This is what happened to many Londoners 60s/70s. I was in the smoke then and saw it first hand. Older people chucked out because of politicians rivalry. Same today !!. Thanks all. Dave
It went on way beyond the 70s. I had friends who were paid by the council to move from north London to east London so they could turn flats over to Somalians and that was in the late 1980s.
Thank you for posting this excellent story - things will only change when people of all races and colours unite and fight together against the ones that are oppressing the poor and the working class.
I fought the demolition by political rivalry, and won. Weaver House Pedley Street E1 is still there with the flying man on a bicycle sculpture still celebrating freedom in the communal garden. Its a 1920's anachronism in the middle of plate glass condominiums for investors.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this gets taken down and swept under the rug,with all the other historical details they expect to be just,,conveniently forgotten!
Thank you for this of course. I have not seen this one before, but like all the other Play For Today episodes, well worth seeing, or indeed reseeing so too. The copyright date indeed was 1979, in the usual Roman numerals that the BBC used then, and indeed still do today then for the most part of course. Thank you too.
I am 73,a Texan. I have always wondered why, why cant people ,no matter the race,religious or political belief, get along. We are a divided nation because of political beliefs. I am very concerned and frightened for U.S. This movie is heartbreaking and brought alot of feelings and sadness.s
Wow! Powerful drama. Thank you for uploading these Play For Today - incredible . Much appreciated. Do you have 'Traitor' ? I've been looking for that one for a long time...
Mother was lucky to be able to buy her house off the Council Under Mrs Thatcher. No one could chuck her out And when she died I got 76000 pounds for it She gvae 22000 My Aunt didnt and they put her out into sheltered accomadation in a dodgy part of Preston She was robbed 7 times
Thatcher's right-to-buy legislation is the reason housing lists are so long now - politicians of all sides will admit to this. As part of the legislation, councils were prohibited to a) build a house/flat to replace each one sold and b) to retain the total funds from the sale, most of which went to central government to fund the huge unemployment dole bill of the 80s. This meant that the numbers of a available council houses and flats quickly reduced by vast numbers and councils then had to ration them for the most in need who could not afford or be able to access any other housing- society's most vulnerable: ex-offenders, those with addiction problems, single parents, those with mental health problems affecting their ability to work in the mainstream, pensioners, the lowest paid, the unemployed and refugees. This quickly created ghettos on some former council estates as very few people living there were conventionally "well-off" or in work. Many who were younger when they bought their council houses,soon sold up and moved on or rented their property out. In the mid 1970s almost 33% of the population lived in council housing,meaning their were many working class people of all ages in work on the estates, as well as those with the issues described above, creating a natural mix and community which didn't exist after right-to-buy had bedded in.
@@muk8804 people tend to conveniently forget these details thanks for taking the time to remind us that the current housing crisis is a direct result of ideological policy 👍
And who buys the former council houses and flats? Not the type of people they were built for, the working classes who worked hard and led respectable lives, but property landlords, usually second-generation immigrants, charging the tenants of their properties extortionate rents. Some of these landlords are even paid by local councils to house the sort of people you might describe as 'vulnerable', but which I consider 'undeserving' - hopeless drug addicts, paedophiles, refugees, antisocial families where the children are raised without their fathers and a work ethic has always been absent, turning the safe communities of the council estates of the post-war into dangerous slums.
Stunned at this drama against all racism. Fantastic message against racism. The tragedy of moving people out of their homes and forcing them to destroy or abandon their dogs was all too real. Complete heartbreak for so many families.
My family took in a dog from man who couldn't take his dog into his new flat. I hope she was happy with us as I still love her. She was called Chandi but I thought it was Shandy. Think she was half Labrador and half Alsation.
They were shocking.. But we all moved on. It's only politicians enforcing a 'divide and rule' agenda that keeps the fires burning. I used to like where uk was heading but 'wokeism' has put us back.
This is a brilliant drama/play, There's loads of great character actors I grew up watching. Do you have hard labour?, I remember watching it years ago with the great liz smith. Many thanks my my entertainment this evening.
