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The Complete Talking Heads
- The Classic BBC Radio 4 Monologues Plus A Woman of No Importance
- Narrated by: Alan Bennett, Patricia Routledge
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
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The Complete Talking Heads
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Summary
The complete audio collection of Alan Bennett's celebrated monologues, published together for the first time and performed by some of Britain's best actors.
The Talking Heads monologues are widely regarded as one of Alan Bennett's finest dramatic achievements. First broadcast on BBC TV and BBC Radio 4 in the 1980s and 1990s, they won a host of awards and huge popular acclaim and remain among his most admired works today.
This collection includes all twelve Talking Heads, plus the precursor of that series, 'A Woman of No Importance'.
Beautifully crafted and full of compassion and wry observation, each tale is ripe with the quirky, insightful detail that has become Bennett's trademark. The monologues are: 'A Woman of No Importance' (Patricia Routledge); 'A Chip in the Sugar' (Alan Bennett); 'A Lady of Letters' (Patricia Routledge); 'Bed Among the Lentils' (Anna Massey); 'Soldiering On' (Stephanie Cole); 'Her Big Chance' (Julie Walters); 'A Cream Cracker Under the Settee' (ThoraHird); 'Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet' (Patricia Routledge); 'The Hand of God' (Eileen Atkins); 'Playing Sandwiches' (David Haig); 'The Outside Dog' (Julie Walters); 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' (Penelope Wilton) and 'Waiting for the Telegram' (Thora Hird).
Intensely moving, deeply engrossing and highly entertaining, these spellbinding soliloquies are essential listening.
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What listeners say about The Complete Talking Heads
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Graham G Grant
- 03-01-20
Sheer brilliance ...
On the face of it, they’re living humdrum lives, but each of the characters delivering these compelling dramatic monologues has a story to tell that’s poignant, or hilarious, or both. Bennett’s mastery of diction is equalled by his talent for subtle storytelling - in this collection, we hear from (among others) the wife of a suspected serial killer; the alcoholic wife of a church minister; and a young actress (played by Julie Walters) who finds herself with a role in a semi-pornographic movie. This is perfect for Audible, a rich and satisfying listen - only wish it was longer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- creativeange
- 01-04-19
Genius
A wonderful combination of some of our greatest actors and one of our greatest writers. A must listen to.
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- AH
- 11-03-19
Brilliant writer and story teller
Alan Bennett must surely be ranked as one of our best writers play-writes and story tellers. This collection of monologues is sublime. They are thought provoking, funny and sad all at the same time. We play them in the car and the journeys just whizz by.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 05-12-19
excellent.
reminded me of my mum. Thora Hird and Patricia Routledge so good to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-06-23
Brilliant as usual AB is a genius of story telling
Romantic;nostalgic;funny; moving; thought provoking;
Genius . AB can turn something so mundane, into something magical. If you haven’t already acquainted yourself with his work, be quick because you’ll want to listen to it over and over again. Life is short, read good books listen to great writings.AB is a must.
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- sheila cucknell
- 08-10-16
Excellent Bennett
Never ,ever ,get tired of listening to these wonderful monologues . I know them from the eighties and they never fail to delight . A real treat to listen to .
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-07-20
brilliant
wonderfully written, tragic and poignant at the same time, yet laugh out loud funny in places. always with the twist at the end. i loved all the stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Linda Hirst
- 26-05-20
Yorkshires finest Storyteller.
My favourite audio book ever
every tale is real life i cried and laughed at the same time.All diffrent stories told with but everyone real.Brilliant
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- Chrissie Ann
- 03-01-22
Emotional
What a great series of stories or monologues or what ever they are called. I love them. I loved them on the radio and the television.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-10-22
Genius
Incomparable writing and delivery.Full of pathos and humour.It made me laugh and cry .Completely brilliant
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