The After-Dinner Joke
17th episode of the 8th series of Play for Today
| "The After-Dinner Joke" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Play for Today episode | |||
| Episode no. | Series 8 Episode 17 | ||
| Directed by | Colin Bucksey | ||
| Written by | Caryl Churchill | ||
| Produced by | Margaret Matheson | ||
| Original air date | 14 February 1978 (1978-02-14) | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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"The After-Dinner Joke" is the 17th episode of eighth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 14 February 1978. "The After-Dinner Joke" was written by Caryl Churchill, directed by Colin Bucksey, produced by Margaret Matheson, and starred Paula Wilcox.
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. "There's something political about everything," a local Mayor assures her.
It has also been produced for the stage, including a major revival at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London, directed by Sophie Boyce in May 2014.[1]
Cast
- Paula Wilcox as Selby
- Richard Vernon as Price
- Clive Merrison as Dent
- Derek Smith as the Mayor
References
- ^ "The After-Dinner Joke". Orange Tree Theatre.
Sources
- Churchill, Caryl. 1990. Shorts. London: Nick Hern Books. ISBN 978-1-85459-085-5.
External links
- "The After-Dinner Joke" at IMDb
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Caryl Churchill
- Downstairs (1958)
- Having a Wonderful Time (1960)
- Easy Death (1960)
- Owners (1972)
- Moving Clocks Go Slow (1973)
- Objections to Sex and Violence (1975)
- Traps (1976)
- Vinegar Tom (1976)
- Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976)
- Cloud Nine (1979)
- Top Girls (1982)
- Fen (1983)
- Softcops (1983)
- Midday Sun (1984)
- Serious Money (1987)
- Icecream (1989)
- Mad Forest (1990)
- The Skriker (1994)
- Blue Heart (1997)
- A Number (2002)
- Love and Information (2012)
| Short plays |
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| Opera, dance and cabaret |
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| Adaptations and translations |
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- You've No Need to be Frightened (1959)
- The Ants (1962)
- Lovesick (1966)
- Identical Twins (1968)
- Abortive (1971)
- Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen (1971)
- Schreber's Nervous Illness (1972)
- Henry's Past (1972)
- The Judge's Wife (1972)
- Perfect Happiness (1973)
- Turkish Delight (1973)
- The After-Dinner Joke (1978)
- The Legion Hall Bombing (1979)
- Crimes (1982)
- Fugue (1987)
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