Jodie Comer to star in remake of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads

The BBC are remaking Alan Bennett’s monologue masterpieces, Talking Heads, recruiting the likes of Jodie Comer and Imelda Staunton.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that the series would begin filming this week for broadcast later this year – 22 years since the second series aired and 32 years since the first.

The iconic monologues featured major actors such as Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Patricia Routledge and the writer himself, Bennett, and was later adapted into a stage play.

The BBC are remaking ten of the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning monologues, with the addition of two new pieces written by Bennett last year.

As well as Killing Eve’s Comer and Oscar-nominated Staunton, the pieces will also star Monica Dolan, Martin Freeman, Tamsin Greig, Sarah Lancashire, Lesley Manville, Lucian Msamati, Maxine Peake, Rochenda Sandall, Kristin Scott Thomas and Harriet Walter.

The BBC’s decision to bring back the series – which debuted in 1988 with a decade-long gap before Talking Heads 2 aired in 1998 – is in part down to the current COVID-19 crisis, with the theme of isolation heavily featured throughout.

With the UK in lockdown, and production on many series halted, the minimal cast and crew required for Talking Heads has encouraged the BBC to start the remakes.

Star power: Oscar-nominated Imelda Staunton will feature in one of the remade monologues

Reboot: The BBC are remaking ten of the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning monologues, with the addition of two new pieces written by Bennett last year

The contained nature of Bennett’s monologues allowed the opportunity to tell timely and relevant stories while following the latest government guidelines on safe working practices during the pandemic, the BBC have said.

Bennett added: ‘In such difficult circumstances, that the BBC should choose to remount both series of Talking Heads, and produce two entirely new ones, is a comfort and a huge compliment.

‘I hope a new generation of actors will get and give as much pleasure as we did twenty and thirty years ago.’ 

Filming is taking place at BBC Elstree Studios using existing sets and the BBC have added that, ‘the Talking Heads production team are following the latest government guidelines to ensure that the series is made safely and responsibly’.

The original monologues – which also starred the likes of Stephanie Cole, Thora Hird, Eileen Atkins, David Haig and Penelope Wilton – won two BAFTAs, an RTS award and have also since been included on the A-level and GCSE English Literature syllabus.

They were also performed in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway in the states in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Prior to the 1988 Talking Heads 1 series, a one-off staring Patricia Routledge as the self-important Miss Schofield was made in 1982, titled A Woman of No Importance.

Star-studded: Filming is taking place at BBC Elstree Studios using existing sets and the BBC have added that, ‘the Talking Heads production team are following the latest government guidelines to ensure that the series is made safely and responsibly’

Starring roles: Martin Freeman [L] will appear in ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ and Kristin Scott Thomas [R] will star in ‘The Hand of God’

Routledge – known later for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances [1990–1995] – went on to star in two further monologues in the subsequent series.

Typically, the episodes were set in Yorkshire, and focused on themes such as illness, guilt, delusion, death, mental health, repressed homosexuality, alcoholism and adultery.