Play for Today is not an instant classic, but let's give it a chance

The original Play for Today strand, which ran on the BBC for 14 years through the 1970s and into the mid-80s, is one of those things TV connoisseurs like to cite as a demonstration of their TV knowledge.

- Philip Cunnington on Play for Today

They point to the fact that it gave opportunities to up-and-coming writers and directors like Mike Leigh, Dennis Potter, Paula Milne and Stephen Poliakoff, produced British TV classics like Abigail's Party and Brimstone and Treacle, and saw the first appearance of Rumpole of the Bailey.

Which might mean the reappearance of the Play for Today 'brand' (Channel 5, Thurs, 9pm) comes as something of a disappointment.

It's not so much a reboot, more a convenient way to flag up these one-hour dramas as standalone efforts, rare beasts in these days of mega-budget epics on streaming platforms, or the continuing dramas the 'linear' channels like to clog their schedules with.

It's no real surprise that Channel 5 have taken this leap - they've got a track record in taking venerable BBC hits and reheating them, from All Creatures Great and Small to the recent The Forsytes, and not always with success.

But you have to applaud them for their continuing efforts to support British TV drama in their own, small-scale way.