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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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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Performance5 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven
- 07-11-16
brilliant
fantastuc storys from the time.
geeat naration fully recommended
at his best ..great if a modern version was available
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P.Tickner
- 14-08-16
Wonderful experience.
Perfection. Touches the heart. Alan Bennett has deep understanding of suffering. This, tinged with humour is thought provoking and illuminating.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roobsie
- 06-09-17
Brilliant, poignant
What did you like most about The Complete Talking Heads?
Listening to such well crafted stories performed by well-loved actors.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Complete Talking Heads?
So many - I didn't want to stop listening at all
Which character – as performed by Alan Bennett and Patricia Routledge – was your favourite?
Hard to chose a favourite - they were all well depicted, but Eileen Atkins as Celia in the Hand of God might just nudge into the lead for me, although all the characters were inspired.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, it made me laugh - not cry, but there were some very sad moments.
Any additional comments?
Definitely recommend listening to this one - I shall be listening to it again ... and again, I'm sure.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Tickles
- 21-07-16
simply the Bennett Best
Just wonderful sad human stories from the master Alan Bennett. Talking Heads is Twelve short stories told by the best performers and actors like Patricia Routeledge and Julie Waters. A great listen I give it 10 out of 10.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-11-20
Fantastic as always
Love Alan Bennett's dry and sometimes scary humour and the humanity given to these common, everyday characters. The performances by such renowned actors are perfect. I first read these monolgues many years ago, have seen the originals for TV decades ago and also enjoyed the most recent productions for TV last year - all brilliant.
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