Dennis Potter At London Weekend Television Vols.1 And 2 DVD – Peggy Ashcroft, Denholm Elliott 

Six television plays by the controversial and award-winning writer Dennis Potter. In ‘Blade On the Feather’ (1980), a reclusive writer who lives on a secluded estate is visited by a young man who claims to be an admirer of his work. As the two men get to know each other, it becomes clear that the purpose of the young man’s visit is to uncover a dark secret in the writer’s past. In ‘Rain On the Roof’ (1980), a dysfunctional couple is slowly being torn apart by adultery and jealousy. When Janet (Cheryl Campbell) starts flirting with the simple-minded Billy (Ewan Stewart), while giving him a reading lesson as a form of revenge against her philandering husband, Billy begins to take out his own resentments and frustrations against John (Malcolm Stoddard). In ‘Cream in My Coffee’ (1980), an elderly couple explore the memories of their relationship after they visit the hotel where they first met. In ‘Shaggy Dog’ (1968), no-nonsense businessman Wilkie (John Neville) is interviewed for a position with a top-of-the-line hotel chain corporation. During the interview, Wilkie attempts to complete a shaggy-dog story. However, his frustrations lead to a total breakdown, and he suddenly snaps and pulls a gun on the interviewers. In ‘Moonlight On the Highway’ (1969), a troubled young man, David Peters (Ian Holm), rejects the rock music of the day and immerses himself in the tunes of 1930s crooner Al Bowlly, who was killed during the London blitz. He collects Bowlly memorabilia, publishes the Bowlly fan-club newsletter, and finds pleasure in lip-synching Bowlly records – but his obsession with Bowlly masks certain darker events in his past. Finally, in the semi-autobiographical ‘Lay Down Your Arms’ (1970), set at the time of the 1956 Suez Crisis and the Russian invasion of Hungary, Private Bob Hawk (Nikolas Simmonds) reports to the London Intelligence Office, where the strength of Soviet troops is under scrutiny.

Featuring six Dennis Potter plays: ‘Blade On The Feather’, ‘Cream In My Coffee’, ‘Rain On The Roof’, ‘Shaggy Dog’, ‘Moonlight On The Highway’ and ‘Lay Down Your Arms’.

Dennis Potter has long been acknowledged as one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. No stranger to controversy he refused to compromise his art for the sake of shifting standards of decency and public approval and remains highly regarded by writers and critics alike. Though he had considerable successes with the series format (such as The Singing Detective and Casanova) it is generally accepted that his strongest work is the single play of which he wrote many for both the BBC and ITV. These rarely seen plays form a significant part of Potter’s body of work. Cream in my Coffee won the Prix Italia for Best Drama in 1980 and Peggy Ashcroft won the BAFTA for Best Actress. Blade on the Feather won a Best Actor BAFTA for Denholm Elliott as well as one for Best Graphics. Accompanying the plays are two interviews that Potter did for Sir Melvyn Bragg’s South Bank Show in the late 1970s. Titles Comprise: 1. Blade on the Feather 2. Rain on the Roof 3. Cream in my Coffee 4. Shaggy Dog 5. Moonlight on the Highway 6. Lay Down Your Arms