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A Cream Cracker Under The Settee
"A Cream Cracker Under The Settee" is a dramatic monologue written by Alan Bennett in 1987 for television, as part of his ''Talking Heads'' series for the BBC. The series became very popular, moving onto BBC Radio, international theatre, becoming one of the best-selling audio book releases of all time and included as part of both the A-level and GCSE English syllabus. It was the sixth and final episode of the first series of ''Talking Heads''. Storyline "A Cream Cracker under the Settee" is played out as a monologue by Doris (Thora Hird), a seventy-five-year-old woman who is a widow, following her slip off a pouffe (pronounced 'buffet' in the play). Her disapproval of home-helper Zulema's cleaning leads her to attempt to clean a picture of her and Wilfred, her late husband, and subsequently her fall. Her position, now suffering from a "numby" leg, prompts her natural desire to find help. Thus she moves from her place on a chair, to the floor near where she fell, and finally t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for his film ''The Madness of King George'' (1994). In 2005 he received the Society of London Theatre Special Award. Bennett was born in Leeds and attended Oxford University, where he studied history and performed with the Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research medieval history at the university for several years. His collaboration as writer and performer with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook in the satirical revue '' Beyond the Fringe'' at the 1960 Edinburgh Festival brought him instant fame and later a Special Tony Award. He gave up academia, and turned to writing full time, his first stage play, '' Forty Years On'', being produced in 1968. He also became known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Burge
Stuart Burge (15 January 1918 – 24 January 2002) was an English stage and film director, actor and producer. The son of H. O. Burge, by his marriage to K. M. Haig, Burge was educated at Eagle House School, Sandhurst, and Felsted School, Essex, then trained for an acting career at the Old Vic, 1936–37, and at Oxford Rep, 1937–38. He was back at the Old Vic and appearing in the West End theatre in 1938–39, then during the Second World War of 1939–45 he served in the British Army's Intelligence Corps. After the war he returned to his acting career at the Bristol Old Vic, the Young Vic, and the Commercial Theatre, between 1946 and 1949.‘BURGE, Stuart’, in ''Who Was Who'' (A. & C. Black, 1920–2008)online article(subscription site), by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 20 April 2012 He was a director by 1948. He was responsible for many distinguished productions for both stage and television, including four film adaptations of plays. He married Josephi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Innes Lloyd
George Innes Llewelyn Lloyd (24 December 1925 – 23 August 1991) was a Welsh television producer. He had a long career in BBC drama, which included producing series such as ''Doctor Who'' and ''Talking Heads''. Early life and career Following service in the Royal Navy, Innes Lloyd trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He joined the BBC in the 1950s, initially in presentation before moving into outside broadcasts. As an outside broadcast producer he covered many important sporting events such as tennis at Wimbledon, golf and motor racing. He also produced important national events such as the Royal Christmas Message and Winston Churchill's state funeral. ''Doctor Who'' Lloyd began his drama career when he was made the producer of the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' in 1966. He was the third producer on the programme and his duration as producer ran for two seasons between ''The Celestial Toymaker'' and ''The Enemy of the World'' (with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Her Big Chance
"Her Big Chance" is a dramatic monologue written by Alan Bennett as part of his ''Talking Heads'' series for the BBC. The series became very popular, moving onto BBC Radio and international theatre, as well as becoming one of the best-selling audio book releases of all time and being included as part of both the A-level and GCSE English syllabus. It was the fifth episode of the first series of ''Talking Heads'', and originally aired on 17 May 1988. In the 2020 remake, the character of Lesley was played by Jodie Comer. Storyline Lesley (portrayed by Julie Walters in the original 1988 broadcast and Jodie Comer in the 2020 remake) is an aspiring actress who, after a series of unpromising bit parts on television, is offered what she believes to be her breakout role in a new film for the West German market. However, Lesley does not realise that the film is a soft pornographic film. Reception See also * English A-level and GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution. A three-time winner of the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, she won for '' Talking Heads: A Cream Cracker Under the Settee'' (1988), '' Talking Heads: Waiting for the Telegram'' (1998) and '' Lost for Words'' (1999). Her film credits included ''The Love Match'' (1955), '' The Entertainer'' (1960), '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) and ''The Nightcomers'' (1971). Early life and career Hird was born on 28 May 1911 in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe to James Henry Hird and Jane Mary (née Mayor). Her family background was largely theatrical: her mother had been an actress, while her father managed a number of entertainment venues in Morecambe, including the Royalty Theatre, where Hird made her first appearance, and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Academy Television Award For Best Actress
