I have really enjoyed watching the new series of Talking Heads on the BBC. The first series was aired in 1988 with Alan Bennett in A Chip in the Sugar, Patricia Routledge in A Lady of Letters, Maggie Smith in Bed Among the Lentils, Stephanie Cole in Soldiering On, Julie Walters in Her Big Chance and the wonderful Thora Hird in A Cream Cracker under the Settee. I remember being totally enthralled by these originals. In 1998 the second series was aired with some of the same cast playing different roles Patricia Routledge in Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet, Eileen Atkins in The Hand of God, David Haig in Playing Sandwiches, Julie Walters in The Outside Dog, Penelope Wilton in Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Thora Hird in Waiting for the Telegram. When the scripts were first published I appeared in and directed a few of them. I even have dusty old copies on my bookshelf but I haven’t revisited them in years.
I was very interested to read that during lockdown the cast and crew, along with director Nicholas Hytner (who runs the wonderful Bridge Theatre in London, and whose fabulous production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was broadcast as part of the National Theatre At Home series a couple of weeks ago) filmed the new episodes of Talking Heads on the set of Eastenders, which was obviously not being used due to the lockdown restrictions. In an interview, Nicholas says (click here for the full interview) “Piers Wenger, the BBC’s Head of Drama, called me on the evening of 26 March, ten days after all the theatres - including my own, the Bridge Theatre - closed. He said that BBC drama production had halted, that the only films they could imagine making were monologues, and that he’d remembered Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads - so:
Could I imagine remaking them with a group of today’s leading actors?
Could I imagine making them while observing all the restrictions imposed by social distancing - in particular, the requirement that nobody comes within two metres of anyone else?
Could I imagine making them on pre-existing sets at Elstree Studios, many of them sets used for EastEnders?
Could I persuade Alan Bennett to get behind them? I’ve directed all Alan’s new plays and films for the last 30 years, so I seemed to Piers to be the person best placed to do that.
And finally: they’d like to get them ready for transmission within weeks. Would that be ok too?”
What an incredible idea so early into lockdown - and to get them cast, rehearsed, filmed, edited and out on our screens this quickly is quite an achievement! The full interview is well worth a read. Nicholas goes on to explain how they used eBay to find costumes and how different the filming was as a result of the restrictions. The two Thora Hird monologues were not included, primarily due to the fact that directors were unable to use actors over the age of 70. I'm actually quite pleased that her legacy lives on untouched - her monologues were so tenderly acted and are a wonderful tribute to her talent.
Watching these beautifully crafted monologues decades after I first saw them, I realised how much more I can relate to them now, and what a greater appreciation I have for the writing - somehow I feel more empathy and compassion with the characters. I have realised that my age, experience (both artistic and personal), wisdom and life skills have really changed how I now view scripts and the theatre. It has been a real eye-opener and has made me wonder...Would I enjoy plays from my past that I have previously acted in or directed more or less? How would I view those scripts and those characters now? What would I change? Would I choose to avoid certain plays if I read the scripts for the first time today? The list of questions goes on...
I have always embraced whatever age I am, but I now hold on to the valuable wisdom and experience I have accumulated along the way. Most psychologists agree that if you define wisdom as maintaining positive well-being and kindness in the face of challenges, it is one of the most important qualities you can possess to age successfully. I wholeheartedly agree and I believe that I have continued to grow as an actress and a director. I just didn’t realise quite how much until Talking Heads got me talking to my own head!