Alan Bennett on "The History Boys"

Original tape date: April 19, 2006.
British playwright Alan Bennett on his celebrated play, THE HISTORY BOYS, a thought-provoking comedy about eight bright, funny students trying to get into good colleges. He also discusses his witty and moving new memoir, UNTOLD STORIES.

[@dsantamaria713]

I'm so grateful for this man and his work... He has an outstanding mind, is utterly genuine, and his work speaks to his brilliance... His work, is like getting the best present you could ever wish for! ♥️♥️

[@BoadiceanTruth]

Saw the film several years ago. Bloody brilliant! X

[@stewartmcfarlane2008]

Alan Bennet is a gem. Great writer and witty speaker. Just to set the record straight about Gandhi. He was in bed with his young wife Kasturbai. He was surrendering to his youthful lust, and failed to attend his dying father in the next room. He felt the shame very deeply. He records the incident with great honesty in his, "The Story of My Experiments With Truth" published in the late 1920s,initially in Gujarati. The hint from the interviewer about darker sexual exploits, refers to the middle aged Gandhi's habit of sleeping with his neices and young followers, to test the strength of his vow of celibacy. There is no evidence,according to the young women,that Gandhi actually broke his vow. But it was a foolish and harmful way to test his resolve

[@scottross9628]

Alan Bennett (pace Michael Riedel) is, if not an actual god, certainly a being worthy of veneration and even worship, if wit, literacy and gentleness are to be celebrated - and I think they ought to be.

[@tomriley3251]

Pog

[@greghubris370]

@@tomriley3251 poggers

[@greghubris370]

@@higuys4304 poggy woggy

[@RobertJonesWightpaint]

A great writer, and I may say - a great interview.

[@higuys4304]

this interview 10/10

[@greghubris370]

agreed bor

[@greghubris370]

This is a banging video

[@alfredhong]

much agree

[@greghubris370]

@@alfredhong agreed

[@wendychandler8304]

This interviewer ought to know the difference between a top school and a university. Perhaps Yale is a school?

[@bmf1949]

Wendy, in US the word ‘school’ is synonymous with university. In fact it often refers to the best universities.

[@sophiecalder-jones6630]

​@bmf1949 you'd have to have very limited awareness of life outside the US to be unaware that that's not how anyone else speaks

[@vino140]

Superb writer

[@simonjones5838]

Why on earth was the original staged production ever brought out for online or dvd viewing

[@greghubris370]

i dont get whats wrong with it

[@messrsandersonco5985]

My God! It would help if the interviewer has read or seen the play and has a modicum of analytical ability. They are NOT 18 or 19, they are 17 going on 18,and they are NOT trying to get into the top "schools" but rather the oldest exstant university in Europe! We know that Americans are barely literate but do you need to showcase that by being so ill-read?

[@scoobydisney]

Actually, the boys would be 18-19, as they have just received their A Level results and are doing an extra term during the events of the play - the equivalent of Year 14 in UK education. Posner may be 17, or he may just be mentally "young". Perhaps he was moved up a year as a result of being gifted...?

[@greghubris370]

oh dear

[@AndyStoker-mv9ne]

I was 18 and a half when taking the Oxbridge exam (early 1970s). Third year Sixth. I was a science boy.

[@AndyStoker-mv9ne]

@@scoobydisney This "moving up" happened in my (Direct Grant) school. Smart boys did O-levels in 4 years. I plodded through in 5.

[@normanby100]

The boys been touch up by Hector and not minding it is a piece of wishful thinking.

[@greghubris370]

what

[@greghubris370]

@UCF0kuS5tKT_EMZGNW3L5tCQ ok