House Arrest: Pandemic Diaries

Description

4 March. HMQ pictured in the paper at an investiture wearing gloves, presumably as a precaution against Coronavirus. But not just gloves; these are almost gauntlets. I hope they're not the thin end of a precautionary wedge lest Her Majesty end up swathed in protective get-up such as is worn at the average crime scene. 20 March. With Rupert now working from home my life is much easier, as I get regular cups of tea and a lovely hot lunch. A year in and out of lockdown as experienced by Alan Bennett. Alan Bennett's diary takes us from the filming of Talking Heads and memories of doomed childhood fishing expeditions, to thoughts on Boris Johnson, stair lifts, junk shops of old, having a haircut and encounters on the local park bench.

Alan Bennett has been a leading dramatist since Beyond the Fringe in the 1960s. His works include Talking Heads, The Lady in the Van, the Oscar-nominated The Madness of George III, The History Boys, the PEN/Ackerley Prize-winning Untold Stories and, more recently, Keeping On, Keeping On.

'Our greatest living writer' - Clive Davis 'He still has the sharpest pen in Britain ... Bennett is at his best when flirting with indecency ... mesmerising and unbearably sad' - Daily Telegraph 'There is no other writer, certainly none from any other era or nation, quite like Alan Bennett' - David Sexton 'Cleverer and funnier than any one person has a right to be' - John Carey