Synopsis:

This is the first book devoted to Alan Bennett's extensive work for television. It contextualises his groundbreaking televisual work among his award-winning screenplays, plays, essays, published diaries and performances. It covers his career from the "Cambridge Footlights" in the early 1960s right through to the success of "The History Boys". It investigates why Bennett has been popular for so long and illuminates the many recurring themes that inhabit his work. It is one of the most original and successful writers for television over the last five decades.