''Hitting Town'' is a stage play written by

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" who had "inherited Dennis Potter's crown". Early ...

and first performed in April 1975 at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

directed by

Tim Fywell Tim Fywell is an English television and film director. In 2003 he made his first feature debut with ''I Capture the Castle'', an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Dodie Smith. Fywell directed his first Hollywood feature, ''Ice Prince ...

. Written early in his career, the play won Poliakoff the ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright.Nelson, Robin (2014)
''Stephen Poliakoff on Stage and Screen''
pp. 13; 73–76. Methuen. The critic Michael Billington said it was "reminder of Poliakoff's precocious talent". In the original production Judy Monahan and James Aubrey played the lead roles and were supported by

Lynne Miller Lynne Miller (born 27 April 1951) is a British actress. Her first TV role was in 1974, but she is best known for the role of Cathy Marshall in ''The Bill'', a TV series she appeared in from 1989 to 1996. Since that time she has appeared mostly o ...

. It was a shocking play in its time partly because it dealt with an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister. ''Hitting Town'' was developed into a television play with

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

for

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Plays For Britain. The television adaptation was half shot on location on single-camera video and the other half in the studio using multiple cameras. Directed by theatre director Peter Gill, it stars

Mick Ford Mick Ford (born 1 August 1952) is a British actor, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his portrayal of intellectual convict Archer in the cinema version of ''Scum (film), Scum''. Early life and education Ford was born on 1 August 19 ...

and

Deborah Norton Deborah Norton is an English actress. Personal life Deborah Norton was born in Croydon, Surrey, in 1943. She attended a Quaker boarding school and later studied at the Drama Centre London. She worked in Britain until she toured America wit ...

with

repeating her stage performance as the rebellious waitress, Nicola. ''Hitting Town'' was released for the first time on DVD in 2013.

Storyline

''Hitting Town'' is a play of just seven juxtaposed scenes, loosely shaped around a visit by Ralph to his sister Clare’s flat in their home town, Leicester. Clare is depressed having recently split up with her boyfriend. Ralph offers to take her out, ‘hitting the town’ as it were. The brother and sister travel through a landscape of Wimpy bars, shopping malls, subterranean discos, ending up in bed together. Set at the time of the Guildford and Birmingham bombings the play creates a feel for the contemporary mid-1970s. Poliakoff described the atmosphere of the time, ‘as you walked down the streets you expected cars to blow up in front of you’ (1997).

Controversy

Though not sexually explicit, the television adaptation of ''Hitting Town'' caused a considerable stir in 1976.

Mary Whitehouse Constance Mary Whitehouse (; 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was a British teacher and conservative activist. She campaigned against social liberalism and the mainstream British media, both of which she accused of encouraging a more permiss ...

tried to have the Independent Broadcasting Authority prosecuted for screening the show. The matter was referred to the Attorney General.

References

{{reflist *Walsh, John (20 November 2013
"Stephen Poliakoff: Bring back true grit"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' ITV television dramas 1975 plays