Black comedy set in Soho, London, right after World War II. Half of the fun is seeing a slew of very familiar faces kick up their heels as gay men, lesbians, party-girls, drunks, and drag queens. Originally aired as part of the anthology series "Performance."
Acting
Judi Dench and a young Bill Nighy absolutely devour the screen.
Production
Authentic Soho dive bar built for BBC — smoky, cramped, alive.
Director
Anthony Page
Judi Dench
Christine Foskett
Susan Porrett
Doris
Paul Birchard
Butch
Sylvia Barter
Julia Shillitoe
Bill Nighy
Hugh Marriner
Ronald Pickup
Siegfried Shrager
Francesca Annis
Elizabeth Collier
Eileen Page
Mrs Marriner
Gregory Floy
Michael Crowley
Charles Gray
Maurice Hussey
Nathaniel Parker
Sam Mitchum
Moyra Fraser
Lettice Willis
William Osborne
Cyril Clatworthy
Susan Brown
Bill
Betty Marsden
R. B. Monody
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rodney Ackland wrote the original 1947 play but it was deemed too scandalous; this 1991 BBC version finally staged his complete, uncensored text.
Riot-grrrl meets Blitz spirit: the cast overlaps with 1980s British New Wave cinema, bringing punk-era energy to postwar characters.
GB