I was terrified of reading the comments. I still haven't read all of them, the ones I HAVE read have been surprisingly positive. I'll quit while I'm ahead 🙏🏾
As much as i enjoyed watching this tragic real life story, it has left me feeling very sad, for how we treat each other, because we all don't have the same colour skin.
I don't understand making people move instead of building new places? Or filling people in places available. It would make jobs and avoid the resentment. I mean citizens being made to move? No one asking them wth! This reminds me of Archie Bunker in US. There's a great British film about a family that loves above a store they run and all around them has been brought down and they similarly hold out but had a store full of food. But then they did the water.and electric. I hope they've made a law to not be able to do this nowadays.and agreed great acting. Really is like a play that ud go to see. Also i mean Post War Britain even then still there were lots of empty lots or crumbled buildings. And to take a persons dog and make them move to a place he can't go...great way to create more anger.
Story line is bizare in the extreem 22:59 A block of flats must be cleared of the locals because its promised to Bengalies and Asians ! I don't think this Play could be made today.
For me it was a balanced story with all sides heard I have a feeling it could not be made today because it would be seen as rascist. My father's generation has been silenced. His best friend came from Pakistan, but he defended his roots.
I thought it was rather unfair, because it made out that people's genuine concerns about housing allocation and immigration were just down to 'racism' and 'bigotry', 'lack of understanding' etc. It's a message that has been consistently pushed by the media for decades in order to silence people.
Bit of an odd one this, almost like two separate plays tacked together. The propaganda was rather laboured as well, ie, the idea that anyone who objects to open-door immigration does so only because of bigotry and racism. That said, it held my attention as the acting and script were pretty good.
What a lot of familiar faces of character actors from other TV roles, including Mrs Pomfrey from All Creatures Great and Small and Arthur from On the Buses. The play seemed to swerve after the barricading from the theme of local pride (An Englishman's home is his castle) to racial division ('It's your country now.') I watched it all but it would have been better as a 45-minute play with Wally Clarke's motivation left for us to guess at - was he mad, racist or simply stubborn and what would we do in his position? The stripper's audition at the end was silly, I'm sad to think.
Im well travelled and now live in Asia and probably the biggest racists here are foreigners, but the country I live in the same as other countries throughout Asia has very strict immigration rules making it pretty near impossible for foreigners to obtain citizenship here and I totally respect that the country and people here want to protect their culture,their nationality and their sovereignty here,on the other hand the West goes to war creates refugees destroys countries and then takes people in as either War or economic refugees and that's the plan of Western Globalists to flood Europe with Cheap labour so they can compete with Asia and if you think Im wrong look what Britain and America have done in the middle East over the last 30 years,I feel desperately sorry foe people who through War or economic reasons and no choice of their own have to leave there country of origin their culture and their families to seek a better so called life in theWest.
The 'Tec's wife is Olive (On the Buses) The Judge is Mrs Pumphrey and she has a dog named Tricki Woo Notice at 1.05.40 - the black guy has his left arm in a sling, though he was shot on the right side of his chest & shoulder
@@terrymurphy2032 I didn't even like the American "Law & Order" . But "Arrest & Trial" from the 1960s with Ben Gazzara and Chuck Connors was a good show. 🙂 BBC series including Play for Today are often open to copyright issues with the music. I ran into that a lot with this series, and I don't want to get more BBC shows and have to risk that again.
@Terry Murphy. I enjoyed "The Sweeney". That's was one of the better 1970s British police dramas. The characters are interesting, and I liked both of the main actors. The quality production values, such as being 100% shot on film helped too. So how does "Law & Order" compare to that ?
I think god was bored so he created this giant zoo and filled it with humans . Gave them different colors and languages and different circumstances. Put them against one another. Sitting up there laughing at us.
