Play for Today has a new episode airing Friday, October 9, 2026 at 9:05pm. Series 2, Episode 3 titled "Closing Time" will be broadcast on 5.

Mo, a gifted migrant working in his uncle's kebab shop, has long kept his culinary ambitions hidden. That changes during a late night of service when he meets Laila, a thoughtful lawyer trapped in a stagnant engagement. Their chance encounter sparks a passionate affair built on late-night conversations and cooking sessions. As Laila encourages Mo to pursue his dreams despite his pending visa renewal, he challenges her to confront the life she has settled for.

Programme Information

Channel: 5
Status: Running
Genre(s): Drama
Runtime: 60 minutes
Rating: N/A/10
Official Site: Play for Today

Main Cast

Cast information not available.

Episode Details

Series: 2
Episode: 3
Episode Title: Closing Time
Air Date: Friday, October 9, 2026
Air Time: 9:05pm
Runtime: 60 minutes

Coming Up Next

S2E4: The Quiet Hour
Airs: Friday, October 16, 2026 at 9:00pm

A gripping, intimate drama set over the course of one relentless night shift in an NHS hospital. Riya is an overworked nurse battling exhaustion, guilt, and the ghosts of past mistakes, while Fred is a combative amputee whose presence becomes one of the night's most volatile challenges. As Riya grapples with a collapsing system, an understaffed ward, and a stream of emergencies — from dying patients to a medical error that nearly costs a life — her professional composure begins to fracture. Haunted by a past she can't quite escape and the growing distance from her teenage daughter, Riya's night spirals into a raw reckoning with compassion, burnout, and the quiet heroism that holds the health service together.

Previous Episode

S2E2: Village Idiots
Aired: Friday, October 2, 2026

Barbara is a ferociously stubborn English grandmother who literally chains herself to her beloved cottage when it's threatened with demolition by High Speed train developers. Peter is the company's smooth, painfully polite liaison dispatched to remove her - only to discover she's also his estranged grandmother. What follows is a gloriously awkward battle of wills: Barbara's weaponised stubbornness and talent for public protest versus Peter's frantic attempts to keep his corporate career (and dignity) intact. As their standoff snowballs into a small‑town circus of press, protestors, and well‑meaning locals, both are forced to reckon with what "home" really means — and whether blood ties can survive locked gates, padlocks, and a very watchful village. 

Episodes We Are Tracking

Stay up to date with TV Blighty for the latest on Play for Today and all your favourite British television.