History Series / AlanBennettsTalkingHeads

* MistakenForCheating: In ''An Ordinary Woman'', Gwen begins to believe that her son might return her feelings, so she gets a new hairstyle and wears more makeup to look attractive to him. He has no idea what she's thinking, and instead assumes she is cheating on his father.

* '''A Woman of No Importance''': When Peggy (Patricia Routledge), an office worker who sees herself as the backbone of the place, is hospitalised she realises due to the lack of visitors that she wasn't the figurehead she felt she was. Not remade for the 2020 series.

* '''A Lady of Letters''': Irene (Patricia Routledge in the original, Imelda Staunton in the remake) frequently writes letters of complaint - seeing this as an opportunity to improve public services or help the police. However, she has gone too far with her latest letter, resulting in a spell at prison. She makes good of a bad situation, gaining new skills, new friends and feeling truly happy for the first time in her life.

* '''Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet''': Miss Fozzard (Patricia Routledge / Maxine Peake), a lonely middle-aged woman, is caring for her brother after his stroke. Her only escape is her "foot fella" but after she gets a new one, he reveals a foot fetish. When her brother goes broke after overpaying the carer, Miss Fozzard finds escape with her podiatrist.

** Gwen in ''An Ordinary Woman'' has a sexual obsession with her young teenage son. She also references a friend who appears to have a rather inappropriate relationship with her own son, as they frequently "joke" about being attracted to each other.

* OutdatedName: In ''An Ordinary Woman'', Gwen's around 12/13-year-old daughter is named Maureen - a name you wouldn't expect to see on someone under the age of about 45, much less a tween.

** Gwen in ''An Ordinary Woman'' has a sexual obsession with her young teenage son. She also references a friend who appears to have a rather inappropriate with her own son, as they frequently "joke" about being attracted to each other.

%% * DarkerAndEdgier: Series Two.
%% * DisposableSexWorker: Stuart's victims.

* ParentalIncest: Gwen in ''An Ordinary Woman'' has a sexual obsession with her young teenage son. In ''A Chip in the Sugar'', Graham's relationship with his mother has overtones of this even though he is gay, also in Soldering On, [[spoiler:Margret]], Muriel's mentally ill [[spoiler:daughter]] was suggested to be abused by her [[spoiler:father]] but Muriel wasn't sure.
* ParentalObliviousness: Soldering On has Muriel not realising that her son Giles was disinherited because he was poor with money, it costs her the security of her home.

* SympathyForTheDevil: Wilfred.

* '''Bed Among the Lentils''': Susan (Maggie Smith in the original, Anna Massey in the 1991 radio adaptation, Lesley Manville in the 2020 remake) is the unhappy, alcoholic wife of a Vicar who has a 'fan club' of older women that he focuses more of his time on. Susan goes to Leeds to buy her drink and it's there she finds her escape through a brief affair with an Asian greengrocer.

* '''The Hand of God''': Celia (Eileen Atkins / Kristin Scott Thomas) owns an antique shop and she gets close to older neighbours, so she can get something from their grand houses. Her latest target dies and leaves everything to a relative, and Celia gets only a box of "junk". However, after one item in the box turns out to be a Michelangelo study for the Sistine Chapel, she is made a fool of by the media and nothing is sold in her beloved shop.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Miss Fozzard works at a department store called Matthias Robinsons which closed in the 70's.

* CloudCuckooLander: Lesley.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Series Two.
* DisposableSexWorker: Stuart's victims.

* DownerEnding: It's Alan Bennett's most believable trope.

* GoldDigger: Celia. And then there's Mallory Malloy.

* WhamLine: At least one per episode.
* WidowWoman: In ''Soldiering On'', Muriel's problems begin after the death of her husband. Lorna in ''The Shrine'' from the 2020 series has been widowed suddenly.

