Alan Bennett has been one of the leading English-language dramatists since the success of Beyond the Fringe in the 1960s. His television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady In The Van, A Question of Attribution, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George), and an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.
At the National Theatre, The History Boys won Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, and Olivier awards, and the South Bank Award. On Broadway it won five New York Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics' Circle Awards, a New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Play, a New York Drama League Award, and six Tonys including Best Play. The film of The History Boys was released in 2006.
Mr. Bennett's latest play, The Habit of Art, toured successfully after its run at The National Theatre. The History Boys has recently completed its second tour out of Bath (Bath Theatre Royal Productions) and The Madness of George III opens at Bath this summer.
Mr. Bennett has recently been awarded the Prix Europeen de la SACD.