Playhouse Presents is a series of self-contained TV plays, made by British broadcaster Sky Arts. The series started airing on 12 April 2012, on Sky Arts 1. Each episode is written by a different writer and stars a different cast. The four-part adaptation of A Country Doctor's Notebook was also broadcast on the strand in December 2012. Sky Arts have announced that they are ordering a five-part spin-off of the third play, Nixon’s The One. They say the full cast, including Harry Shearer as Nixon and Henry Goodman as Kissinger, will return for the series run, which will be filmed in September 2012. The series will broadcast in 2013. The second series began airing in April 2013 featuring Kathy Burke, Frances Barber, Julia Davis, Idris Elba, Anna Friel, Rebecca Front, Stephen Graham, David Harewood, Ian Hart, Sharon Horgan, Mathew Horne, Suranne Jones, Kylie Minogue, Vanessa Redgrave, Peter Serafinowicz, Matt Smith, Johnny Vegas, Marc Warren, Jack Whitehall and Reggie Yates.
Playhouse Presents (Season 2)
Hey Diddly Dee (Episode 1)
Writer: Marc Warren
Air date: 2013-04-18
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Johnny is the eager-to-please ASM and understudy to arrogant actor Roger Kite, who is due to play Andy Warhol in an upcoming West End production. Roger treats Johnny abominably, forcing him to make his coffee, sort his fan mail and - particularly - keep him away from the theatre's lucky mascot, a black cat called Diddly. As opening night approaches, Kite's attitude worsens, causing the young man to hear voices urging him to prevent Kite from starring.
Snodgrass (Episode 2)
Writer: David Quantick
Air date: 2013-04-25
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: In 1991, 51-year-old John Lennon, living on the dole in Birmingham and following the moderate success of The Beatles, recalls how he left the band in 1962 after they were persuaded to release 'How Do You Do It?' as a single, rather than 'Love Me Do'. His intolerance for Jobsworths – or 'Snodgrasses', as he calls them – puts him out of contention for a job.
The Call Out (Episode 3)
Writer: Carlo Gabriel Nero
Air date: 2013-05-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Policemen Len and Vic are called to Union Square flats after a middle-aged woman reports seeing an intruder. However, on arrival, Len discovers that the woman is not really concerned with securing her property but takes him into a room with erotic photos and wants to talk about sex.
Pavement Psychologist (Episode 4)
Writer: Idris Elba
Air date: 2013-05-09
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Singleton Jenny works at a small accountancy firm and has an on-off relationship with her boss, Doug. As she walks to work, she becomes aware of Chris, a homeless man who sits huddled on the pavement and is something of a philosopher, commenting on the different shoes she wears and her weight loss. She befriends him and learns that he lost his family in a house fire three years earlier and, as his philosophy becomes more profound, they allow her to take stock of her own situation.
Mr Understood (Episode 5)
Writer: Kate Hardie
Air date: 2013-05-16
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Thirtysomething transvestite Gary at last plucks up the courage to attend a South End disco for cross-dressers, though the whole occasion is very hesitant as he argues with his alter ego the pros and cons of coming out.
Stage Door Johnnies (Episode 6)
Writer: Catherine McCormack
Air date: 2013-05-23
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: As John Nettles and Suranne Jones arrive at a Guildford theatre for a touring production of 'Romeo and Juliet', a mockumentary concentrates on the stage door 'Johnnies', the fans who congregate at the back of the theatre waiting for the stars to come out. Shambling Tony makes unusual presents for the players whilst acerbic video shop manager Marco offers them 'constructive' criticism on past performances, and Meg and Susan may look sweet but are actually are subject to a restraining order banning them from coming within fifty feet of Nettles. Ralph might be the quiet one but isn't averse to joining in on a little bodily harm as the fans make their allegiance known.
Psychobitches: Episode 1 (Episode 7)
Writer: Jeremy Dyson
Air date: 2013-05-30
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford battle over diva status; sisters Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë can't stop quarrelling; and Sylvia Plath needs to be a little more cheerful!
Cargese (Episode 8)
Writer: Simon Stephens
Air date: 2013-06-30
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Childhood friends Stephen and Carl spend a winter kicking around the estate where they live, playing on the computer - for which 'Cargese' is the password and exploring old warehouses. Stephen's father walked out years ago and now his mother is dying, he feels that he will be deserted yet again. Other than his meek brother Alex and girlfriend, his only comfort in life is Carl. But when Carl announces that he will be leaving the estate for further education, it is the last straw for the increasingly unhinged Stephen, who is prepared to implicate his friend in a murder to keep control over him.
Psychobitches: Episode Two (Episode 9)
Writer: Jeremy Dyson
Air date: 2013-06-06
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Dian Fossey vents why she's so hostile; Diana Dors is confronted by Marilyn Monroe; and The Therapist examines a brooding Virginia Woolf and a love-struck Cleopatra.
Ragged (Episode 10)
Writer: Andrew Lynch
Air date: 2013-06-06
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: In 1973, former National Front member Ricky Tomlinson is convicted of conspiracy to intimidate when as half of the so-called Shrewsbury Two, he refuses to give evidence against other flying pickets upholding a building site strike. Sentenced to two years, Ricky sees himself as a political prisoner, declining to eat or wear prison clothes until at his last prison, the governor introduces him to a book that changes his outlook on life.
Psychobitches: Episode Three (Episode 11)
Writer: Jeremy Dyson
Air date: 2013-06-13
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Liz Taylor devours a chocolate éclair before discussing her two marriages to Richard Burton.
Gifted (Episode 12)
Writer: Angela Pell
Air date: 2013-06-13
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Chris has a unique gift, the ability to heal the sick by touching them. However, he is also a germophobe, which makes him shy away from physical contact and live a lonely, secluded life. Then he meets Mona, a new colleague and single mother and - in all likelihood - his very first date. Simultaneously, his mother May is admitted to hospital with cancer. Can his newfound confidence after meeting Mona enable him to save his mother's life?
Psychobitches: Episode Four (Episode 13)
Writer: Jeremy Dyson
Air date: 2013-06-27
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A troubled Nancy Spungen performs a couple of lewd songs, and Eve talks, with great regret, about her sexual relationship with Adam.
Psychobitches: Episode Five (Episode 14)
Writer: Jeremy Dyson
Air date: 2013-06-27
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Mona Lisa confesses the truth behind her iconic smile.
Seasons
Episodes 11
Episodes 14
Episodes 9
Episodes 1