UK / BBC1 / 15x60m,50m / 2003-2005 / 2:00pm

A series of stand-alone plays for a daytime audience featuring a number of well-known names. The running times varied. See episode guide for full details:-

(1st series/2003) 1) Turkish Delight; 2) Coming Up For Air; 3) The Real Arnie Griffin; 4) Heroes and Villains; 5) Girls' Weekend.

(2nd series/2004) - 6) Venus and Mars; 7) Sons, Daughters and Lovers; 8) Drive; 9) Viva Las Blackpool!; 10) Glasgow Dreams.

(3rd series/2005) - 11) The Hitch; 12) The Trouble With George; 13) The Good Citizen; 14)Reverse Psychology; 15) The Singing Cactus.

Actors appearing included Denise Welch, Jeremy Sheffield, June Whitfield, Glynis Barber, Robson Green, Tina Hobley, Jamie Theakston, Michael French and Caroline Langrishe. 

 

EPISODE GUIDE

S E R I E S   O N E  27 - 31 Jan 2003 

TURKISH DELIGHT
BBC1 ‘The Afternoon Play’ / 1x60m / 27 January 2003
Writer: Rowan Joffe / Director: Adrian Bean / Producer: Carson Black

Forty-year old Carol Haye’s mundane life is brightened up when a friend takes her to a belly dancing class and when the regular dancer at the Turkish restaurant where she does waitressing work quits, she fills in.

With:- DENISE WELCH as Carol Haye / TIM DANTAY as Trevor Haye / GLYNIS BARBER as Brenda / RAE BAKER as Inez / CHARLIE HAYES as Suzie / NEIL NEWBON as Malcolm

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COMING UP FOR AIR
BBC1 ‘The Afternoon Play’ / 1x60m / 28 January 2003
Writer: Matthew Parkhill / Director: Dominic Keavey / Producer: Carson Black

Hardworking Tom Rourke, still grieving for his wife, is burnt out and his boss tells him to go on a holiday. He goes alone to Spain and when he gets back he has lost all memory of the last 15 years of his life.

With:- JEREMY SHEFFIELD as Tom Rourke / JUNE WHITFIELD as Iris Rourke / MANDANA JONES as Sarah / ISABELLA MELLING as Maisey Rourke / BRUNO MELLING as Jack Rourke / CAROLINE KEY JOHNSON as Kay

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THE REAL ARNIE GRIFFIN
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 29 January 2003
Writer: Jeff Povey / Director: Nigel Havers / Producer: Carson Black

When store detective Arnie Griffin's brother is arrested for a hit-and-run murder, Arnie, with the help of shop assistant Laura sets about to prove his brother's innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him.

With:- RAY BURDIS as Arnie / LUCY DAVIS as Laura / MARK BURDIS as Liam /.LUCY BENJAMIN as Amanda / PAUL BARNHILL as DI Tony Conrad / KATISHA KENYON as Suzie 

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HEROES AND VILLAINS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 30 January 2003
Writer: Lesley Clare O'Neill / Director: Terry Iland / Producer: Carson Black

A petty crook steals a box of expensive leather jackets not realising that the box also contains some designer drugs.

With:- TRACIE BENNETT as Yvonne / LISA RILEY as Helen / ANDREW DUNN as Derek / MATTHEW WAIT as Colin / JONATHAN LINSLEY as Arnold / BEATRICE KELLEY / ANN RYE as Winnie / NICKY EVANS as Jonny Potter

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GIRLS' WEEKEND
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 31 January 2003
Writer: Jane English / Director: Ray Kilby / Producer: Carson Black

Bride-to-be Kate goes on a hen weekend holiday with her three best friends but they fall out when she discovers that all three of them have at one time slept with her fiancé.

With:- DANIELA DENBY-ASHE as Kate / SARAH MANNERS as Dawn / CAT SIMMONS as Beccy / RAYNA CAMPBELL as Jo / JEREMY EDWARDS as Tim / MARK HEALY as Frank / OLIVER JAMES as Dave / NATHAN CONSTANCE as Gavin

S E R I E S   T W O 6 Jan - 2 Feb 2004 / 5 episodes

VENUS AND MARS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 26 January 2004
Writer: Johanna Baldwin / Director: Nick Jones / Producer: Will Trotter

Oliver and Grace, long-time best friends and work colleagues get together for a weekend away and sleep together which they soon regret the next day.