I don't like the racist issue here, the problem with mr Clark was the new flats and moving from his home , it could have been any race in that order and this would have been the same crime ..the politic of the day were the problem , they were the secert racist and haters in the area, Mr Clark was a product of them . This Man never had a problem with anyone prior..the shot victim deserves praise for how he handled the problem and reaching out in a very horrible situation ,
I can't imagine this play being made today unless it was drastically modified. It seems too inflammatory. The amount of racially abusive language wouldn't be palatable.
Which is exactly why we still have the problems of 40 years ago in today's society. Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room. Silencing people and denying free-speech only inflames the situation and deepens divisions and mistrust.
At the risk of sounding facetious, the only thing to say is that there is no such thing as a black and white issue. Theatrically, the play dragged, and the acting was uncertain in places, but as raw social observation, it made its points with disturbing conviction.
If for you there is no such thing as a black and white issue, then you are to be congratulated; but I fear for many, black and white, there is indeed such a thing.
My understanding of the original comment is that social issues like the case portrayed in this play do have nuance and “gray areas”, there was merit to the plight of all the protagonists in the play, even the racist old man. I ended up feeling sorry for all involved (even the dog). It made us think how society itself has conditioned people to hold clearly misguided views. The play is meant to be thought provoking. It was well written and level of acting was superb. Thanks again to ‘executive decision’ for posting these gems.
Maybe you're young and don't realise that it didn't drag but played subtly to give the audience time to realise the points before loading another aspect on. Subtlety and pacing is an art thats almost disappeared since the 90s with American style production. As far as the acting goes 'Play for Today' gave good actors a chance to hone their skills like Rep used to do as it made for a better quality actor, long term. It's good to know we were witnessing a mixture of good acting and raw talent being given rein to learn alongside great actors. I loved it
This is what happened to many Londoners 60s/70s. I was in the smoke then and saw it first hand. Older people chucked out because of politicians rivalry. Same today !!. Thanks all. Dave
it was a plan from the start, wake up.
It went on way beyond the 70s. I had friends who were paid by the council to move from north London to east London so they could turn flats over to Somalians and that was in the late 1980s.
I'm loving these plays!,,to much actually,I'm watching 2 or sometimes 3 a day!😆❤
What a moving piece of social history, I felt the pain on all sides , & a very interesting take from all angles
This one makes me cry.
A much younger legendary "Mr Bronson" giving another stellar performance. Rip Michael Sheard.
Thank you for posting this excellent story - things will only change when people of all races and colours unite and fight together against the ones that are oppressing the poor and the working class.
Exactly.
Name them?
@@BrianBoru5523 Given the current world situation it's glaringly obvious!
Liz smith. Xxxx❤❤❤❤ rip. 😅 brilliant actress.
this was brilliant, so riveting, thank you for uploading it
Agreed very good acting
I enjoyed this Play For Today. Good story with good actors.
Excellent play for today with a stellar cast. Both hilarious and very sad. All the ingredients for a great play.
Powerful stuff. Something to be said on all sides. Just shows you things are not just black and white. People need to take note of this these days...
Amazing! Nothing has changed since this film was made.
Liz Smith, Michael Robbins, and Gypsy Dave... Class episode! 👍🏻😎
Not many people would recognise Gypsy Dave. He lived near me when I was a kid.
When people listen to each others stories there is hope
The Best of British
I fought the demolition by political rivalry, and won. Weaver House Pedley Street E1 is still there with the flying man on a bicycle sculpture still celebrating freedom in the communal garden. Its a 1920's anachronism in the middle of plate glass condominiums for investors.
Marklimbrick, that's a story I'd like to read or hear.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this gets taken down and swept under the rug,with all the other historical details they expect to be just,,conveniently forgotten!
Thank you for this of course. I have not seen this one before, but like all the other Play For Today episodes, well worth seeing, or indeed reseeing so too. The copyright date indeed was 1979, in the usual Roman numerals that the BBC used then, and indeed still do today then for the most part of course. Thank you too.
And thank you there for that then so too of course.
I am 73,a Texan. I have always wondered why, why cant people ,no matter the race,religious or political belief, get along. We are a divided nation because of political beliefs. I am very concerned and frightened for U.S. This movie is heartbreaking and brought alot of feelings and sadness.s
A message for all time!
