ABC Television premieres this new comedy on Sunday afternoon, starring the late, great Hattie Jacques (well known now from the 'Carry On' franchise and the BBC comedy 'Sykes').

While we think nothing now of there being general entertainment available at 3.30 in the afternoon, at the time this was the only day of the week when you could find this here. On weekdays, television did not 'wake up' until after 4pm (except for schools in the morning), while on Saturday only sport was to be found.

Note the production credit at the bottom for ABC, in this case a 'Network Production' (as compared to something showing in their own regions only). Also interesting, and typical of ABC, is the series' own designers, there to ensure the look, feel and quality of the programme, marking it as instantly 'ABC'.

Armchair Theatre came in several guises.  Called simply 'Armchair Theatre', it played weekly on the network.  In the Midlands and the North, it was billed as 'ABC Armchair Theatre', after its makers (it is unlikely that ATV would have accepted a programme so popular mentioning 'ABC' in the title).  As the plainer-named 'Armchair Theatre', it continued for many years under ABC's post-1968 London outlet, Thames.

This unusual variant, 'Armchair Mystery Theatre' was a brief departure by ABC into a 'Tales of the Unexpected'-style format, this week with top billing for Ian Hendry, erstwhile star of 'The Avengers' and a favourite actor for ABC.

The series, in any guise, was a different drama with different actors every week, and was the most popular ABC programme after 'The Avengers'.  Series featuring individual one-off plays have fallen out of fashion now, with the cost of a whole new set and wardrobe each week being weighed against a perception of a viewing public only willing to watch the same actor playing the same role at the same time each week, preferably in the same suit.