With:- ROBSON GREEN as Oliver Barrett / TINA HOBLEY as Grace Leigh / PATRICK BALADI as Peter Hamilton / JAMES BULLER as Alex / KAREN ASEMPER as Janine / HELEN LATHAM as Aimie Hammond / LISA SHINGLER as Greta Martin

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SONS, DAUGHTERS AND LOVERS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 27 January 2004
Writer/Director: Matthew Parkhill / Producer: Will Trotter

Forty-something divorcee Hardy meets nineteen year-old Kate and has a fling. Meanwhile Anna meets Ben with the same opposite age gap and also have an affair. Then the couples independently meet their same age counterpart and ditch the other for the new relationship - when at last they all meet up embarrassment ensues when they discover:- Hardy and Ben are father and son and Anna and Kate are mother and daughter.

With:- MICHAEL FRENCH as Hardy Rose / CAROLINE LANGRISHE as Anna Sullivan / LIAM GARRIGAN as Ben Rose / ANTONIA BERNATH as Kate Sullivan / KWAME KWEI-ARMETH as Walter Weinberg / BEEJAYE JOSEPH as Amanda

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DRIVE
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 29 January 2004
Writer: Pete Lawson / Director: John Greening / Producer: Will Trotter

Julie Singleton is sent to work at a car showroom by her temping agency and she is determined to be successful by being honest to the customers. She succeeds beyond her wildest dreams and becomes a major asset to the firm. Meanwhile her boyfriend, recently made unemployed, becomes jealous when he thinks she will no longer need him.

With:- KAYE WRAGG as Julie Singleton / JAMIE THEAKSTON as Steve / JEAN ALEXANDER as Enid / JONATHAN KERRIGAN as Ian Parnell / SHAUN PRENDEGAST as Jerry Parnell / JAMES BRADSHAW as Eric

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VIVA LAS BLACKPOOL!
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 30 January 2004
Writer: Damien Fitzsimmons / Director: Sarah Lancashire / Producer: Will Trotter

Three fifty-something bingo-going friends all fall for the same dishy vet and invent all sorts of pet problems to visit his surgery.

With:- PAULA WILCOX as Kathy Hughes / DENISE BLACK as Jill Collins / NOREEN KERSHAW as Amanda Jones / CLIVE MANTLE as Steve McGrath / JOHN McARDLE as Bob Collins

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GLASGOW DREAMS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 2 February 2004
Writer: Shan Khan / Director: Christopher Timothy / Producer: Will Trotter

Student Yasmeela lives with her father in a block of flats where they have to contend with regular racial abuse from the local youths - but the boy next door befriends them risking retribution from his friends and Yasmeela gives him encouragement to help him fulfil his ambition of being a computer games graphics designer.

With:- RASHID KARAPIET as Arob Khan / SHABAN BAKHSH as Yasmeela Khan / JAMES YOUNG as William Dean / CLARE GROGAN as Maw / TIM MATTHEWS as Julian Gilkes

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SERIES   THREE 24 - 28 January 2005 / 5 episodes

THE HITCH
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 24 January 2005
Writer: Martin Sadofski / Director: Neil Adams / Producer: Sam Hill

When a long-standing parish priest is revealed as a phoney two couples find out they are not officially married after all and need to have their vows re-affirmed. Whilst waiting for this they go through a process of re-evaluating their lives.

With:- SAMANTHA JANUS as Emma Priestley / JASON MERRELLS as John Priestley / NICOLA STEPHENSON as Nicola Passmore / NEIL STUKE as Steve Passmore

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THE TROUBLE WITH GEORGE
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 25 January 2005
Writer/Director: Matthew Parkhill / Producer: Sam Hill

Newly married Rose Lapwood moves into a new neighbourhood with kind-but-dull husband George. She makes friends with nearby Donna and together they decide to do away with George although they don't find it as easy to carry out as they'd thought.

With:- REECE DINSDALE as George Lapwood / LISA FAULKNER as Rose Lapwood / SIOBHAN REDMOND as Donna Cline / DONNA ALEXANDER as WPC Sullivan

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THE GOOD CITIZEN
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 26 January 2005
Writer: Ed McCardie / Director: James Strong / Producer: Sam Hill

Adam Clay uses an ancient law to claim a small field in England as his own and declare himself an independent republic. The government fears his action might start a series of similar incidents slowly eroding away the country and they try to have him declared mentally unstable in a highly public court battle.

