About this season
The Afternoon Play is a British television anthology series of standalone contemporary dramas aired during the afternoons of 2003–07 on BBC One, featuring well-known actors in one-off stories. A daytime drama strand showcasing a variety of genres, from comedy to mystery, it was part of a long tradition of afternoon plays on BBC Radio 4, which would go on to influence the television version.
Episodes (5)
1. Turkish Delight
Aired 27 January 2003 • 60 min
A bored housewife finds glamour and excitement when she starts a job belly-dancing in a Turkish restaurant.
2. Coming Up for Air
Aired 28 January 2003 • 60 min
An overworked, unhappy widower who suffers from stress ends up with shock-related amnesia when he takes a holiday in Spain. With the help of a woman he meets out there, he then has to rediscover his old identity, meeting family and colleagues as if for the first time.
3. The Real Arnie Griffin
Aired 29 January 2003 • 60 min
An undercover store detective, who prides himself on his disguises but longs to solve real crimes, seizes a chance to impress both his estranged wife and investigate a hit-and-run.
4. Heroes and Villains
Aired 30 January 2003 • 60 min
On a deprived housing estate, down-and-out Jonny steals some dodgy leather jackets that turn out to have drugs in them. When his girlfriend Marlene sells them on to the locals, she receives a tip-off about their contents and realises they must be retrieved.
5. Girls' Weekend
Aired 31 January 2003 • 60 min
Four old friends take a hen weekend by the sea, where the bride-to-be discovers that the others have all slept with her fiancé. The fiancé, meanwhile, realising something is wrong, abandons his stag weekend to go and find her.