Screenplay by Alan Bennett Theme music composer George Fenton Original language(s) English Director Stephen Frears Screenplay Alan Bennett | Directed by Stephen Frears Country of origin United Kingdom Initial release 2 December 1978 First episode date 2 December 1978 Music director George Fenton | |
Starring Neville Smith
Carol MacReady
Thora Hird Cast Alan Bennett, Julie Walters, Thora Hird, Neville Smith, Carol MacReady Similar Afternoon Off, La Vie Commence Demain, Walter, Saigon—Year of the Cat, Piccolo |
Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a 1978 television play by Alan Bennett, produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stephen Frears. The title of the play is a parody of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which in turn plays on the title of the Disney song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?".
Contents
Plot
It tells the story of Trevor (Neville Smith), a teacher of English Literature to adults in the evenings. Trevor is not a happy man; his girlfriend gets her hair in her muesli, someone has vandalised his visual aids for his evening classes; drawing a large pair of breasts on his poster of Virginia Woolf and a big cigar in the mouth of E. M. Forster on the other; he suffers from 'curate's bladder' and is unable to urinate if there is another man present in the toilet; and he does not even like his name—Trevor. Most of his students are hopeless but there is one bright working-class man in the class. After an unpleasant evening during which he gets punched in the face he meets the bright student, Skinner (Derek Thompson), by chance. Skinner addresses him as 'Trev' and this cheers him up greatly, making him seeing himself in a new light. It is hinted that there will be a future gay romance between Trevor and Skinner.