"I guess you would say we were on a high with it, because it was a huge privilege, and I think we knew it was very privileged to be given that opportunity... I think it was huge fun but I do think we tried to take it seriously and do good work."

  - Ken Loach remembers The Wednesday Play

On the set of 'Cathy Come Home':
(l to r) Loach, Nell Dunn,
Carol White, Jeremy Sandford

During its final year, the viewing figures for The Wednesday Play dropped to around five million - less than half of its peak audience.  Over its six-year run the strand had featured an impressive 176 plays.

In autumn 1970, an attempt was made to reinvigorate the strand and it was renamed Play for Today - highlighting its contemporaneity - and this ran for even longer into the mid-80s.

Today, almost fifty years since The Wednesday Play was first broadcast to British audiences, what might the legacy be of this innovative drama strand? In our final featured video we ask contributors to look back and tell us what they think.

The BFI would like to thank Nell Dunn, Tony Garnett, Ken Loach and John Hill for their generous contributions to these films. We are also grateful to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, whose kind support made this tour possible.

Click on 'Featured Video' in the right panel to watch.