© 2026 The Couch Critic
Status
Released
Release
2020
Runtime
1h 29m
Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.
19 Cast Members
Martina Laird
Narrator (voice)
Ken Loach
Self – Director
Mike Leigh
Self – Filmmaker
Tony Garnett
Self – Producer (archive footage, 1993)
Ann Scott
Self – Script Editor & Producer
Richard Eyre
Self – Director & Producer
David Hare
Self – Writer & Director
Dennis Potter
Self – Writer (archive footage, 1973 & 1977)
Margaret Matheson
Self – Producer
Huw Wheldon
Self – Managing Director, BBC TV (archive footage, 1968-1975)
David Rose
Self – Producer (archive footage, 1988)
Peter Ansorge
Self – Producer & Script Editor
Roy Battersby
Self – Director
Kenith Trodd
Self – Producer
William Hardcastle
Self (archive footage)
Alasdair Milne
Self – Managing Director, BBC Television
Alan Clarke
Self – Director, 'Scum' (archive footage)
Horace Ové
Self – Director (archive footage, 1982)
Rachel Billington
Self – Writer
