I have been thinking the same thing, Autolycus. There used to be a huge variety of plays on TV (I remember a fabulous series many years ago, for instance, called "Talking to a Stranger"). Certainly there are items on TV which are classified as "TV dramas", but to my mind they are not the same as plays. To me, a play has no filmed outdoor shots. There is a directness and immediacy about a TV play that is missing in "TV dramas" (I'm thinking here of programmes like "Doc Martin", "Spooks" etc.) I did not classify the recent BBC Shakespeare series as "plays" for that very reason. They were films.

BBC Radio (and its excellent Radio Drama Company) still has a flourishing output of plays every week. You mentioned Pinter: a couple of months ago they broadcast a superb production of "Betrayal". I agree, it's a pity we don't see more of this material on TV. Maybe we will, as all those digital channels expand ?

The other thing I wish TV showed more often are recordings of stage musicals. There was a wonderful recording of the stage performance of "Kiss Me Kate" on last Christmas. I've just been scouring the Christmas Radio Times to see if there would be another offering this year. (They showed the National Theatre's production of Oklahoma a few Christmases ago, too). Sadly, nothing like that this year...and, as far as could see, no stage pantomime either.

It's a great pity.

- jeanie