers, films included Abigail’s Party and Boys from the Blackstuff.

Our Day Out, The Imitation Game and The Fishing Party, the latest to be released on DVD, are known for their outstanding casts and fascinating storylines.

PLAY OF THE WEEK: OUR DAY OUT

An anarchic, bittersweet comedy drama from Oscar-nominee Willy Russell, creator of Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.

DVD Trailer: Willy Russell’s Our Day Out

Rated 8.2 on IMDB.

Directed by BAFTA-winner Pedr James (Our Friends in the North) and produced by David Rose (Z Cars).

A hilarious and chaotic romp about a group of inner-city Liverpool schoolchildren let off the leash for a day’s outing. Different teaching approaches clash when the compassionate Mrs Kay (Jean Heywood – Billy Elliot) and disciplinarian Mrs Briggs (Alun Armstrong – Krull) attempt to supervise.

Stopping at a cafe, a zoo, the beach and a funfair, the children take every opportunity to cause havoc. This tender comedy draws on Willy Russell’s own experiences of school trips as both pupil and teacher.

Originally broadcast in 1977, it was later adapted as a stage musical and still features today as a popular school text.

What the Press Said:

“I laughed out loud a great deal, and secretly wept a little.” The Sunday Times
“A gloriously funny and touching play.” Guardian

RRP: £12.99/ Certificate: 12 /Catalogue Number: 188000 / Barcode: 5019322880004
Genre: TV Movie / Comedy Drama / Run Time: 70 mins approx. on 1 disc

PLAY FOR TODAY: THE IMITATION GAME

Bestselling writer Ian McEwan (The Children Act) wrote this impassioned drama, inspired by stories of women who helped to crack the Enigma Code during WWII.

DVD Trailer: The Imitation Game

Rated 7.8 on IMDB and first shown in 1980.Directed / produced by BAFTA-nomineeRichard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal).

Starring Harriet Walter (Sense and Sensibility / The Sense of an Ending) in her first major screen role alongside Oscar-nominee Brenda Blethyn (Vera) and BAFTA-nominee Patricia Routledge (Keeping Up Appearances).

19-year-old Cathy Raine (Harriet Walter) lives in 1940’s Frinton on Sea, expected to spend the war working at the local munitions factory. Against the wishes of her family she signs up for the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

There she befriends working-class Mary (Brenda Blethyn) and moves to the code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park where Cathy meets Turing-like mathematics don John Turner (Nicholas Le Provost). But Cathy is being kept in the dark by the secretive male hierarchy – until she stumbles upon a secret intelligence file that may jeopardise her safety.

What the Press Said:

“A Play for Today of rare distinction” Clive James

RRP: £12.99/ Certificate: 12 /Catalogue Number: 188001 / Barcode: 5019322880011
Genre: TV Movie / Drama / Run Time: 92 mins approx. on 1 disc

PLAY FOR TODAY: THE FISHING PARTY

Crown Court creator Peter Terson’s comedy of class and manners.

DVD Trailer: The Fishing Party

Rated 8.9 on IMDB, and first shown in 1972.

Directed by BAFTA-winner Michael Simpson(Prince Regent).

Derbyshire miners Art (Brian Glover), Ern (Ray Mort) and Abe (Douglas Livingstone) head north to Whitby for a boys-only fishing escape.

Checking into a shabby B&B run by haughty landlady Audrey (Jane Freeman – Last of the Summer Wine) and her henpecked hubby, the trio are bamboozled into paying a high price for their rooms.

Their boat is piloted by a stern ex-fisherman, who warns them about mixing chips and brown ale on choppy waters. The boys are half-cut before they leave the harbour, and as they head out to sea they’re decidedly off-colour.

What the Press Said:

“A joyous comedy… overflowing with brilliant observation and wonderfully circular dialogue.” TV Cream

RRP: £12.99/ Certificate: 12 /Catalogue Number: 188002 / Barcode: 5019322880028
Genre: TV Movie / Drama / Run Time: 57 mins approx. on 1 disc

For further information on these titles or to request a review copy, other marketing assets, or to set up a competition to win DVDs, please contact: Hannah Page at Simply Media on
02032895255 or hannah.page@simplymedia.tv