Friday 3rd January
the 77th etude
Hello everyone.
Happy New Year!
Well, here I am. After decreeing the end of etude in 2022, I thought i’d revive the newsletter. I’ll probably write a bit of an update as to what etude will look like in 2025 but I thought I’d post something first to get you all over the January blues. I also hope that this etude gives you a bit of a sense of whats to come through the year.
One of my favourite discoveries over 2024 was the giant archive of BBC’s Play for Today you can find online, either through the BFI player or in the depths of youtube videos. Play for Today was a series of television plays and adaptations of stage plays for the screen which the BBC presented throughout the 70’s and 80’s. Here’s a great introduction written by David Rolinson
I feel like I’ve had a bit of a “its not as good as it used to be” mentality with the last etude and this may feel like a similar message. But having playwrights experiementing with TV as form under the banner of Play for the Day was something that feels so rare when it comes to TV writing these days. There have been some fantastic examples of Playwrights making the jump to TV over the years, big shout out to Camillia Whitehill’s Big Mood which came out in 2024, but I’d love to see a return to these short plays written for TV, presented as if they were plays in their own right, not just tv scripts.
The language of these are theatrical in their core, directed and acted like they’re filling the Olivier to small fringe spaces.
I shared Alan Clarkes adaptation of Jim Cartwright’s Road in last issue of etude without watching it (oops). I don’t think I’ve seen a better production of Road in my lifetime, growing up in Bolton you kinda have to sit through about 10 student productions and the odd Octagon anniverary staging. It didn;t shy away from the brutality of the script which at times can be over looked with a general “oh ey up we’re northern innit tough my chuck but oh by ‘eck is it fun” cheekyness. This version allowed the brutality of Thaterchisim to shine through, that it’s “we carry on” vibes you get in Bolton to be surrounded by destitute, hollow homes. I loved it. You should all see it. Watch it now and come back to the newsletter after. Here’s the link
After watching this and countless others, mainly Alan Clarke numbers becuase he low key the king of this, I decided too make a list of ones that I want to watch and some I want to do deep dives into, the hard to find, easily lost Play for the Day’s.
Here are 5 that are on my list that you can watch today! The recording quality isnt the best with some of them and with these being presented in the 70’s & 80’s a lot of them are about working class life during the time so there will be a lot of topics that are related to that, if you’re looking for something a bit more up beat…I’ll try and find some happier ones next time around.
Worth saying that I haven’t watched some of these yet. This is me sharing my Letterboxd watchlist but directly into your emails. Another thing to mention is that I’ve played fast and loose with these selections. Not all are originally writers for theatre but I just wanted to share some ones I was excited to watch!
The After -Dinner Joke by Caryl Churchil
Free
Unfolding through a sequence of 66 short, episodic scenes and utilising many characters, the drama explores the politics of charity through the story of a young woman called Selby who wants "to do good." As a charity worker, she studiously avoids becoming embroiled in political issues, only to discover during the course of the action that this is impossible.
This is a really playful and experimental Play for the Day production. The technology has dated it a whole lot but it’s a thrill to see.
Penda’s Fen by David Rudkin and Directed by Alan Clarke
free
In the pastoral landscape of Three Choirs England, a clergyman's son, in his last days of school, has his idealistic value-system and the precious tokens of his self-image all broken away - his parentage, his nationality, his sexuality, his conventional patriotism and faith...
The Cheviot, The Stag and The Black, Black Oil by John McGrath
free
The 1974 TV adaptation of John McGrath's iconic 7:84 play about the exploitation of the Scottish people through history, from the aftermath of Culloden to the oil boom.
The Garland by Horace Ové & H.O. Nazareth
free
When her 17-year-old son Roy falls in love with a Muslim girl, and a Bangladeshi butcher seeks help from her husband Raji, Leela realizes that the tears and romance of Indian cinema are closer to her own life than she has ever imagined.
free
When a teacher takes a group of troubled school children on a school trip to Conwy in Wales, the children understand life outside of Liverpool.
We’ll see how long the next etude takes me to do but this is a nice thing you can sit down with and enjoy with a brew whilst covered in blankets and other nice warm winter things. Let us know what your favourite Play for Today is and which ones I should watch. Here’s an article on some of the lost Play for Todays which I found really intresting too.
Thanks for reading
Josh