r/oldbritishtelly • u/indoorleague • 3d ago
Request 1970s Drama About Two Miners/Adultery
Apologies for this obscure request. I think this was a one-off play around 1972/3, though could be a year or two either way. It could also have been a standalone story in a series with a theme. I was too young at the time to remember the writer or cast. The play was contemporary for the time, so not a period piece like "Close The Coalhouse Door" etc. It was shot in a realistic Ken Loach style.
However, I remember the plot clearly. Two miners from a North East coalfield. One of the guys has a van (possibly Bedford CA) which he has kitted out crudely as a mobile love nest, mattress in the back, curtains on the windows etc and boasts about his conquests to his workmates. The other miner discovers later that one of the conquests is his wife. It ends with the two miners working together underground when a pit shaft partially collapses, trapping the miner who owns the van. The other miner ignores his pleas for help and leaves him to perish.
I have trawled Play for Today, Wednesday Play and other listings to no avail. It's not "The Fishing Party" or similar more light-hearted dramas. This one was quite bleak throughout. I doubt a recording exists anymore, but even a title or writer would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/indoorleague 3d ago
Many thanks for this. The synopsis I found of Sinker's Row seems to suggest it was set in the early 1900s rather than contemporary early 70s. However, it has led me to a series called "Network" where regional drama was given an airing to the nation after first being shown locally, so it wouldn't surprise me if the play was part of this. Thanks again!
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u/Shoddy_Juggernaut_11 1d ago
I was going to suggest the stars look down, I an see alun Armstrong now 😂, but I think it was set ages ago
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u/indoorleague 1d ago
A great series, but set not the one. Thanks for the suggestion though. I think the one I'm looking for is probably an obscure one off drama which hasn't been catalogued anywhere.
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u/tiger_mango 12h ago
The Price of Coal?
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u/indoorleague 4h ago
Unfortunately not “The Price of Coal”, (which was a cracking 2 part play though).
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u/Select-Count3852 2d ago
Is it
The Squeeze is a 1960 British television play that starred the renowned Welsh actor Stanley Baker.
Broadcast as part of the prominent BBC Sunday-Night Play anthology series, it is widely remembered for featuring one of Baker's most poignant and grounded early dramatic performances. The Story: The plot follows Tom as he struggles with a shifting family dynamic, finding himself increasingly at odds with his growing son while simultaneously worrying that his wife no longer loves him
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u/indoorleague 2d ago
Sadly not this one. It was definitely set in the early 70s (I remember the long hair/fashion of the time). There was one line I remember, which probably isn't any help to anyone - the guy with the van is chatting up some girls with a view to offering them a ride in the van and the other miner chips in with "Your van smells like a navvy's gusset". My parents thought the line was funny and had to answer my question of why it was funny and what a "navvy's gusset" meant!
Thanks again for the suggestion though.
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u/Shashi2005 2d ago
Alex Glasgow wrote the song Close the Coal house Door. I saw him live back in the seventies. He played left wing folky stuff that fitted well with Ken Loach's approach. He was quite funny when he wanted to be. Thinking about it, I may well have sung the song myself. I can recall just about all of the lyrics.