A Visit From Miss Protheroe (TV) [1978] Stephen Frears

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138168/

A Visit from Miss Protheroe (1978)
Original Air Date: 11 January 1978
Written by Alan Benentt
Directed by Stephen Frears

Hugh Lloyd ... Mr. Dodsworth
Patricia Routledge ... Miss Prothero


This biting, slow burn verbal sparring match of a short film, BennettΓΓé¼Γäós first collaboration with the incomparable Routledge, depicts a seemingly innocent and friendly visit by a middle-aged secretary cum passive aggressive busybody to her former boss, who is recently retired and not long since widowed, whom she preceded to slowly but surely (and mercilessly) emotionally cripple.

Katherine Patricia Routledge, CBE (born 17 February 1929) is an English theatre, television, and film actress and singer. She is best known for her roles on British television, most notably as Hyacinth Bucket on Keeping Up Appearances. In addition to her roles in British television, she has a long and successful career in musical theatre, as well as in film. She currently lives in Chichester, West Sussex.

Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English playwright. Many of Bennetts characters are unfortunate and downtrodden, or meek and overlooked. Life has brought them to an impasse, or else passed them by altogether. In many cases they have met with disappointment in the realm of sex and intimate relationships, largely through tentativeness and a failure to connect with others.

Bennett is both unsparing and compassionate in laying bare his characters frailties. This can be seen in his television plays for LWT in the late 1970s and the BBC in the early 1980s, and in the 1987 Talking Heads series of monologues for television.