Cast announced for Play For Today's second outing on 5

The anthology series will return with actors including Daniel Mays, Johnny Vegas, Kacey Ainsworth and Kathryn Drysdale.

5 has confirmed the stellar cast appearing in the next six films in their anthology series Play For Today.

Daniel Mays, Joel Fry and Amit Shah will star as Lou, Dev and Alistair in Wild, a survival dramedy set in the breathtaking yet unforgiving Scottish Highlands. We follow these three old friends as they cling on to their annual wild camping tradition.

But what begins with banter, nostalgia, and amateur vlogging soon unravels into a battle of egos, secrets, and survival when they get lost, food runs short, and friendships fracture.

At once funny, poignant, and unsettling, Wild explores the line between adventure and recklessness, and how toxic masculinity has become a huge part of the epidemic decline in men’s mental health.

Wild is written by Lewis Wren and directed by BRICK.

The Quiet Hour promises to be a gripping, intimate drama led by Archie Panjabi and Paul Kaye. Set over the course of one relentless night shift in an NHS hospital, Panjabi stars as Riya, an overworked nurse battling exhaustion, guilt, and the ghosts of past mistakes, while Kaye delivers a powerful turn as Fred, 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.

The Quiet Hour is written by Sarah Louise Madden and directed by Margo Roe.

Village Idiot is described as a sharp, heartfelt comedy led by Phyllis Logan and Max Harwood, with Angus Imrie, Kacey Ainsworth and Kathryn Drysdale also starring.

Logan plays Barbara, a ferociously stubborn English grandmother who literally chains herself to her beloved cottage when it’s threatened with demolition by high-speed train developers. Whilst Harwood stars as Peter, 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.

Promising to be witty, warm, and sharply observed, Village Idiot captures rural England on the brink of change, balancing laugh‑out‑loud comedy with genuine emotional punch.

Village Idiot is written by Samson Hawkins and directed by Rhys Aaron Lewis.

Closing Time follows Mo, played by Antonio Aakeel, a gifted migrant working in his uncle's kebab shop, who has always kept his culinary ambitions hidden until, during a late night of service, he meets Laila, played by Ellora Torchia, a thoughtful lawyer trapped in a stagnant engagement.

Their chance encounter begins 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's settled for.

Closing Time is written by Mina Barber and directed by Dan Sloan.

The Nine O’Clock Trot is described as a darkly comic, emotionally resonant drama starring Johnny Vegas and Kalli Tant as Annie, a recent graduate who has spent six months caring full‑time for her grandfather.

Isolated, unemployed and broke, Annie is left reeling when he dies, and facing a funeral bill she cannot afford. With no family support and nowhere to turn, she keeps his death a secret, refusing a council public health funeral she finds unbearable.

Desperate to give him a proper send‑off, Annie turns to the local parish priest, only to become entangled with Father Adam, played by Johnny Vegas, a troubled man facing his own reckoning.

What begins as an act of love spirals rapidly out of control, forcing Annie to confront just how far she’s willing to go.

Promising to be honest, warm and darkly funny, the film explores grief, social care, and the unseen weight of caring, and the extraordinary lengths we go to for those we love.

The Nine O'Clock Trot is written by Joe McNally and directed by Harry Machray.

The Castle follows three siblings left to fend for themselves after their mother suddenly disappears. Connor, Jamie, and Mia; played by Oliver Nelson, Dylan Hughes and Matilda Flower, try to keep their lives afloat, transforming their suburban house into a makeshift fortress as they wait for her return.

Told through the eyes of wildly imaginative middle-brother Connor, The Castle traces fraying sibling relationships, survival strategies, and the grand stories children tell each other to feel safe.

It promises to be a tender, soulful story about growing up too soon, and rescuing yourself before it’s too late.

The Castle is written by Jack Bradfield and directed by Emma Turner.

Speaking ahead of the new series of Play For Today, Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor at 5 said "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."

5 has said that the strand remains a key pillar of their commitment to nurturing new creative voices and providing opportunities for people from low-income backgrounds to break into the feature film and television industry. With each film placing emerging talent at the centre of its writing, directing, and production teams.

The first series delivered first credits for new writers, first‑time directors and early‑career crew; whilst this new wave further cements Play for Today as a launchpad for the next generation of British talent and 5 as a major home of original British drama.

The new films continue to open doors for talent traditionally underrepresented in the industry. Across the strand, writers and directors are making their broadcast debuts, while crews are drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds and supported to progress on set.

Wild, The Quiet Hour and Village Idiot are produced by Meeshan Saxena for Vertigo Films and Closing Time, The Nine O’Clock Trot and The Castle are produced by Donna Molloy and Executive Produced by Colin McKeown for LA Productions.

Play for Today returns later this year on 5