Peter Egan Remembers... A Taste of Honey

• Documentary
• Talk

Episode overview

In 1958, A Taste of Honey burst onto the British stage. Written by the teenage Sheila Delaney, it tackled taboos with an ease and a humour that made audiences sit up and take notice. Playing truant to see the film version in 1961, Peter Egan is perfectly placed to discuss this landmark of British theatre. He tells us what it is about the play that made it stand out and how he was cast in the 1984 BBC version - the director remembering Peter's working-class roots despite his constantly being asked to play ‘lords and poets and kings’. He discusses the background to the play, John Osborne opening the door to a new kind of drama with Look Back in Anger, and the huge influence the iconic director Joan Littlewood had on the piece. But mostly, he reminds us why the play remains so powerful and still has such relevance today.

14 minutes