A universal message at that - and that this was made 40 odd years ago .
Its just the same today 😂
Wow! Powerful drama. Thank you for uploading these Play For Today - incredible . Much appreciated. Do you have 'Traitor' ? I've been looking for that one for a long time...
No, I don't. Sorry.
You ought to see the state of England now in 2023, complete and utter foreign toilet.
Brexit.
Not brexit, mass illegal immigration and those of a certain background not wanting to assimilate. 2 tier policing rounds it off nicely.
@@oscardog6719you reap what you sow.
My brother lived in flats like that in the upper Clapton road in Hackney. They were called ‘ hard to let’ flats.
Micheal Robbins, Quennie Watts, Liz Smith ,Ron Pember top actors
Mother was lucky to be able to buy her house off the Council Under Mrs Thatcher. No one could chuck her out And when she died I got 76000 pounds for it She gvae 22000 My Aunt didnt and they put her out into sheltered accomadation in a dodgy part of Preston She was robbed 7 times
Thatcher's right-to-buy legislation is the reason housing lists are so long now - politicians of all sides will admit to this.
As part of the legislation, councils were prohibited to a) build a house/flat to replace each one sold and b) to retain the total funds from the sale, most of which went to central government to fund the huge unemployment dole bill of the 80s.
This meant that the numbers of a available council houses and flats quickly reduced by vast numbers and councils then had to ration them for the most in need who could not afford or be able to access any other housing- society's most vulnerable: ex-offenders, those with addiction problems, single parents, those with mental health problems affecting their ability to work in the mainstream, pensioners, the lowest paid, the unemployed and refugees.
This quickly created ghettos on some former council estates as very few people living there were conventionally "well-off" or in work.
Many who were younger when they bought their council houses,soon sold up and moved on or rented their property out.
In the mid 1970s almost 33% of the population lived in council housing,meaning their were many working class people of all ages in work on the estates, as well as those with the issues described above, creating a natural mix and community which didn't exist after right-to-buy had bedded in.
@@muk8804 people tend to conveniently forget these details thanks for taking the time to remind us that the current housing crisis is a direct result of ideological policy 👍
Then they take the house off you to pay for your care.
And who buys the former council houses and flats?
Not the type of people they were built for, the working classes who worked hard and led respectable lives, but property landlords, usually second-generation immigrants, charging the tenants of their properties extortionate rents.
Some of these landlords are even paid by local councils to house the sort of people you might describe as 'vulnerable', but which I consider 'undeserving' - hopeless drug addicts, paedophiles, refugees, antisocial families where the children are raised without their fathers and a work ethic has always been absent, turning the safe communities of the council estates of the post-war into dangerous slums.
Stunned at this drama against all racism. Fantastic message against racism. The tragedy of moving people out of their homes and forcing them to destroy or abandon their dogs was all too real. Complete heartbreak for so many families.
My family took in a dog from man who couldn't take his dog into his new flat. I hope she was happy with us as I still love her. She was called Chandi but I thought it was Shandy. Think she was half Labrador and half Alsation.
it appears positive discrimination allows white men to be hung out to dry, sadly.
Horrific. My dog is my heart. I would be homeless before i would let them separate us.
Always good to see Ron Pember, though different here from "Secret Army."
brilliantly done in every way
@1:18 "Ladies and gentleman, once again, it is my profound pleasure to introduce the incomparable Ainsley Jarvis!"
This needs to be given another screening on primetime BBC1.
The good old days, weren't they wonderful.
Spiffing!
They were shocking.. But we all moved on. It's only politicians enforcing a 'divide and rule' agenda that keeps the fires burning. I used to like where uk was heading but 'wokeism' has put us back.
This is a brilliant drama/play, There's loads of great character actors I grew up watching. Do you have hard labour?, I remember watching it years ago with the great liz smith. Many thanks my my entertainment this evening.
I was terrified of reading the comments. I still haven't read all of them, the ones I HAVE read have been surprisingly positive. I'll quit while I'm ahead 🙏🏾
Thank you so much the play was brilliant but really sad .
