Never Too Late sees Channel 5 bringing back Play For Today, the BBC1 strand which ran from 1970 to 1984, where you’d get a series of one-off dramas, some of which even went on to form their own whole TV series, such as Rumpole of the Bailey. It’s also noted for 1976’s Mike Leigh drama, Nuts In May, starring Alison Steadman and Roger Sloman.
This opener to the new series is set in Cedar Wood care home… sorry, ‘retirement village’, where they’re having a wake for resident Marjorie.
Anita Dobson and Tracy-Ann Oberman as mother and daughter, Cynthia & Amanda, both of which have appeared in post-2005 Doctor Who, the former as one half of the Rani, and the latter ending up as a Cyberman… or woman.
Upon arrival, Cynthia’s going sharking, since she’s been widowed for the past year, but look who lives there! Nigel Havers! Ooh, in’he scrummy! However, there’s history between the two of them, so will Anita be making plans for Nigel?
Never Too Late won’t ever win the Oscar for complex plotting, in this tale of lost love and reconnections, and it must be weird as hell that she has the room next door to Frank.
However, thanks to Cynthia, his arm is in a sling and he can’t play his guitar for everyone at the home, but instead, will she help him get back on stage (well, in the home’s lounge) and sing alongside him like she promised to do 50 years earlier? Ah, the plot thinnens.
There’s revelations to be revealed, and Never Too Late makes for a decent hour of light entertainment, oddly throwing in an f-word at one point, but since it mostly feels like 8pm-style fare, I expect an alternate scene was shot so it could still be shown then in a repeat slot, but without jarring editing.
As an aside, Cynthia mentions she has plantar fasciitis. ME TOO!
Play For Today continues next Thursday on Channel 5 at 9pm.
It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but when it is, it will be listed on the New DVD, Blu-ray, 3D and 4K releases UK page.
If you miss it when broadcast, you can watch the each episode after broadcast on My5.
Director: Sara Harrak
Producer: Michelle Antoniades
Writers/Creators: Simon Warne, Lydia Marchant,
Music: Ian Livingstone
Cast:
Cynthia: Anita Dobson
Frank: Nigel Havers
Amanda: Tracy-Ann Oberman
Peter: Michael Fenton Stevens
Heather: Nina Wadia
Brian: Jon Bard
Mary: Natasha Williams
Nurse: Paula Kay
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.