Nuts in May (Play for Today)
"Nuts in May" | |
---|---|
Play for Today episode | |
Episode no. | Series 6 Episode 12 |
Directed by | Mike Leigh |
Written by | Mike Leigh |
Produced by | David Rose |
Original air date | 13 January 1976 |
"Nuts in May" is the 12th episode of sixth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 13 January 1976.[1] "Nuts in May" was written and directed by Mike Leigh, produced by David Rose, and starred Roger Sloman and Alison Steadman.
"Nuts in May" is the comical story of a nature-loving and rather self-righteous couple's exhausting battle to enjoy what they perceive to be an idyllic camping holiday. Misunderstandings and awkward clashes of values occur, and an explosive conflict when a less high-minded guest pitches his tent nearby.
Plot
Childlike Candice-Marie Pratt (
Their relationship becomes increasingly tense and tempers flare when Keith notices Candice Marie exhibiting an unseemly interest in Ray – "she crawls into his tent to show him stones she has collected on the beach; Keith explodes with jealous rage after spying on them from behind the bushes with his binoculars, like a character in a
While searching for a new campsite (or "a bed and breakfast if the worst came to the worst," says Keith), a police car pulls up behind them. Keith provides the policeman with his documents, but is humiliated when the officer points out that the Morris Minor's spare tyre is bald, an offence.
Finally finding peace, Keith and Candice Marie pitch their tent in the field of a nearby farm. While Keith looks for a suitable spot to go to the toilet, Candice Marie sings along to another composition of hers on guitar.
Cast
- Alison Steadman as Candice Marie
- Roger Sloman as Keith
- Anthony O'Donnell as Ray
- Sheila Kelley as Honky
- Stephen Bill as Finger
- Richenda Carey as Miss Beale
- Eric Allan as Quarryman
- Sally Watts as Farm-Girl
- Matthew Guinness as Farmer
- Richard Ireson as Policeman
Sheila Kelley and Stephen Bill were a couple in real life at the time.
Locations
The episode is set, and was filmed in its entirety, in the geologically and historically rich Isle of Purbeck area of Dorset in South West England. The characters visit a number of significant points of interest including Corfe Castle, Stair Hole, Kimmeridge, Lulworth Cove and the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. The location was chosen at the suggestion of the producer David Rose, who came from Purbeck: "I told him about the quarries in the district and asked him to film everything out of doors, under the skies; he reneged only slightly on this condition – there is one sequence of about one minute twenty seconds, in the Greyhound pub near Corfe Castle, and one short scene in a toilet. Apart from that, the only interiors are those of some very small tents."[3] The campsite used for filming was Corfe Castle Campsite, just outside Corfe Castle, which is still used as a campsite. The quarry visited is Keates Quarry in Acton.
Reputation
"Nuts in May" was ranked 49th in the
References
- ^ Nuts in May (1976)", BFI screenonline
- ^ Coveney, p.103
- ^ David Rose, quoted in Michael Coveney, The World according to Mike Leigh, p.100
- ^ "Reeves and Mortimer The Ultimate Site". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2010[dead link]