Talking Heads (plays)
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Talking Heads is a series of dramatic monologues written by the English playwright Alan Bennett for BBC television. They have since been broadcast on BBC Radio, performed in live theatre and included on the A-level English Literature syllabus.
Summary
There are two seasons of Talking Heads, each composed of six episodes, along with a thirteenth play, A Woman of No Importance, which, while not released alongside Talking Heads, generally fits into the canon.
Although the plays deal with a variety of subjects there are certain recurring themes, such as loneliness, hubris, and romantic irony.
Episodes
Actors are named for the BBC television versions.
- Patricia Routledge plays Miss Schofield in A Woman of No Importance
- Peggy Schofield, clerical worker and self-described lynchpin of her office, finds that when her strict regime is disrupted, her world crumbles around her.
Talking Heads 1 — (1987)
- Alan Bennett plays Graham Whittaker in A Chip in the Sugar
- Graham, a middle-aged mummy's boy, contends with his mother's new suitor, Frank Turnbull.
- Patricia Routledge plays Irene in A Lady of Letters
- Irene Ruddock is not afraid to speak, or rather write, her mind: she writes letters to her MP, the police, the chemist - everyone she can, to remedy the social ills she sees around her. After one too many accusations of misconduct from Irene's pen, she is sent to prison - where, for the first time in her life, she truly feels free.
- Maggie Smith plays Susan in Bed amongst the Lentils
- Susan, an alcoholic, nervous vicar's wife, distracts herself from her ambitious husband and his doting parishioners by conducting an affair with a nearby grocer, Ramesh Ramesh, and discovers something about herself and God in the process.
- Julie Walters plays Lesley in Her Big Chance
- Lesley is an aspiring actress, who, after a series of unpromising extra roles on television programmes such as Crossroads, finds what she believes to be her big break as the adventurous Travis in a new film for the West German market. It is not clear to what extent Lesley understands that she is appearing in a pornographic film.
- Stephanie Cole plays Muriel in Soldiering On
- Muriel is a strong woman, and always has been — a pillar of the community, a regular charity worker, and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels; and looking after her mentally ill daughter, Margaret, has fortified her resolve — so, after the death of her husband, Muriel is well-prepared to cope with the crisis. However, given her son's inaptitude with money, and Margaret's sudden and strange recovery, Muriel finds that she needs to adapt in order to 'soldier on.'
- Thora Hird plays Doris in Cream Cracker under the Settee
- Doris is a tidy woman — and when she suffers a fall after trying to clear up after her considerably less thorough home help, Zulema, she wonders whether her tidying was responsible for her husband's early death.
Talking Heads 2 — (1998)
- Eileen Atkins plays Celia in The Hand of God
- Patricia Routledge plays Miss Fozzard in Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet
- David Haig plays Wilfrid Paterson in Playing Sandwiches
- Julie Walters plays Marjory in The Outside Dog
- Penelope Wilton plays Rosemary in Nights in the Gardens of Spain
- Thora Hird plays Violet in Waiting for the Telegram
External link
- BBC7: Talking Heads (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/comedy/progpages/talkingheads.shtml)
- IMDb entry for Talking Heads (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0092462/)
- IMDb entry for Talking Heads 2 (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0173599/)