Lessons of history and the classroom

Feb 3 2011 Buckinghamshire Advertiser

One of the most successful plays of the decade is due to land at the Wycombe Swan stage at the end of the month. CAMILLA GOODMAN catches up with The History Boys writer Alan Bennett, who reveals the story behind the play and his forthright views about the politics of modern education

THINK Alan Bennett and you think of a writer who has truly captured the essence of being British. People love his work for its blend of the poignant and the gentle, mixed with a campaigning air and a bit of true northern grit.

His semi-autobiographical worldwide hit The History Boys is embarking on another UK tour with a new cast capturing the pheromones, sweat, naivety and passion of teenage life.

The play is a true stage classic, opening at the National Theatre in 2004 and winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play that year. A Laurence Olivier Award followed in 2005 and a Tony the following year; 2006 also saw the original cast starring in the highly acclaimed film adaptation.

It tells the story of a group of boys at a grammar school in Sheffield, who are preparing for the exams that could be their passport to Oxbridge. They are taught by the ultra-traditional but ultra-passionate Hector, who finds himself coming into classroom conflict with the by-the-book Irwin, a new breed of teacher.

The play's popularity still surprises Bennett.

"The success of The History Boys is still a source of wonder to me," he says. "When you're young, you don't think about it. Like the boys in the play, they think it's quite natural for something to do so well on Broadway. We were the same."

But is it autobiographical?

The playwright concedes his headteacher wanted him to go to Oxford.

"That is about as far as it goes," he explains.

"My history master was very traditional - a good man - but we didn't have anyone charismatic like Hector."

But it is not just characters that make Bennett's work stand out. He is passionate about a number of issues, and this comes across in his work. When The History Boys opened, it ignited a debate about the role of targets in education and the effect this has on schooling.

The playwright used this opportunity to give his views on education, especially on the role of history in the curriculum.

"I think the notion of scrapping history as a subject is just mad - it's just insane," he explains angrily. "Tony Blair had a very shaky notion of history as far as I can see. If he'd had more of a sense of history, it would have deterred him from going into Afghanistan, which anybody who studied history at school would know is a very dangerous area, and similarly Iraq.

"Those are very simple things and I'm very sure that the people in the Foreign Office knew them but Tony Blair didn't take any notice of them. Politicians can be very naive and it's a very good illustration of the importance of history."

And that is not the only issue he has tackled. He published the intensely personal Untold Stories in 2005, which includes a moving account of his mother's struggle with depression. After being diagnosed with cancer, he expected the book to be released posthumously but he survived and the book was released anyway.

Bennett recalls: "There's a long account of my mother's decline and the depression that preceded it. One regret I've always had about my parents is that I didn't ask them questions I should have asked them. Nobody else would be able to tell the story and I thought it was worth telling.

"Depression is an illness that is shied away from and not recognised. It's a truly disabling condition. The more it's talked about, the better."

Meanwhile his work remains in the spotlight around the country. As well as The History Boys, another of his plays, Enjoy, is also on tour, and his work was also featured in a major retrospective season on the BBC, giving small-screen audiences the chance to relive his work.

It proved popular with viewers but did Bennett himself like seeing his plays and monologues all over again?

"I have a slightly different perspective. I think, 'oh crikey, I'll never be able to do that again'. People think your life's work is like a cushion and you can recline on it as you get older. It's not like that.

"You can take comfort in what you've done but it doesn't stop you wanting to go on and do more, particularly with the monologues. They just came to me and I could do them. I can't do them now.

"It reminds me of Larkin," he says. "He said poetry gave him up towards the end of his life and I think the same thing has happened to me with monologues."

To a reflective Bennett, it may be that at 76 he feels the creative juices no longer flow quite so freely, but there is no doubt he has built up a cast-iron legacy of thoughtful and moving writing laced with a real ability to understand what makes the British people tick. * You can see The History Boys at Wycombe Swan from Monday, February 21 to Saturday, February 26. Ticket prices range from £19 to £29 - discounts are available for group bookings.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.wycombeswan.co.uk or call the box office on 01494 512 000.