Classic BBC drama: every archive series on BBC Four, from The Roads to Freedom to Our Friends in the North

As part of celebrations of the BBC Centenary in October, BBC Four is broadcasting a number of different classic BBC dramas over the next few months.

These series – many of which featuring early starring turns from actors like Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, and Michael Gambon – are each significant in different ways, and many will feature specially recorded introductions from the people involved in their production.

Here’s every archive series currently announced to be featuring in BBC Four’s classic BBC drama season.

The Roads to Freedom

Wednesday 27 July

What’s it about? An adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s controversial trilogy of novels, The Roads to Freedom is set in Paris in the late 1930s, with WWII brewing on the horizon. The series is about different ideas of freedom, and ways to live free.

When did it first air? The Roads to Freedom first aired from September to December 1970.

Who’s in it? Michael Bryant (The Stone Tape, Nicholas and Alexandra) plays Matthieu, an unmarried philosophy professor, while Daniel Massey (Star!) plays Daniel, a gay man and close friend of Matthieu. The series was adapted for television by David Turner (Semi-Detached) and directed by James Cellan Jones (The Forsyte Saga).

Will it have a special introduction? Yes. Colin Baker – who appeared in The Roads to Freedom in one of his earliest screen roles – has recorded a special introduction to this repeat broadcast with some of his recollections from the production.

The Singing Detective

What’s it about? A writer suffering from a painful skin condition falls into a coma, and dreams of a musical noir thriller with clear similarities to his current novel.

When did it first air? The Singing Detective aired from November to December 1986.

Who’s in it? Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) stars as Phillip Marlowe, the singing detective. Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey), and Bill Paterson (Fleabag) also star. The series was written by Dennis Potter (Pennis from Heaven), a celebrated dramatist who suffered a similar skin condition.

Will it have a special introduction? The BBC is yet to announce if The Singing Detective will receive a special introduction.

How Green Was My Valley (1975)

What’s it about? Set in South Wales during the reign of Queen Victoria, it’s the story of Welsh mining family the Morgans. Huw, the youngest boy, enjoys academic ability that enables him to consider a future away from the mines in which his father and five brothers toil – but he has a life-changing experience after his father is trapped in a mine cave-in.

When did it first air? This six-part adaptation of Richard Llewellyn’s novel aired from December 1975 to February 1976.

Who’s in it? Stanley Baker (Hell Drivers, The Guns of Navarone) plays Morgan family patriarch Gwilym in one of his last screen roles, while Dominic Guard (Doctor Who) plays Huw. Siân Phillips (Under Milk Wood, McDonald & Dodds) and Nerys Hughes (Doctor Who) also star.

Will it have a special introduction? The BBC is yet to announce if How Green Was My Valley will receive a special introduction.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

What’s it about? An adaptation of John le Carré’s famous spy novel. Aging spymaster George Smiley must uncover a Soviet mole in the British secret service.

When did it first air? The series aired from September to October 1979 (five years after the book was published).

Who’s in it? Alec Guinness plays Smiley in what is probably still his most celebrated role. Alexander Knox (Wilson), Michael Jayston (Nicholas and Alexandra), and Ian Richardson (The Hound of the Baskervilles) also star.

Will it have a special introduction? The BBC is yet to announce if Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy will receive a special introduction.

Sunset Song

What’s it about? An adaptation of the 1932 novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, considered one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20^th century. It tells the story of a grief-stricken family in a small Scottish village, and the changes to their way of life.

When did it first air? The six-part series aired in 1971. It was the first colour drama made by BBC Scotland.

Who’s in it? Vivien Heilbron (The Moonstone) plays Chris Guthrie, the main character. Other cast members include Edith MacArthur (Take the High Road), Anne Kristen (Coronation Street), and Alex McAvoy (The Vital Spark).

Will it have a special introduction? The BBC is yet to announce if Sunset Song will receive a special introduction.

Buddha of Suburbia

What’s it about? An adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 novel. With an English mother and a Pakistani father, Karim is uncertain of his cultural identity: as his father becomes a kind of spiritual guru to the surrounding middle-class neighbours, Karim begins to explore his cultural roots with hopes that he will achieve self-realisation

When did it first air? The four-part series aired on BBC Two in November 1993.

Who’s in it? Naveen Andrews (Lost, The Dropout) stars as Karim, with Roshan Seth (Gandhi) and Susan Fleetwood (Chandler & Co) as Karim’s parents. The series also features original music written and performed by David Bowie

Will it have a special introduction? The BBC is yet to announce if Buddha of Suburbia will receive a special introduction.

Our Friends in the North

What’s it about? The series charts the lives of four friends from Newcastle across a thirty-year period, against a backdrop of social and political change that occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s. It’s regularly hailed as one of the best television British television dramas of the 20^th century.

When did it first air? Our Friends in the North aired on BBC Two from January to March 1996.

Who’s in it? Our Friends in the North features breakthrough roles for a number of actors who went on to great success – in particular Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Gina McKee (Line of Duty), and Mark Strong (Temple). Several episodes were directed by Simon Cellan Jones, son of James Cellan Jones, who directed The Roads to Freedom.

Will it have a special introduction? Yes. Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, The A Word) has recorded a special introduction to Our Friends in the North, offering personal perspective and contextualisation of the series.

A Man from the Sun and The Billy Plays will also be broadcast by BBC Four as part of this retrospective drama season.