An anthology series of single television dramas commissioned from a variety of independent writers and directors.
This strand presented a collection of one-off contemporary dramas. The plays covered a wide spectrum of subjects and tones. The first season included Mike Bradwell’s marital comedy Chains of Love, starring Veronica Roberts (Veronica Roberts); a trilogy of satirical shorts by Peter Barnes, featuring Jack Shepherd (Jack Shepherd) and Janet Suzman (Janet Suzman); and Peter Morgan’s screen debut Shalom Joan Collins, a comedy about a Jewish family’s anxieties starring Anna Massey (Anna Massey). The second season featured dramas such as Itch, written by and starring Alexei Sayle (Alexei Sayle), and In The Border Country, a story of the Miners’ Strike starring Juliet Stevenson (Juliet Stevenson) and Sean Bean (Sean Bean). A themed quartet of short films on the subject of seduction was also a component of the second run.
4 Play was a vital component of Channel 4’s drama output in the late 1980s and early 1990s, offering a dedicated space for the single play at a time when the format was in decline on other networks. The strand acted as an adjunct to the channel’s prestigious Film on Four slot, continuing its remit to nurture emergent talent and commission work from distinctive, authorial voices. It provided an early platform for writers who would become major figures, including future Oscar-winner Peter Morgan. By commissioning from a wide variety of independent producers, the series ensured a stylistic and thematic diversity that became a hallmark of the channel’s most ambitious programming.
Broadcast: Channel 4, 22 Plays, 11 November 1989 – 13 April 1991
Production Companies included: Greenpoint Films, Messenger TV Productions, A Mark Forstater Production, Jericho Productions, A Positive Partnership, Strathrealm Productions, Woodfilm
Selected Writers: Mike Bradwell, Peter Barnes, Peter Morgan, Sheila Fox, Alexei Sayle, Daniel Mornin, Kevin Hood, Bryan Elsley, Tina Pepler
Selected Directors: Mike Bradwell, Peter Barnes, Mandie Fletcher, Ian Knox, Phil Davis, Beeban Kidron, Terry Johnson, Peter Cattaneo
Selected Cast: Veronica Roberts, Jack Shepherd, Daniel Massey, Janet Suzman, Anton Rodgers, Anna Massey, Gary McDonald, Nabil Shaban, Alexei Sayle, Christopher Fulford, Juliet Stevenson, Sean Bean, Jim Broadbent, Frances Tomelty, Ken Hutchison, Ralph Brown, Celia Imrie, Brenda Bruce, Adrian Rawlins