Talking Heads (1988) and Talking Heads 2 (1998) are two series of six half-hour monologues by British playwright Creator/AlanBennett. Bennett also created a monologue called ''A Woman of No Importance'' in 1982, which could be seen as the pilot for the series using the same blocking and style, in fact it is often added to the scriptbook.

* '''A Woman of No Importance''': When Peggy (Patricia Routledge), an office worker who sees herself as the backbone of the place, is hospitalised she realises due to [[spoiler:the lack of visitors that she wasn't the figurehead]] she felt she was. Not remade for the 2020 series.

* '''A Chip in the Sugar''': Middle-aged Graham (Alan Bennett in the original, Martin Freeman in the 2020 remake) lives with his elderly mother and follows a strict routine, however an old flame of his mother's appears, causing trouble. Just as they prepare for a late marriage, [[spoiler:Graham discovers the old man's secrets and smugly reveals them at the cost of his mother's happiness, allowing Graham to resume his life as it was before.]]
* '''A Lady of Letters''': Irene (Patricia Routledge in the original, Imelda Staunton in the remake) frequently writes letters of complaint - seeing this as an opportunity to improve public services or help the police. However, she has gone too far with her latest letter, resulting in [[spoiler:a spell at prison]]. She makes good of a bad situation, [[spoiler:gaining new skills, new friends and feeling truly happy for the first time in her life.]]
* '''Bed Among the Lentils''': Susan (Maggie Smith in the original, Anna Massey in the 1991 radio adaptation, Lesley Manville in the 2020 remake) is the unhappy, [[spoiler:alcoholic]] wife of a Vicar who has a 'fan club' of older women that he focuses more of his time on. Susan goes to Leeds to [[spoiler:buy her drink]] and it's there she finds her escape [[spoiler:through a brief affair with an Asian greengrocer.]]
* '''Soldiering On''': Muriel (Stephanie Cole / Harriet Walter), a pillar of her community has always learnt to adapt; newly widowed, she hopes she can carry on regardless, but after trusting [[spoiler:her son]] her circumstances change, resulting in [[spoiler:her losing her home and leaving her poor]]. She still thinks nothing bad of the situation.
* '''Her Big Chance''': Lesley (Julie Walters / Jodie Comer), an actress who has had only minor credits as an extra, finally gets a big role in a movie. As she makes the film and then returns home it's clear to the viewer that she has starred in [[spoiler:a softcore porno]].
* '''A Cream Cracker under the Settee''': Doris (Thora Hird), an old woman with OCD has fallen after trying to clean. Whilst trapped under the sofa, she thinks back to the past and realises that her home help isn't cleaning up like she wants. Doris fears that if rescued, she would be sent to an old folks' home [[spoiler:so she prefers to die, and chooses not to let a visitor know that she is hurt]]. Not remade for the 2020 series.

