Episode guide: 1971

ALMA MATER (7 Jan 1971)

wr. David Hodson
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. James Ferman
No recording exists

CIRCLE LINE (14 Jan 1971)

wr. W. Stephen Gilbert
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Claude Whatham
No recording exists

HELL’S ANGEL (21 Jan 1971)

wr. “David Agnew” [pseudonym]
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Alan Cooke
No recording exists

THE PIANO (28 Jan 1971)

wr. Julia Jones
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. James Cellan Jones

BILLY’S LAST STAND (4 Feb 1971)

wr. Barry Hines
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. John Glenister
No recording exists

THE LARGEST THEATRE IN THE WORLD – THE RAINBIRDS (11 Feb 1971)

wr. Clive Exton
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Philip Saville Essay by Oliver Wake; Essay by David Rolinson (for ODNB)

REDDICK (18 Feb 1971)

wr. Munroe Scott
pr. Mervyn Rosenzveig, Robert Allen
dr. Mervyn Rosenzveig
[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]
No recording exists

THE FOX TROT (29 Apr 1971)

Essay by David Rolinson
wr. Rhys Adrian
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Philip Saville Essay by Oliver Wake; Essay by David Rolinson (for ODNB)

WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS (6 May 1971)

wr. Tony Parker Essay by David Rolinson
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. James Ferman

ORKNEY: A TIME TO KEEP/THE WHALER’S RETURN/CELIA (13 May 1971)

wr. John McGrath (stories George Mackay Brown)
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. James MacTaggart Essay by Oliver Wake

THE RANK AND FILE (20 May 1971)

Essay by John Williams
wr. Jim Allen
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Kenneth Loach
The Rank and File was released on DVD by the BBC/2Entertain/Sixteen Films in 2011 (as part of Ken Loach at the BBC.

THE MAN IN THE SIDECAR (27 May 1971)

wr. Simon Gray
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. James MacTaggart Essay by Oliver Wake
No recording exists

EVERYBODY SAY CHEESE (3 Jun 1971)

wr. Douglas Livingstone
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Alan Clarke Essay by David Rolinson; Alan Clarke section.
No recording exists

TRAITOR (14 Oct 1971)

Essay by David Rolinson
wr. Dennis Potter
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Alan Bridges

EDNA, THE INEBRIATE WOMAN (21 Oct 1971)

wr. Jeremy Sandford
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Ted Kotcheff
Edna, the Inebriate Woman was released on blu ray by the BFI in 2022 (as part of Play for Today: Volume 3)

EVELYN (28 Oct 1971)

Essay by ‘Mr Wolf’
wr. Rhys Adrian
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Piers Haggard

O FAT WHITE WOMAN (4 Nov 1971)

wr. William Trevor
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Philip Saville Essay by Oliver Wake; Essay by David Rolinson (for ODNB)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH (11 Nov 1971)

wr. N.F. Simpson
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Claude Whatham

MICHAEL REGAN (18 Nov 1971)

wr. Robert Holles
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. John Gorrie
No recording exists

SKIN DEEP (25 Nov 1971)

wr. Michael O’Neill, Jeremy Seabrook
pr. Graeme McDonald
dr. Michael Lindsay-Hogg
No recording exists

PAL (2 Dec 1971)

wr. Alun Owen
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. Silvio Narizzano
No recording exists

THE PIGEON FANCIER (9 Dec 1971)

wr. Peter Hankin
pr. Irene Shubik
dr. James Ferman

Go to: Plays repeated under PFT banner in 1971.

Go to: 1972.

Traitor and Edna, the Inebriate Woman were available on BBC Store but it closed on 1 November 2017. Note that some titles that were previously available via BBC Store, and some others, are now available to buy to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

For researchers interested in these plays and their archival status, we strongly recommend the BBC drama research guide available here from Kaleidoscope.

Updates:
27 April 2015: simplified layout; added producer credits; added DVD availability.
8 June 2015: minor format corrections; added ‘go to’ links.
10 July 2015: updated release information; minor format standardisation.
25 February 2017: checked latest BBC Store release information; no additions required since 2016 check but tidied presentation of BBC Store information.
12 June 2018: replaced ‘Episodes’ with ‘Episode guide’; removed BBC Store release information from individual entries and noted its closure.
10 January 2020: added ODNB link for Philip Saville piece.
14 October 2020: added Amazon note.
16 October 2020: added link to Alan Clarke section; repaired Philip Saville ODNB link.
3 March 2023: updated blu ray release information.