Just released as one film, these short pieces by Peter Barnes and collated as Barnes’ People were originally written for radio in the 1980s and were filmed at Theatre Royal, Windsor, during lockdown.
They are a mixed bag, with a feel of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads without strictly following the monologue to screen style. These are solo pieces with a story attached.
The best of the four is A True Born Englishman, which was deemed inappropriate for transmission on the BBC. Adrian Scarborough plays a footman of Buckingham Palace who is both servile and snobbish.
His life is small and defined by opening doors “at just the right moment,” bowing (noting that all Palace servants have back problems), and leaving ideas to his “betters.” A sad and creepy little man.
In Rosa, Jemma Redgrave is a geriatric doctor discouraged by the way the system treats and fails old people. It focuses on care homes as something of a “quick fix.”
Much of the play is spent reading reports out loud, so although there is good characterisation here, the play as a whole feels a little flat. I would have preferred this to be a drama with more characters in itto give Redgrave something to react to.
Jon Culshaw performs in Billy and Me, which involves a ventriloquist and his puppets. If you have seen the films Dead of Night or Magic, you might suspect where this one is going, but it feels oddly placed here.
Finally, Losing Myself is a touching tale in which a man has a final chat with an old friend in a long-forgotten graveyard. Matthew Kelly gives a strong performance hinting at loneliness, loss of faith, and ageing.
Philip Franks directs three of the four films (Charlotte Peters is behind Billy and Me), while the quartet as a whole benefit from Original Theatre’s high production values.
You can access Barnes’ People until 18 Jan 2026 either by rental or an Original Theatre subscription – you can find details here.
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