Paul Kaye, Phyllis Logan, Joel Fry and Amit Shah also on board as details emerge for second series of 5 revived anthology drama

Johnny Vegas, Archie Panjabi, Daniel Mays and Paul Kaye are among the roster of stars appearing in the upcoming second series of 5’s Play for Today.

The line-up of UK talent comes after Broadcast revealed the drama stand was to extend into a second series, following its successful revival last year. Alongside the cast, details have emerged of the Vertigo Films and LA Productions-helmed singles.

Mays is joined by Joel Fry (Paddington in Peru) and Amit Shah (Happy Valley) in Wild, a survival dramedy centred on a trio of old friends and set in the Scottish Highlands. It explores the lines between adventure and recklessness, and how toxic masculinity has become a huge part of the epidemic decline in men’s mental health. It is written by Lewis Wren (Treason) and directed by Brick (Deli Meat).

Meanwhile, Panjabi (The Good Wife) and Kaye (Small Prophets) lead The Quiet Hour, which is set over the course of a relentless night shift in an NHS hospital, and follows Riya (Panjabi), as she grapples with a collapsing system, an understaffed ward, and a stream of emergencies which cause her professional composure to fracture. It is directed by Margo Roe (The Quiet Hour) and written by Sarah Louise Madden (All Hail The Duck King).

Vegas stars in The Nine O’Clock Trot, a darkly comic drama that follows Annie (Kalli Tant, The Responder), a recent graduate who has spent six months caring for her grandfather. When he dies, she is left with a funeral bill she cannot afford and, in desperation to give him a proper send-off, turns to Fr Adam (Vegas), a troubled man facing his own reckoning. The film explores grief, social care and the unseen weight of caring – and the extraordinary lengths we go to for those we love. Joe McNally is the scribe, while Harry Machray (Ricky, Sue and a Trip or Two) is the director.

Village Idiot is a warm comedy led by Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale) and Max Harwood (Black Mirror), with Angus Imrie (The Crown), Kacey Ainsworth (Grantchester) and Kathryn Drysdale (Small Prophets). It follows stubborn English grandmother Barbara (Logan) who chains herself to her beloved cottage when it’s threatened with demolition by high-speed train developers. It is penned by Samson Hawkins (Top Gs Like Me) and directed by Rhys Aaron Lewis (Run Like We).

Closing Time (w/t) stars Antonio Aakeel (Slow Horses) as Mo, a gifted migrant working in his uncle’s kebab shop who has kept his culinary ambitions hidden until he meets and begins an affair with Laila (House of the Dragon’s Ellora Torchia). It is written by Mina Barber (The Beaker Girls) and directed by Dan Sloan (Good Behaviour).

Finally, The Castle centres on three siblings left to fend for themselves after their mother suddenly disappears. Connor (Oliver Nelson, After the Flood) Jamie (Dylan Hughes, Ludwig) and Mia (Matilda Flower, Trying) try to keep their lives afloat, transforming their suburban house into a makeshift fortress as they wait for her return. The Castle traces fraying sibling relationships, survival strategies, and the grand stories children tell each other to feel safe. It is penned by Jack Bradfield (How to Kill Your Family) and directed by Emma Turner (Compulsion).

Wild, The Quiet Hour and Village Idiot are produced by Meeshan Saxena (Inside No.9) for Vertigo Films and Closing Time (w/t), The Nine O’Clock Trot and The Castle are produced by Donna Molloy (Care, Granite Harbour) and exec produced by Colin McKeown for LA Productions.

Paul Testar, commissioning editor, 5, stated: “The response to the first Play for Today films last year was hugely encouraging, and this new line-up builds brilliantly on that success. We’ve brought together an incredible cast – from some of the UK’s most respected screen talent to exciting new voices, reflecting both the ambition and the diversity of the strand. I couldn’t be more excited to see these stories brought to life.”

The second series continues the first run’s ambition to be a launchpad for new talent, delivering first credits for new writers, directors and early-career crew.

Building on series one, LA Productions has supported a returning first-time director, delivered broadcast debuts for two additional directors and three new local writers, and enabled crew members to step up into more senior roles, At Vertigo Films, 86% of its crew came from low-income backgrounds and all participating writers and directors made their broadcast debut.