Just a Boys' Game

1st episode of the 10th series of Play for Today

"Just a Boys' Game"
Play for Today episode

Episode no.	Series 10 Episode 1
Directed by	John Mackenzie
Written by	Peter McDougall
Produced by	Richard Eyre
Featured music	Frankie Miller
Cinematography by	Elmer Cossey
Editing by	Graham Walker
Original air date	8 November 1979 (1979-11-08)
Running time	71 minutes

"Just a Boys' Game" is an episode of Play for Today written by Peter McDougall and directed by John Mackenzie.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] "Just a Boys' Game" aired on 8 November 1979.^[5]

It features Frankie Miller, Gregor Fisher, Ken Hutchison, Hector Nicol, Jean Taylor Smith, Katherine Stark, Barry Malone, Michael Malone and band The Cuban Heels.^[1]

The plot revolves around the life of Jake McQuillan, who lives in the shadow of his dying grandfather, who used to be Greenock's hardest man.^[6]

The play was filmed in and around Greenock, Drumchapel^{[citation needed]} and Port Glasgow.^[7]

Frankie Miller's song "Rules of the Game" is featured over the closing credits.^[8]

Cast

Jake McQuillen - Frankie Miller
Dancer Dunnichy - Ken Hutchison
Grannie - Jean Taylor Smith
Granda - Hector Nicol
Tanza - Gregor Fisher
Jane - Katherine Stark
Bella - Jan Wilson
Mental Dan - Jim Byars
At the pub - Irene Sunters, Martin Cochrane

Critical reception

Screenonline wrote "stunningly photographed by Elmer Cossey and featured McDougall's most crackling dialogue and richest characterisations, all brilliantly evoked by a cast headed by blues singer Frankie Miller in a performance that melts the camera in its intensity."^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b "Just a Boy's Game (1979)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
^ "Play For Today - Series 10: 1. Just a Boys' Game" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
^ "Just A Boy's Game | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com.
^ "Just A Boy's Game (1979) | The List". film.list.co.uk.
^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index".
^ "Play for Today Season 10". Radio Times.
^ "Just a Boys' Game and the work of Peter McDougall". 11 November 2020.
^ "Frankie Miller - Rules Of The Game - Just A Boys Game OST Chords - Chordify". chordify.net.
^ "BFI Screenonline: McDougall, Peter (1947-) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk.

External links

"Just a Boys' Game" at IMDb

Films directed by John Mackenzie

One Brief Summer (1970)
Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971)
Made (1972)
The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil (1973)
Just Another Saturday (1975)
Double Dare (1976)
Apaches (1977)
Just a Boys' Game (1979)
The Long Good Friday (1980)
A Sense of Freedom (1981)
The Honorary Consul (1983)
The Innocent (1985)
Act of Vengeance (1986)
The Fourth Protocol (1987)
The Last of the Finest (1990)
Ruby (1992)
Voyage (1993)
The Infiltrator (1995)
Deadly Voyage (1996)
Looking After Jo Jo (1998)
When the Sky Falls (2000)
Quicksand (2003)

v t e Play for Today
Robin Redbreast (1970) Alma Mater (1971) The Foxtrot (1971) The Rank and File (1971) Traitor (1971) Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971) Evelyn (1971) Home (1972) The Operation (1973) Hard Labour (1973) Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (1973) Joe's Ark (1974) Penda's Fen (1974) The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (1974) Leeds — United! (1974) The Evacuees (1975) Gangsters (1975) Funny Farm (1975) Just Another Saturday (1975) Days of Hope (1975) Rumpole of the Bailey (1975) Nuts in May (1976) The Other Woman (1976) Willie Rough (1976) Double Dare (1976) Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976) Kiss of Death (1977) Spend, Spend, Spend (1977) The Price of Coal (1977) Abigail's Party (1977) Licking Hitler (1978) Red Shift (1978) The Spongers (1978) Our Day Out (1978) The After-Dinner Joke (1978) Blue Remembered Hills (1979) Comedians (1979) Just a Boys' Game (1979) A Gift from Nessus (1980) The Black Stuff (1980) The Imitation Game (1980) The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980) Home, Sweet Home (1982) Another Flip For Dominick (1982) Z for Zachariah (1984) Brimstone and Treacle (1987, completed 1976) Scum (1991, completed 1977)
Associated	Play for Tomorrow (1982 series)

Play for Today