''Scene'' is a British television anthology drama/documentary series made by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

for teenagers, broadcast from 1968 to 2002. It comprised dramas and documentaries on topical issues, sometimes of a controversial nature, by leading contemporary playwrights including included

Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are '' Educating Rita'', '' Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and '' Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lanc ...

Fay Weldon Fay Weldon (born Franklin Birkinshaw; 22 September 1931 – 4 January 2023) was an English author, essayist and playwright. Over the course of her 55-year writing career, she published 31 novels, including ''Puffball'' (1980), '' The Cloning o ...

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for the sitcom ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' and th ...

etc. programmes were originally broadcast to a school audience as part of the

BBC Schools BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges or BBC Education, was the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From its launch until June 1983 ...

strand. Dramas from the series were also regularly broadcast for a wider adult audience. ''Scene'' was originally conceived as a series of 30 minute dramas and documentaries suitable for showing to teenage schoolchildren as part of the English and Humanities curriculum. It was envisaged that the dramas shown would stimulate discussion in the classroom about various contemporary issues relevant to teenagers (such as race, drugs, sex, disability etc.).

Award winners and nominees

*''Terry'' (1969) –

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Flame of Knowledge Award. *''A Collier's Friday Night'' (1976) –

Flame of Knowledge Award. *''

Loved Up ''Loved Up'' is a BBC drama, first shown on TV on 23 September 1995 on the BBC 2 Originally this was a Public information film, school information film for teenagers to show the risks of taking ecstasy, first shown to schoolchildren in the UK i ...

'' (1996) –

for best schools drama. Series Ass.Producer Andy Rowley *''Alison'' (1996) –

nomination for best schools drama. Series Producer Andy Rowley *''United'' (1998) –

for best schools drama. Produced and directed by Michael McGowan. *'' Junk'' (1999) –

for best schools drama. *''Offside'' (2002) –

for best schools drama. *''Split game'' (2005) –

nomination for best schools drama. *''Stone Cold''

nomination 1998 Producer Andy Rowley Director

Stephen Whittaker Stephen Whittaker (28 June 19477 February 2003) was a British actor and director. He worked largely in British film and television, and attended Henley-in-Arden School in Warwickshire before further training as an actor at London's Corona Academy ...

Selected episodes

''Terraces'' (1993). The residents of a street of terraced houses decide to paint them all in the colours of their local football team – all except one man who refuses to conform to mob rule. Written by

. ''

'' (1995). A young woman leaves home to live with her boyfriend and discovers the

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

scene and

ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...

. Series producer Andy Rowley. A 2 x 30 minute abridged version of a BAFTA-winning drama. ''Alison'' (1996): BAFTA-nominated Comedy-drama. Terry Kennett decides to return to his home town after a ten-year absence. He bumps into old mates and his former girlfriend Alison who shows him around their old haunts. They reminisce about their teenage romance, first sexual experience and the reasons for their eventual breakup. Terry is shocked to find that Alison is now a young single mother, but decides to rekindle their relationship in the hope that former mistakes are behind them. Written and directed by

Al Hunter Ashton Al Hunter Ashton (26 June 1957 – 27 April 2007), born Alan Hunter, was a British actor and script writer. Life Hunter was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and came from a working-class background. Born Alan Hunter (he later changed his name ...

and produced by Andy Rowley. Starring Sarah Jane Potts and

Jack Deam Jack Deam (born Ian Deam; 29 June 1972) is an English actor. He used his grandfather's name for his stage name. His most notable performances have been as Marty Fisher in Channel 4 dramedy '' Shameless'', DC Ken Blackstone in the ITV crime ...

. ''Teaching Matthew'' written by

. A satire on

's ''

Educating Rita ''Educating Rita'' is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University tutor. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, ''Educating Rita'' premièred at The ...

''. Ashton acted in the film, playing Sergeant Conway.

Adrian Lester Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey on 14 August 1968) is a British actor. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his work on the London stage, an ...

played the eponymous lead character. ''Stone Cold'' (1997) Starring

Peter Howitt Peter Howitt (; born 5 May 1957) is a British actor and film director. Biography Early life Howitt was born on 5 May 1957, the son of Frank Howitt, a renowned Fleet Street journalist who, in 1963, broke the infamous Profumo affair, Profumo ...

. Threat to runaway boy Link who becomes homeless after abuse at home and is prey to a street killer. Directed by

and produced by Andy Rowley.

nominated ''Junk'' (1999): Bafta-winning drama. Following difficulties with her parents, teenager Gemma Brogan leaves home. She falls under the spell of a young woman who introduces her to the world of alternative youth culture and drugs. Initially her new life seems glamorous and exciting but she soon discovers its dark side as she slides uncontrollably into heroin addiction. Starring

Jemima Rooper Jemima Rooper (born 24 October 1981) is an English actress. Having started as a child actress in television series, she has appeared in numerous film and theatre roles. Early life Born in Hammersmith, London, Rooper is the daughter of TV journ ...

Reception and legacy

Critical reaction was positive with praise for the high production standards. The series was nominated for five awards in 1996–1997 and won a Prix Jeunesse in 1998 under series producer Andy Rowley Some of the actors featured in ''Scene'' went on to achieve varying degrees of mainstream success. e.g.:

('' Junk'', 1999), Sarah Jane Potts,

Lucy Davis Lucy Clare Davis (born 17 February 1973) is an English actress known for playing Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy ''The Office'' (2001–2003), Hilda Spellman in the Netflix series '' The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' (2018–2020), Dianne i ...

(''Alison'', 1996),

(''Teaching Matthew'', 1993),

Sean Maguire Sean Maguire (born 18 April 1976) is an English-American actor and singer who has been professionally making films, television shows and performing on stage for over 40 years. Originally from London, Maguire started his career at age five starr ...

(''A Man of Letters'', 1997),

(''Stone Cold'').

References

External links

''Scene''
at BroadcastForschools.co.uk
''Scene''
at the BFI Film and Television Database *{{Screenonline TV title, id=725524, title=Loved Up BBC children's television shows BBC anthology television shows British television shows for schools British drama television series 1968 British television series debuts 2002 British television series endings 1960s British anthology television series 1970s British anthology television series 1980s British anthology television series 1990s British anthology television series 2000s British anthology television series British English-language television shows