Michael Toft Radio Plays
Mike Toft was a Yorkshireman playwright living in Leeds who wrote a number of high-quality plays, often about the plight of the coal miners through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
BBC RADIO PLAYS (SNT = Saturday Night Theatre)
07.05.94 *Dance while you can. SNT.
04.07.90 *Starting Out
22.09.88 Aftermath
29.05.86 Early Doors
14.11.85 Featherstone Mountain
05.01.84 The Mouse Race
03.02.82 You're Laughing, Claude
08.09.79 Joe. SNT.
11.11.77 Goodbye to the world of illusions
30.06.76 Last respects
NOTES
DANCE WHILE YOU CAN....1994
A powerful play exploring the relationships between a father and his two sons, and the women in their lives. Set in a mining village. With Stephen Thorne as the father and Paul Copley and Richard Pearce as the brothers. BBC blurb: "the love affairs of three men - a father and his two sons - become hopelessly involved. Other cast members: Kathryn Hunt, Barbara Young, Christine Cox, Finetime Fontayne, Judy Brooke, Robyn Polly, Darryl Fishwick, Jerry Kersey, Shirley E. Jones. Producer Tony Cliff; recorded in Manchester.
STARTING OUT....1990
There's no longer any work down the pit - so a new line of work is needed. 45m afternoon play with Paul Copley, Joan Walker, Graham Roberts, Shirley E. Jones, Colin Meredith, Robin Polly, Malcolm Raeburn, Jerry Kersey; producer Tony Cliff for BBC North.
THE MOUSE RACE....1984
With Andrew Ray, John Jardine, Jane Hollowood. Afternoon play.
YOU'RE LAUGHING, CLAUDE....1982
With Colin Edwynn, Russell Dixon, Anne Rye.
GOODBYE TO THE WORLD OF ILLUSIONS....1977
With Paul Copley, Peter Ellis, Lorraine Peters, Ronald Baddiley, Janet Dale, James Tomlinson, Paul Webster, Harry Towb, Niall Padden. Producer Tony Cliff. Copy in BBC archive.
JOE....1979
SNT. With Paul Copley, Elizabeth McKenzie, George A. Cooper.
Asterisked plays known to exist in VRPCC collections.
compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
