Alan Bennett in Conversation at BFI Southbank

Alan Bennett discusses the art of the monologue, in a talk liberally illustrated with examples of his own contributions to the genre. It was 25 years ago that Bennett gave us the first series of 'Talking Heads' and demonstrated tellingly the viability of a simple genre that had all but disappeared from the small screen. It wasn’t Bennett’s first TV monologue (also showing tonight is 'A Woman of No Importance' with Patricia Routledge from 1982), but 'Talking Heads' made a major splash and provided strong pieces for some formidable women including Thora Hird, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith.