Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English playwright, screenwriter and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research medieval history at the university for several years. His collaboration as writer and performer with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook in the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe at the 1960 Edinburgh Festival brought him instant fame. He gave up academia, and turned to writing full time, his first stage play Forty Years On being produced in 1968. His output includes The Madness of George III and its film incarnation The Madness of King George, the series of monologues Talking Heads, the play The History Boys, and popular audio books, including his readings of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Winnie-the-Pooh. Description above from the Wikipedia article Alan Bennett, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 9, 1934 (92)
- Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Writer and actor, also producer
- 21 on MovieCove · 80 credits in all
What are Alan Bennett's films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 12
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 4 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 5 · Intense 2
Steady 10 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 5
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 6 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 3
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Heroas Mole in The Wind in the Willows (1995)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Alan Bennett's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Alan Bennett's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
80 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Choral(2025)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Alan Bennett: 90 Years On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Allelujah(2022)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
National Theatre Live: Allelujah! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Lady in the Van(2015)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Native Hue of Resolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
National Theatre Live: People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
My Friend Sam: Living for the Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The History Boys(2006)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The Young Visiters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Meg and Mog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Telling Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Family Guy(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Talking Heads 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Did I Say Hairdressing? I Meant Astrophysics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
A Dance to the Music of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
The Willows in Winter(1996)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tale of Two Bad Mice and Johnny Town-Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
In Love and War(1996)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Wind in the Willows(1995)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all filmsPortrait or Bust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Selling Hitler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Julie Walters and Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Julie Walters and Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Ashenden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
A Question of Attribution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
A Life in Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
102 Boulevard Haussmann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Screen One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Dinner at Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Talking Heads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Talking Heads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Little Dorrit(1987)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Fortunes of War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Prick Up Your Ears(1987)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all filmsBreaking Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Insurance Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Man and Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Dreamchild(1985)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
A Private Function(1984)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
An Englishman Abroad(1983)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Say Something Happened (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Marks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Rolling Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
A Woman of No Importance. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Objects of Affection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Our Winnie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Intensive Care (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
All Day on the Sands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
One Fine Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Afternoon Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Old Crowd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Doris and Doreen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Long Shot(1978)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
A Visit from Miss Prothero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
A Little Outing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Sunset Across the Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
A Day Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Hamlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
ITV Saturday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Alice in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
On the Margin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The Drinking Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Beyond the Fringe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Career shape
A full career of 79 titles from 1951 to 2025.
Biggest box office
The Lady in the Van (2015)
Highest rated
The Wind in the Willows (1995)
Most popular right now
The Choral (2025)
Film career
- 1966Screen debut· Alice in Wonderland
- 1995First top-billed film· The Wind in the Willows
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
a BAFTA Award from 13 major nominations, 1985–1999.
- BAFTA Award, nominated ×2 · Best Single Drama
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Adapted
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Single Drama
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Single Drama
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actor
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Drama Series
- BAFTA Award, nominated ×2 · Best Single Drama
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Adapted
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Original
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Alan Bennett's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 77/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Alan Bennett's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Alan Bennett work with?
People who share at least 2 of Alan Bennett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nicholas Hytner shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Nicholas HytnerShared titles: The Choral (2025), Allelujah (2022), Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (2020), The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006), The Madness of King George (1994)See all 6 shared titles with Nicholas Hytner
- Dave UnwinShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Dave Unwin
- Dennis AbeyShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Dennis Abey
Writers
- Kenneth GrahameShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Kenneth Grahame
- Ted WalkerShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Ted Walker
Actors
- Michael PalinShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995), A Private Function (1984), Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1976)See all 4 shared titles with Michael Palin
- Richard GriffithsShared titles: The History Boys (2006), A Private Function (1984), The Merry Wives of Windsor (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Griffiths
- Vanessa RedgraveShared titles: The Willows in Winter (1996), The Wind in the Willows (1995), Prick Up Your Ears (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Vanessa Redgrave
- Roger AllamShared titles: The Choral (2025), The Lady in the Van (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Allam
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- George FentonShared titles: Allelujah (2022), Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (2020), The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006), An Englishman Abroad (1983)See all 5 shared titles with George Fenton
- Tariq AnwarShared titles: The Choral (2025), The Lady in the Van (2015), The Madness of King George (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Tariq Anwar
- Andrew DunnShared titles: The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006), The Madness of King George (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew Dunn
- John WilsonShared titles: Allelujah (2022), The History Boys (2006)See all 2 shared titles with John Wilson
Producers
- Kevin LoaderShared titles: The Choral (2025), Allelujah (2022), Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (2020), The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006)See all 5 shared titles with Kevin Loader
- Damian JonesShared titles: The Choral (2025), Allelujah (2022), The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006)See all 4 shared titles with Damian Jones
- Charles MooreShared titles: Allelujah (2022), The Lady in the Van (2015), The History Boys (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Moore
- Nicola MorrowShared titles: The Choral (2025), Allelujah (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Nicola Morrow
Mixed roles
- Stephen FrearsShared titles: Prick Up Your Ears (1987), Long Shot (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen Frears
