The Importance of Being Earnest

Writing for ITV's SATURDAY NIGHT THEATRE series, Dennis Potter introduced the notion that popular music expresses the yearning of the human spirit for a better world. A troubled young man, David Peters (Ian Holm), claims, "Once dreams were possible, that's what the popular songs told us." Rejecting rock music of the day, Peters is immersed in the tunes of Thirties crooner Al Bowlly (killed during the London blitz). He collects Bowlly memorabilia, publishes the Bowlly fan-club newsletter, and finds pleasure in lip-synching Bowlly records but his obsession with Bowlly masks certain darker events in his past.

After the break-up of a long-term relationship, urban sophisticate Norah seeks refuge in a remote house in the country. The locals are friendly, if eccentric, and she toys with the idea of a flirtation with dishy young gamekeeper Rob. But events at Harvest Festival leave her feeling manipulated, and six months later, with the consequences all too evident, she finds herself trapped in what is more like a nightmare. What role is she destined to play in the cycle of the seasons -- and of the generations?

A middle-aged couple who are fairly tired of each other go out on a picnic for the day. However, they row, and Maud wanders off and talks to other people she meets. Eventually, the couple come together again, and the day has helped them to understand each other a little better.

1973 BBC TV movie adaptation of the book by Lewis Carroll.

Three stories reflecting life in the Orkney Islands, two set in the past, and one in the present.

Fred Midway may be a bit short on brains but he's got plenty of ambition. However, before he can gain promotion as a salesman he must make his family more socially acceptable.

Lavinia has been yearning and trying for ten years to conceive, and finally gives birth to a live baby. However, she finds that things are not as she dreamed and envisaged, and she suffers from depression after the birth,beginning to have dangerous feelings of love towards her child.

Examines the relationship between Edith, a famous and successful novelist, and her writer husband, and how her own domestic situation is paralleled in her latest book about a woman enjoying the self-destruction of her husband.