5 /10 1 Votes
Genre Drama anthology No. of seasons 9 Running time 30 minutes Final episode date 13 May 1978 Number of seasons 9 | 5/10 IMDb Country of origin United Kingdom No. of episodes 53 First episode date 15 October 1973 Network BBC Two Number of episodes 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Producer(s) Peter Ansorge
Tara Prem Similar BBC2 Playhouse, Play for Today, Me! I’m Afraid of Virginia, Empire Road, Boys from the Blackstuff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Second City Firsts is a BBC drama anthology series of single plays, all lasting thirty-minutes. Recorded at BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham, or sometimes filmed on location, the series was transmitted between 1973 and 1978.
Contents
The series title referred both to Pebble Mill's location in England's so-called Second City, and the fact that the series commissioned an unprecedented amount of first time writers.
The 1974 episode "Girl" featured the first lesbian kiss on British television, between Alison Steadman and Myra Frances.
The 1975 episode Club Havana featured actress Julie Walters in her first role on British TV.
The 1976 episode Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration was written by Ian McEwan, his screen debut.
Series
- 15 October 1973 to 19 November 1973
- 15 February 1974 to 25 March 1974
- 28 October 1974 to 16 December 1974
- 20 March 1975 to 24 April 1975
- 25 October 1975 to 29 November 1975
- 13 January 1976 to 24 April 1976
- 14 November 1976 to 12 December 1976
- 5 March 1977 to 6 June 1977
- 8 April 1978 to 13 May 1978
Archive holdings
Of the 53 plays in the series, 28 survive.