Ranjeet from Mind Your Language representing the Bengali association.
? That’s Arthur from on the buses... can’t take it seriously..
Immigrants calling the shots in my country, nothing changes. It just gets worse.
I totally agree. I've had so many issues at work that "i" eventually left 😡
Yes, as an indigenous people in the US, the immigrants really messed things up.
Its not your country
What about the ‘shots’ that were called in their countries by the Brits?
that was powerfull thanks.
As much as i enjoyed watching this tragic real life story, it has left me feeling very sad, for how we treat each other, because we all don't have the same colour skin.
Thank you 🙏 for This upload was it based on a true story?
That was fantastic ❤
Always the innocents go or suffer. Very moving. XXX
Take me up the ol apples and pears and gimme a bag of whelks
Ron Pember - 'Davy' in the play, reminds me very much of James Beck - 'Walker' in Dad's Army.
This should be updated to 2020 with the man refusing his covid vax... scary...
Brilliant
What an intelligent and mature story, just what is needed today but of course the woke brigade wouldn't see it.
Wow there is a lot of truth in this, and it’s only got worse in the Uk since this was first aired
If they could see London today!
I don't understand making people move instead of building new places? Or filling people in places available. It would make jobs and avoid the resentment. I mean citizens being made to move? No one asking them wth! This reminds me of Archie Bunker in US. There's a great British film about a family that loves above a store they run and all around them has been brought down and they similarly hold out but had a store full of food. But then they did the water.and electric. I hope they've made a law to not be able to do this nowadays.and agreed great acting. Really is like a play that ud go to see. Also i mean Post War Britain even then still there were lots of empty lots or crumbled buildings. And to take a persons dog and make them move to a place he can't go...great way to create more anger.
And I mean all that brick!! Super expensive and lasts forever...and he's a war veteran...jerks!
And one can see it as a reverse colonialism. All of these meant to us reflect and sad that it's not better as some commented on England.
Cheeky ending 😅
brilliant!
Story line is bizare in the extreem 22:59 A block of flats must be cleared of the locals because its promised to Bengalies and Asians ! I don't think this Play could be made today.
This is a good play
Nothing has changed in 45 years, just the nationality of the people demanding homes.
For me it was a balanced story with all sides heard
I have a feeling it could not be made today because it would be seen as rascist.
My father's generation has been silenced. His best friend came from Pakistan, but he defended his roots.
I thought it was rather unfair, because it made out that people's genuine concerns about housing allocation and immigration were just down to 'racism' and 'bigotry', 'lack of understanding' etc. It's a message that has been consistently pushed by the media for decades in order to silence people.
Michael Robbins OTB Arthur.
Is that Olive's husband?
Yup!
Very well written. None of this current nonsense wokery gone crazy.
36.00 never mind Sid...move to Peckham open a cafe !!
Very good. Thanks for uploading.
Bit of an odd one this, almost like two separate plays tacked together. The propaganda was rather laboured as well, ie, the idea that anyone who objects to open-door immigration does so only because of bigotry and racism. That said, it held my attention as the acting and script were pretty good.
What a lot of familiar faces of character actors from other TV roles, including Mrs Pomfrey from All Creatures Great and Small and Arthur from On the Buses. The play seemed to swerve after the barricading from the theme of local pride (An Englishman's home is his castle) to racial division ('It's your country now.') I watched it all but it would have been better as a 45-minute play with Wally Clarke's motivation left for us to guess at - was he mad, racist or simply stubborn and what would we do in his position? The stripper's audition at the end was silly, I'm sad to think.
Good points. It felt like two plays cobbled together, neither of which was long enough to stand on its own.
Would have been better to end it as they shook hands. Can't see what that last scene added to it either.
