''Afternoon Off'' is a 1979
television play
A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television movi ...
by
Alan Bennett. Broadcast under the umbrella title ''Six Plays by Alan Bennett'', it was produced for
London Weekend Television and directed by
Stephen Frears.
The screenplay was published by
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...
in 1984.
Synopsis
Lee, a Chinese waiter in a large hotel in
Hartlepool
Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...
, England, has various adventures in trying to locate the elusive Iris, whom he has been led to believe will have sex with him. His inability to speak fluent English and the varying degrees of assistance or confusion several individuals offer lead him on a
wild goose chase. He finally encounters Iris in bed with one of his
waiting staff
Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attendin ...
colleagues at the very hotel at which he started off.
Cast
It stars Henry Man as Lee, with an
all star cast almost all of whom are in cameo roles, including one by Alan Bennett himself.
* Henry Man as Lee
*
Sherrie Hewson
Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson (born 17 September 1950) is an English actress, television personality and novelist. She is known for her roles as Maureen Holdsworth in ''Coronation Street'' (1993–1997, 2006), Virginia Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2001– ...
as Iris
*
Benjamin Whitrow as Father
*
Angela Morant
Angela Morant (born 15 January 1941 in Warwickshire, England) is an English actress best known for playing Octavia Minor in the 1976 BBC television adaptation of ''I, Claudius'', and Barbara Harrison in the soap opera ''Brookside''.
Career
Other ...
as Mother
* Pasquale Perrino as Maitre d'
*
Philip Jackson as Bernard
*
Harold Innocent as Marjory
*
Pete Postlethwaite as Art Gallery attendant
*
Stan Richards
Stanley Richardson, known professionally as Stan Richards (8 December 1930 – 11 February 2005), was an English television actor, best known for his portrayal of Seth Armstrong in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''.
Career
He played the ro ...
as Man in Art Gallery
*
Harry Markham
Harry Markham is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s. He played at representative level for England, and at club level for Hull F.C. ( Heritage No.), as a , i.e. number 11 or 12 during the era of cont ...
as Harry
* Jackie Shinn as Jackie
*
Elizabeth Spriggs
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
as Miss Beckinsale
*
as Mr Bywaters
*
Joan Scott as Shoe-Shop manageress
*
Angela Curran
Angela Curran is an English actress, known for '' Death at a Funeral'' (2007), ''Jane Eyre'' (2011) and ''The Danish Girl'' (2015).
In 2003, Curran had her own one woman show, ''Happy Talk'', broadcast on Radio 3.
She appeared as security gua ...
as Shirley
*
Carol MacReady
Carol MacReady is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Mrs Dribelle in Bodger and Badger. Carol is married to actor James Laurenson.
Other television shows she appeared in include:
*''Agatha Christie's Poirot'' - Milly C ...
as Shoe-Shop customer
* Patricia Baker as Iris Butterfield
* Douglas Quarterman as Ernest Fletcher
*
Alan Bennett as Mr Petty
*
Janine Duvitski as Doreen
*
Richard Griffiths
Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play ''The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Aw ...
as Factory Boss
*
John Normington as Duggie
*
Paul Shane as Alf
*
Neville Smith as Cyril
*
Bernard Wrigley as Vic
*
Anna Massey as Coffee-Shop owner
*
Stephanie Cole as Customer
* Sylvia Brayshay as Hospital Orderly
* Vicky Ireland as Second Orderly
*
Thora Hird as Mrs Beevers
* Lucita Lijertwood as Nurse
References
External links
*
''Afternoon Off''at
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
1979 films
British drama television films
County Durham in fiction
Faber & Faber books
Films directed by Stephen Frears
Films scored by George Fenton
Films set in Hartlepool
Films with screenplays by Alan Bennett
Hotels in fiction
ITV television dramas
London Weekend Television shows
Television series by ITV Studios
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