A short-lived anthology series presenting condensed, thirty-minute dramas as a companion to its parent programme, Armchair Theatre.
As an anthology series, each episode presented a self-contained play with a different cast. Notable episodes included “Alfred Potter’s Story,” starring Arthur Lowe and Ian Ogilvy; “Carol’s Story,” with Pauline Collins and Freddie Jones; and “Simon Fenton’s Story,” which featured Frances Cuka and Donald Webster. Other instalments included performances from Dennis Waterman and John Fraser.
Armchair Thirty was Thames Television’s attempt to adapt the formidable Armchair Theatre brand for a faster, late-night schedule. The programme was an exercise in concision, challenging established television writers like Fay Weldon and William Trevor to construct complete dramas within a restrictive half-hour format. The result was a collection of intense, often claustrophobic, character studies that dispensed with narrative indulgence in favour of sharp, direct storytelling.
Broadcast: ITV – Thames, 10 Episodes, 11 April 1973 – 4 December 1973
Producer: Joan Kemp-Welch
Story Editor: Andrew Brown
Writers included: William Trevor, Pauline Macaulay, Fay Weldon, Trevor Preston, Howard Schuman
Main Cast included: Arthur Lowe, Ian Ogilvy, Pauline Collins, Freddie Jones, Frances Cuka, Donald Webster, Dennis Waterman