Im well travelled and now live in Asia and probably the biggest racists here are foreigners, but the country I live in the same as other countries throughout Asia has very strict immigration rules making it pretty near impossible for foreigners to obtain citizenship here and I totally respect that the country and people here want to protect their culture,their nationality and their sovereignty here,on the other hand the West goes to war creates refugees destroys countries and then takes people in as either War or economic refugees and that's the plan of Western Globalists to flood Europe with Cheap labour so they can compete with Asia and if you think Im wrong look what Britain and America have done in the middle East over the last 30 years,I feel desperately sorry foe people who through War or economic reasons and no choice of their own have to leave there country of origin their culture and their families to seek a better so called life in theWest.
The 'Tec's wife is Olive (On the Buses)
The Judge is Mrs Pumphrey and she has a dog named Tricki Woo
Notice at 1.05.40 - the black guy has his left arm in a sling, though he was shot on the right side of his chest & shoulder
Oh I remember Tricky Woo!!!
@@jenbo2490 Very generous with those Christmas hampers to the Farnons & Herriotts
The brother who took away the gun, etc., looks like the Timson father from Rumpole.
Hi, what year is this from please?...
1979 -- copyright is at the end of the closing credits.
@@executivedecision6141 thanks.
@@terrymurphy2032 I didn't even like the American "Law & Order" . But "Arrest & Trial" from the 1960s with Ben Gazzara and Chuck Connors was a good show. 🙂
BBC series including Play for Today are often open to copyright issues with the music. I ran into that a lot with this series, and I don't want to get more BBC shows and have to risk that again.
@Terry Murphy. I enjoyed "The Sweeney". That's was one of the better 1970s British police dramas. The characters are interesting, and I liked both of the main actors. The quality production values, such as being 100% shot on film helped too.
So how does "Law & Order" compare to that ?
I think god was bored so he created this giant zoo and filled it with humans . Gave them different colors and languages and different circumstances. Put them against one another. Sitting up there laughing at us.
Really saddened by this was a great drama though
First class drama
I don't like the racist issue here, the problem with mr Clark was the new flats and moving from his home , it could have been any race in that order and this would have been the same crime ..the politic of the day were the problem , they were the secert racist and haters in the area, Mr Clark was a product of them . This Man never had a problem with anyone prior..the shot victim deserves praise for how he handled the problem and reaching out in a very horrible situation ,
Yes. The play has rather heavy handed propaganda against anyone questioning mass immigration.
I can't imagine this play being made today unless it was drastically modified. It seems too inflammatory. The amount of racially abusive language wouldn't be palatable.
Which is exactly why we still have the problems of 40 years ago in today's society. Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room.
Silencing people and denying free-speech only inflames the situation and deepens divisions and mistrust.
The only reason they could not make a play like this now is there are not enough white British people living in east London to make it believeable!
Does anyone on here care about the innocent dog? He killed his dog!
Barricading the door? Not a good look.
At the risk of sounding facetious, the only thing to say is that there is no such thing as a black and white issue. Theatrically, the play dragged, and the acting was uncertain in places, but as raw social observation, it made its points with disturbing conviction.
If for you there is no such thing as a black and white issue, then you are to be congratulated; but I fear for many, black and white, there is indeed such a thing.
My understanding of the original comment is that social issues like the case portrayed in this play do have nuance and “gray areas”, there was merit to the plight of all the protagonists in the play, even the racist old man. I ended up feeling sorry for all involved (even the dog). It made us think how society itself has conditioned people to hold clearly misguided views. The play is meant to be thought provoking. It was well written and level of acting was superb. Thanks again to ‘executive decision’ for posting these gems.
Maybe you're young and don't realise that it didn't drag but played subtly to give the audience time to realise the points before loading another aspect on. Subtlety and pacing is an art thats almost disappeared since the 90s with American style production. As far as the acting goes 'Play for Today' gave good actors a chance to hone their skills like Rep used to do as it made for a better quality actor, long term. It's good to know we were witnessing a mixture of good acting and raw talent being given rein to learn alongside great actors. I loved it
@@Diaspora1759 "racist old man", yet you keep quite about racist policies such as positive discrimination against whites.
@@alban1959 what about the browns ?
This political propaganda is worse than Upstairs, Downstairs.
Be gender aware.