The Price of Coal

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The Price of Coal is two linked television plays from 1977, scripted by Barry Hines and directed by Ken Loach.

They are set in a Yorkshire coal mine. The miners and the manager are played by Yorkshire club comedians.

The two plays have the same actors, but are different in tone.

The first is comic, and deals with the preparations for an official visit by Prince Charles. The humour revolves around the expensive and ludicrous preparations that are required when there is an official visit from a member of the Royal Family. The workers recognize this and cannot take it seriously. Management recognizes it but has to play the game. Special toilets must be constructed "just in case" and then destroyed after the visit. A worker is instructed to paint a brick holding up a window. On the eve of the visit the slogan "Scargill rules OK" is painted on a wall. The manager comments "When I find out who did that I'll string him up by his knackers". It is a surreal situation for many of the miners who obviously bear no love for Royalty.

The second deals with a pit accident where some men are killed, and attempts to rescue some trapped men. It is loosely based on the Lofthouse Colliery disaster in 1973.