This is a list of the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress. The British Academy Television Awards began in 1955. The Best Actress award was initially given as an "individual honour", without credit to a particular performance, until 1969, when Wendy Craig won for her performance in '' Not in Front of the Children''. Since 1970, nominees have been announced in addition to the winner, and are listed, with the winner highlighted in blue. Julie Walters holds the record of most wins in this category with four, followed by Judi Dench, Thora Hird and Helen Mirren, with three wins each. Jodie Comer is the youngest actress at only 29 years old to hold 5 Best Actress nominations. With Helen Mirren and Francesca Annis having received 6 and Judi Dench and Julie Walters having received 7. Comer received her first nomination in 2017, then for four consecutive years between 2019 and 2022. Her first win came for ''Killing Eve'' in 2019. Comer’s nominations span over three differ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patricia Routledge
Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge, (; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress, singer and broadcaster. For her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in 1992 and 1993. Her film appearances include ''To Sir, with Love'' (1967) and '' Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River'' (1968). Routledge made her professional stage debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 and her Broadway debut in ''How's the World Treating You'' in 1966. She won the 1968 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in ''Darling of the Day'', and the 1988 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for ''Candide''. On television, Routledge came to prominence during the 1980s in monologues written by Alan Bennett and Victoria Wood; appearing in Bennett's ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1982), as Kitty in '' Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' (1985–1986), and being nominat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Lady Of Letters
"A Lady of Letters" is a dramatic monologue written by Alan Bennett in 1987 for television, as part of his ''Talking Heads'' series for the BBC. The series became very popular, moving onto BBC Radio, international theatre, becoming one of the best-selling audio book releases of all time and included as part of both the A-level and GCSE English syllabus. It was the second episode of the first series of ''Talking Heads''. Storyline Irene Ruddock is a single, middle-aged woman living near Bradford and is not afraid to speak, or rather write, her mind. She frequently writes to her MP, the police, the chemist – everyone she can, to remedy the social ills she sees around her. Irene becomes suspicious of a neighbouring couple whom she suspects of neglecting their child, and tries to raise these suspicions to her doctor, who instead offers her a prescription (presumably some kind of anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication) to help her forget her worries. Irene is eventually quest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having received highest achievement for film, television and theatre, winning two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Hailed as one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the Arts, and a Companion of Honour in 2014 for services to Drama. Smith began her career on stage as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and made her professional debut on Broadway in ''New Faces of '56''. Over the following decades, Smith established herself alongside Judi Dench as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bed Among The Lentils
"Bed Among the Lentils" is a dramatic monologue written by Alan Bennett in 1987 for television, as part of his '' Talking Heads'' series for the BBC. The series became very popular, moving onto BBC Radio, international theatre, becoming one of the best-selling audio book releases of all time and included as part of both the A-level and GCSE English syllabus. It was the third episode of the first series of ''Talking Heads''. Synopsis Susan (Maggie Smith) is the wife of a vicar, living in a small village near Leeds. Her husband is a popular local figure, well respected and he also seems to collect adoring middle aged and elderly women because of his status as the vicar, all of whom fuss and fawn over him and seem to passive aggressively compete with Susan for his time and affection. Susan is bored with her husband and unhappy with her life, although she is passive in this unhappiness other than her alcoholism. She has run up a debt with the local shop because of her constant buyi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A-level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. A number of Commonwealth countries have developed qualifications with the same name as and a similar format to the British A Levels. Obtaining an A Level, or equivalent qualifications, is generally required across the board for university entrance, with universities granting offers based on grades achieved. Particularly in Singapore, its A level examinations have been regarded as being much more challenging than the United Kingdom, with most universities offering lower entry qualifications with regard to grades achieved on a Singaporean A level ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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