Channel 5's Play for Today is back for a second season, reviving the anthology series that originally aired on the BBC in the 1970s. Following a successful first run, the drama, composed of original films, returns with a new wave of episodes.
Like the first season, which gave first credits to new writers, first-time directors, and early-career crew, Channel 5 says this new wave further cements Play for Today as a launchpad for the next generation of British talent.
Star-studded line-up for the opening episode
The new season features a line-up of notable actors, including Line of Duty's Daniel Mays, Game of Thrones star Joel Fry, and Happy Valley's Amit Shah, who all star in the first episode, Wild, written by Lewis Wren and directed by BRICK.
There are six episodes in the second series in total, all of which will air as standalone films. The first, titled Wild, will broadcast on Friday, September 25 at 9pm on Channel 5.
What to expect from Wild
A synopsis reads: "Lou (Mays), Dev (Shah), and Alistair (Fry), three old friends clinging to their annual wild camping tradition, begin with banter, nostalgia, and amateur vlogging, but soon unravel into a battle of egos, secrets, and survival when they get lost, food runs short, and friendships fracture."
The description adds: "At once funny, poignant, and unsettling, Wild explores the line between adventure and recklessness, and how toxic masculinity has become a huge part of the epidemic decline in men’s mental health."
Full release schedule for series two
The remaining episodes in the series are scheduled as follows: Village Idiot on Friday, October 2; Closing Time on Friday, October 9; The Quiet Hour on Friday, October 16; The Castle on Friday, October 23; and The Nine O'clock Tot on Friday, October 30.
