Critics Of "Alan Bennetts Talking Heads - Season 1"
Times (UK)
June 26, 2020
Lancashire, who seemed born to do Talking Heads, superbly trod this murky ground, presenting as a woman who knew how wrong and deeply pathetic it was to lust after her son but who still hoped that he might reciprocate.
Filmed during lockdown with a fresh cast, they're as masterful, diamond-cut, powerful and painful as they ever were. Plus, Bennett has written two new ones, so that's joy unconfined for fun-loving people like us.
Perfect for revival as we negotiate the long, strange summer of Covid-19. But, be warned, in the first two episodes at least, the misery truly is of the high caffeine, black tea and burnt toast variety.
It speaks to something that a series once heralded as the very best that telly could offer is now desirable mainly because it's dirt cheap and you can basically do it alone on a smartphone.
It ought to have meant tears before bedtime, but Bennett gave us laugh out loud writing besides. That, plus superb performances, make Talking Heads a must see once more.
Their stories are full of surprises and can be quietly devastating, and the episodes are like jewel boxes that gradually open up to reveal the riches within.
