Armchair Theatre: Thames/Network DVD

Released by Network DVD as 'volume one' in the series of 'Armchair Theatre', this two-disc set brings together eight plays which were produced by Thames Television and shown on ITV between 1970 and 1973. 'Armchair Theatre' itself had a distinguished history back to the mid-1950s when the plays were produced by ABC - their raison d'etre was the presentation of modern drama, rather than classic adaptations, for a peak-time audience.

The plays featured are:

• Say Goodnight to Your Grandma (1970, written by Colin Welland, starring Colin Welland, Susan Jameson, Mona Bruce)
• Office Party (1971, written by Fay Weldon, starring Peter Barkworth, Angharad Rees, Ray Brooks, Peter Denyer)
• Brown Skin Gal, Stay Home and Mind Bay-Bee (1971, written by Robert Holles, starring Billie Whitelaw and Donal McCann)
• Detective Waiting (1971, written by Bryan Pringle, starring Richard Beckinsale and Barry Linehan)
• Will Amelia Quint Continue Writing 'A Gnome Called Shorthouse'? (1971, written by Roy Clarke, starring Beryl Reid, Richard Vernon and Sheila Steafel)
• The Folk Singer (1972, written by Dominic Behan, starring Tom Bell)
• A Bit of a Lift (1973, written by Donald Churchill, starring Ronald Fraser, Ann Beach and Donald Churchill)
• Red Riding Hood (1973, written by John Peacock, starring Rita Tushingham and Keith Barron)

The casts alone make this a must-buy, but for a collection of eight top-classic dramas which run around an hour each, for a price of just over a tenner, you get extraordinary good value. The prints are generally fine - Office Party suffers from a bit of screen noise but nothing that would have been a problem at the time. All the programmes are in colour and are presented with their 'end of act one' adcaps and Thames animated ident at the start - always a nice touch with Network releases.

Looking at the individual plays, there isn't one dud in the set - and the variation in subject matter ensures that it doesn't feel like 'more of the same'. 'Office Party' feels like a one-act stage play, while 'Detective Waiting' with outdoor locations, is more like the pilot to a series. Perhaps the most successful of all, mainly for its quietly confident acting, is 'Brown Skin Gal ...'; it is always a pleasure to see Billie Whitelaw and, together with a new face to me, the late Donal McCann, she doesn't disappoint. The oddest of the eight is 'The Folk Singer', a musical fable of Ireland - but even that intrigues enough to keep you watching.