* '''Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet''': Miss Fozzard (Patricia Routledge / Maxine Peake), a lonely middle-aged woman, is caring for her brother after his stroke. Her only escape is her "foot fella" but after she gets a new one, he reveals a [[spoiler: foot fetish]]. When her brother [[spoiler:goes broke after overpaying the carer]], Miss Fozzard finds escape with her podiatrist.
* '''The Hand of God''': Celia (Eileen Atkins / Kristin Scott Thomas) owns an antique shop and she gets close to older neighbours, so she can get something from their grand houses. Her latest target dies and leaves everything to a relative, and Celia gets only a box of "junk". However, after one item in the box turns out to be [[spoiler:a Michelangelo study for the Sistine Chapel]], she is made a fool of by the media and nothing is sold in her beloved shop.
* '''Playing Sandwiches''': Wilfred (David Haig / Lucien Msamati) is a park maintenance man with a good working skill. However, he hides a dark secret: [[spoiler:he's a paedophile who is trying to be on the straight and narrow]]. The stress of his superior searching for old personnel records that would reveal Wilfred's history, and the friendship of a mother and her daughter, results in Wilfred [[spoiler:giving in to his old ways and he is fired and arrested. In jail, he reflects on his flaws.]]
* '''The Outside Dog''': Clean freak Marjory (Julie Walters / Rochenda Sandall) discovers as the story goes on that her husband Stuart is up to something; she is annoyed at the mess his dog makes, and won't let the dog indoors. Stuart is highly sexual and frequently makes demands of Marjory after he comes home. [[spoiler:When he is arrested as a murderer, Marjory tries to carry on, only then she finds proof of his crimes. Stuart is acquitted due to lack of evidence,]] and she is forced to allow his dog into the house.
* '''Nights in the Gardens of Spain''': Rosemary (Penelope Wilton / Tamsin Greig), a golf widow, befriends a neighbour who [[spoiler:killed her husband after years of being used as a sex slave]]. Rosemary finds that her own husband might have been involved, and before she gains enough confidence to leave him, [[spoiler:her friend dies and Rosemary is trapped in Spain for the remainder of her life.]]
* '''Waiting for the Telegram''': Violet (Thora Hird) is confused after having a stroke and her memories come and go. She can't remember her [[spoiler:son]] and when told she will be receiving a telegram from the Queen, she recalls a sad moment from the past. As she reflects on this story to her only friend, a gay nurse called Francis, she notices the [[spoiler:AIDS that will kill him soon]]. Not remade for the 2020 series.

* '''An Ordinary Woman''': Gwen (Sarah Lancashire) begins developing sexual feelings toward her teenage son. [[spoiler: This leads to her family falling apart, and Gwen having a breakdown and spending time in hospital.]] She returns home and resumes normal life with her family, [[spoiler:convincing them that she has now recovered from her "mental illness" - though her feelings for her son remain unchanged.]]
* '''The Shrine''': Lorna (Monica Dolan) is suddenly widowed when her husband dies in a motorbike accident. She visits the location regularly, keeping it exactly as it was when he died. [[spoiler:Her image of him is shattered when she learns he was living a double life, and she destroys the shrine, deciding she doesn't want to find out any more than she already knows.]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Irene in A Lady of Letters is seen as a serious version of Hyacinth Bucket.

* SpinOff: ''Ladies of Letters'', a Radio 4 and later ITV series, following characters based on Irene from ''A Lady of Letters'' and her friend Vera.

* BittersweetEnding: Susan might still be married to a vicar and her [[spoiler:Asian lover]] has moved away to a better shop and [[spoiler:to bring his young bride to the UK]], but she's going to AA and her husband is focusing more on her than the 'Fan Club'. Irene might be [[spoiler:in jail]] but she has learnt skills that means [[spoiler:an early release]] and a second chance in life.

* ParentalIncest: Gwen in ''An Ordinary Woman'' has a sexual obsession with her young teenage son. In ''A Chip in the Sugar'', Graham's relationship with his mother has overtones of this even though he is gay, also in Soldering On, [[spoiler:Margret]], Muriel's mentally ill [[spoiler:daughter]] was raped by her [[spoiler:father]] but Muriel wasn't sure.

* WorthlessTreasureTwist: Celia thinks very little about the trash that was given to her, she thinks about trashing the picture favouring the frame, she's amazed when the man buys it.

* ParentalIncest: Gwen in ''An Ordinary Woman'' has a sexual obsession with her young teenage son. In ''A Chip in the Sugar'', Graham's relationship with his mother has overtones of this even though he is gay.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The 2020 remakes could not use actors over 70 because they were produced during (and, indeed, because of) the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in one or two of the monologues being performed by actors younger than the parts were written for (Most notably 'The Outside Dog' and 'Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet'), and the two Thora Hird episodes not being remade at all.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The 2020 remakes could not use actors over 70 because they were produced during (and, indeed, because of) the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in one or two of the monologues being performed by actors younger than the parts were written for, and the two Thora Hird episodes not being remade at all.