Playing the Field


Playing the Field is a BBC television drama series following the lives of the Castlefield Blues, a fictitious female football team from South Yorkshire.

Outline

Inspired by Pete Davies’s book I Lost My Heart To The Belles — which was written about a real-life club, the Doncaster Belles — Playing the Field ran for five series, from 1998–2002, with scripts by, amongst others, Kay Mellor, Sally Wainwright and Gaynor Faye.
Despite being set in South Yorkshire, much of the location filming took place in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, although the fifth series was filmed around Leeds; whilst the theme song, "Blue" by Alison Moyet, was originally a B-side track about the singer's love of Southend United FC. A young Marsha Thomason — who has since appeared in U.S. shows Las Vegas and Lost — featured in the first three series of Playing the Field. The first four series have been released on DVD in the UK, but the fifth has yet to be made available.

Main cast

Series 1
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Series 2
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Series 3
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Series 4
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Series 5
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Ratings

Episode No.AirdateTotal ViewersBBC Weekly Rank
3.11 February 2000Under 6,490,000N/A
3.28 February 20007,430,00018
3.315 February 20007,730,00017
3.424 February 20006,010,00030
3.52 March 20006,930,00022
3.69 March 20006,290,00027

Episode No.AirdateTotal ViewersBBC Weekly Rank
4.113 July 20006,440,00012
4.220 July 20005,310,00025
4.327 July 20005,670,00024
4.43 August 20005,760,00019
4.510 August 20005,450,00026
4.617 August 20005,650,00027
4.724 August 20006,020,00018

Episode No.AirdateTotal ViewersBBC Weekly Rank
5.16 January 20026,160,00017
5.213 January 20025,250,00025
5.320 January 20025,290,00025
5.427 January 2002Under 4,700,000N/A
5.53 February 2002Under 4,430,000N/A
5.610 February 2002Under 4,490,000N/A

Home media

The first four series of Playing the Field have been made available via Universal Playback.
Series 5, which was broadcast in 2002 has not received a VHS release, nor has it been released on DVD.