With:- HUGH QUARSHIE as Adam Clay / CLAIRE GOOSE as Kate Dobie / TONY HAYGARTH as Sgt Happy Dobie / CLAIRE KING as Joanna Clay / NINA SOSANYA as Claire Cotton

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REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 27 January 2005
Writer: Harwant Bains / Director: Ian Barnes / Producer: Sam Hill

A father decides that reverse psychology might work on his defiant daughter when he pretends to like her boyfriend whom he really considers unsuitable.

With:- JOE McFADDEN as Angus / KOEL PURIE as Sonia Rose / SHIREEN SHAH as Hemma Bhose / MADHAV SHARMA as Yudi Bhose

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THE SINGING CACTUS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 28 January 2005
Writer: Damien Fitzsimmons / Director: Steve Kelly / Producer: Sam Hill

John Reilly treasures a cactus plant given to him years ago by his late father. But when his Uncle Billy dies John finds out a family secret concerning who his father really was.

With:- PETER CAPALDI as Billy Shannon / MELANIE HILL as Bonnie Reilly / FELICITY MONTAGU as Marjorie Goldblum RAYMOND QUINN as John Reilly / STEPHEN AINTREE as Norman Blakewell / GEOFF FRANCIS as Errol Johnson / CHRISTIE HANNON as Mary Parker

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SERIES FOUR 16-20 JANUARY 2006

TEA WITH BETTY
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x55m / 16 January 2006
Writer: Paul Smith / Producer: Sam Hill

A council estate gets a visit from The Queen on the tenth anniversary of some serious rioting which brought about some changes - and in particular the voluntary estate warden Wendy whom the Queen is going to have afternoon tea with in her flat.

With:- ANGELA LONSDALE as Wendy / KIERAN O'BRIEN as Sean (husband) / ROSEMARY LEACH as The Queen / JORDAN METCALFE as Kieran (son)

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THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF BILLY TWO SHEDS
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 17 January 2006
Writer: Alan Plater / Director: Pip Broughton / Producer: Sam Hill

Billy leaves his garden allotment plot and his two sheds to his much beloved granddaughter Sam just as the other plot-holders are fighting against an attempt by developers to buy-out their land.

With:- JAMES BOLAM as Billy (ghost) / JODIE WHITTAKER as Sam / TOM CHAMBERS as Peter (Sam's boyfriend) / SAM COX as Michael / PAUL COPLEY as Davie / AMANDA ROOT as Andrea

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YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 18 January 2006
Writer: Martin Sadofski / Director: Ian Barber / Producer: Sam Hill

Jessica meets what she thinks is the perfect guy - only trouble is he's a mummy's boy and his mother is a meddlesome busybody who makes her life hell.

With:- CLAIRE COX as Jessica / NOAH HUNTLEY as Gary / SHEILA REID as Edith (mother) / COLIN BAKER as The Judge

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ARE YOU JIM'S WIFE?
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x60m / 19 January 2006
Writer: James Payne / Director: Neil Adams / Producer: Sam Hill

Rachel runs a small café where Charlie, one of her elderly gentleman customers, has a quirk by which he asks any woman he meets if she is "Jim's Wife". Rachel finds out that he has been looking for Jim's wife for the last 60 years because Jim saved his life during the war and gave him a dying message to pass on - but he knows little more than his name. Rachel's friends set about trying to track down the woman for Charlie whose health is faltering.

With:- ROY DOTRICE as Charlie / RUTH GEMMELL as Rachel / JONATHAN WRATHER as Matt / LYNSEY McCAFFREY as Debbie

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MOLLY
BBC1 'The Afternoon Play' / 1x50m / 20 January 2006
Director: Terry Lland / Producer: Carol Harding

Molly is an eager young mechanic whose father is a homebrew enthusiast. When Molly's mother accidentally fills Molly's car up with homebrew instead of petrol it is found that the combination of brew and Molly's carburettor modification has created a new wonder fuel that has no exhaust and performs much better than the same amount of petrol for a small fraction of the cost. But the oil companies and the government are none too pleased about this discovery and set about trying to suppress it.

With:- GEORGIA TAYLOR as Molly Connelly / MARK BIXTOR as Johnny (boyfriend) / JANE GURNETT as Eleanor (mother) / IAN MERCER as Eddie (father) / RICHARD O'CALLAGHAN as Eddie / STEPHEN RAHMAN-HUGHES as James

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