Concept and creative process
‘Play of the Month’ was a long-running anthology series of one-off classic and contemporary stage plays by major authors, transmitted monthly from 1965 to 1979. The series regularly featured prominent British stage actors who later became well-known faces on British television. The titles were shot live action from the studio lighting gantry looking down on the sets constructed below on the studio floor. In a series of continuous panning movements with overlapping dissolves the title sequence showed the preparations before the production commenced recording. The programme title appeared on a monitor screen at the end of the final camera pan and track in. The play’s title and author’s credit were superimposed over the opening shot each month from a clear on black 35mm telejector slide supplied by the designer which was cued from the studio gallery.