Talking Heads

Synopsis

Six monologues tell the stories of six different repressed souls: a man dominated by his mother, a vicar's wife, an inveterate letter writer, a hopeful actress, a recently widowed woman, and an elderly shut-in.

First Air Date: 1988-04-19

Last Air Date: 1998-11-11

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 12

Created By: Alan Bennett

Networks: BBC One

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Patricia Routledge as Miss Fozzard
Julie Walters as Lesley
Thora Hird as Doris
Alan Bennett as Graham Whittaker
Maggie Smith as Susan
Stephanie Cole as Muriel
Eileen Atkins as Celia
David Haig as Wilfred Paterson
Penelope Wilton as Rosemary

Seasons

Series 1 (1988)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: A Chip in the Sugar (1988-04-19)

Graham is a middle-aged man with a history of mild mental health problems, living with his mother in Leeds.
Ep. 2: A Lady of Letters (1988-04-26)

Irene Ruddock is not afraid to speak, or rather write, her mind: she writes letters to her MP, the police, the chemist - everyone she can, to remedy the social ills she sees around her.
Ep. 3: Bed Among the Lentils (1988-05-03)

Susan, an alcoholic, nervous vicar's wife, distracts herself from her ambitious, and, as she sees him, vainly insensitive husband and his doting parishioners by conducting an affair with a nearby grocer, Ramesh Ramesh, discovering something about herself and God in the process.
Ep. 4: Soldiering On (1988-05-10)

Muriel is a strong woman, and always has been — a pillar of the community, a regular charity worker, and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels; and looking after her mentally ill daughter, Margaret, has fortified her resolve — so, after the death of her husband, Muriel is well-prepared to cope with the crisis.
Ep. 5: Her Big Chance (1988-05-17)

Lesley is an aspiring actress, who, after a series of unpromising extra roles on television programmes such as Crossroads, finds what she believes to be her big break as the adventurous Travis in a new film for the West German market.
Ep. 6: A Cream Cracker Under the Settee (1988-05-24)

Doris, aged seventy-five, is a tidy woman — and when she suffers a fall after trying to clear up after her considerably less thorough home help, Zulema, it becomes apparent that her constant nagging may have been responsible for her husband's early death.