John Gielgud and Edward Fox trade passive-aggressive barbs in 1962 Cambridge — academia's most delicious bloodsport.
TV adaptation of the play set in a Cambridge School of English for Foreigners in 1962. St John Quartermaine is a rather ineffective but kindly teacher at the school who, becuase of his gentle character, has hardly any enemies - in fact, the rest of the staff confide in him or generally pplay on his good nature. Then Derek Meadle arrives on the scene. He is a new part-time teacher who really wants to be full-time, but people like Quartermaine are in the way.
Acting
Gielgud's magnificent, devastating stillness.
Writing
Simon Gray's dialogue: cruelty disguised as manners.
Direction
Hays lets silences do the violence.
Director
Bill Hays
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Edward Fox originated Quartermaine on stage in 1981; this TV version reunited him with Gielgud, who played a different role (Loomis) than in the theatre production.
The 1962 setting captures the last gasp of British cultural imperialism through English-language teaching — the school's decline mirrors Quartermaine's own.
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