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An Englishman Abroad
Whilst touring Hamlet in Moscow with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1958, Coral Browne is astonished to have Guy Burgess appear in her dressing room. Having disappeared from England in 1951 together with fellow diplomat Donald Maclean, spy Burgess is a wanted man. Bennett's take on the encounter is both poignant and comic, and the play examines his life in exile, his love of England and his even greater love of Russia. This full-cast dramatisation was originally broadcast on BBC World Service.
1 CD. 1 hr.
1 CD. 1 hr.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published August 6, 2001
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About the author
Alan Bennett
275 books1,121 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 7, 2025
An Englishman Abroad by Alan Benett
Lovely, entertaining, funny and at times flamboyant
Before this day, Alan Bennett had been unfamiliar to me, to say the least.
But what a pleasant surprise it was to listen to his play this morning.
The start is superb.
It talks about the death of Stalin and his moustache in an uproarious way.
After the passing of the dictator, change is in the air.
A troupe of actors is performing in the Soviet Union.
The actress Carol Browne is in her cabin, when a visitor comes in and...vomits.
She learns that this is Guy Burgess, the spy who defected to Communist Russia.
On the way out, Burgess steals the drink, the cigarettes and the soap.
Nevertheless, the actress meets with the intriguing character the following day.
The exchange between the two is fantastic.
The actress rejects the communist system...
- "Because it is dull"
She feels sorry for the alienated man, albeit she is very clear:
- You pissed in our soup
Burgess is played by the marvelous MichaelGambon in the adaptation that I listened to.
Guy is gay.
He wants Carol Browne to order a suit back in England.
He cannot get good clothes in his adopted country.
Guy Burgess needs to receive a phone call that allows him to leave the apartment.
He is a sort of a prisoner in a dictatorship.
But then it was his own fault and deserved maybe even worse.
They shoot people for treason, don't they?
Having spied for the Soviets, Burgess is loathsome to me.
But he is also a charming, educated, flamboyant personage
Lovely, entertaining, funny and at times flamboyant
Before this day, Alan Bennett had been unfamiliar to me, to say the least.
But what a pleasant surprise it was to listen to his play this morning.
The start is superb.
It talks about the death of Stalin and his moustache in an uproarious way.
After the passing of the dictator, change is in the air.
A troupe of actors is performing in the Soviet Union.
The actress Carol Browne is in her cabin, when a visitor comes in and...vomits.
She learns that this is Guy Burgess, the spy who defected to Communist Russia.
On the way out, Burgess steals the drink, the cigarettes and the soap.
Nevertheless, the actress meets with the intriguing character the following day.
The exchange between the two is fantastic.
The actress rejects the communist system...
- "Because it is dull"
She feels sorry for the alienated man, albeit she is very clear:
- You pissed in our soup
Burgess is played by the marvelous MichaelGambon in the adaptation that I listened to.
Guy is gay.
He wants Carol Browne to order a suit back in England.
He cannot get good clothes in his adopted country.
Guy Burgess needs to receive a phone call that allows him to leave the apartment.
He is a sort of a prisoner in a dictatorship.
But then it was his own fault and deserved maybe even worse.
They shoot people for treason, don't they?
Having spied for the Soviets, Burgess is loathsome to me.
But he is also a charming, educated, flamboyant personage
September 12, 2014
After reading Ben McIntyre book about Kim Philby I was interested in the entire
subject & part of history. Although I selected the film venue over the book, for me it's a fascinating part of history. If you are not interested in history it probably won't mean much. This is factual based on Coral Browns meeting with Guy Burgess in Moscow and how she tells it. I doubt much as changed in the years for those who have moved to the ideology they so believed would be a better way of life. Despite the multitude of problems in the democratic way of government & seeing how life really is in other countries, it makes one thankful for what we do have.
IMO - if you have little interest in history or how the Brits live you probably won't like it.
subject & part of history. Although I selected the film venue over the book, for me it's a fascinating part of history. If you are not interested in history it probably won't mean much. This is factual based on Coral Browns meeting with Guy Burgess in Moscow and how she tells it. I doubt much as changed in the years for those who have moved to the ideology they so believed would be a better way of life. Despite the multitude of problems in the democratic way of government & seeing how life really is in other countries, it makes one thankful for what we do have.
IMO - if you have little interest in history or how the Brits live you probably won't like it.
October 2, 2025
“Only it occurs to me that we’ve sat here all afternoon pretending that spying, which is what you did, darling, was just a minor social misdemeanour. No worse, and I’m sure in certain people’s minds, much better, than being caught in a public lavatory […] and that is just something we shouldn’t mention, out of politeness, so that we won’t be embarrassed. That’s very English. We’ll pretend it hasn’t happened because we’re both civilised people. Well, I’m not English, and I’m not civilised - I’m Australian, and I can’t muster much morality, and outside Shakespeare, the word treason to me means nothing.”
November 30, 2018
Wonderful as he always is
September 10, 2019
Very interesting dialogue
July 30, 2022
A short but sweet Bennett play.
October 28, 2023
Dialogen van niveau over hoe Engels de landverrader Guy Burgess bleef bij zijn verblijf in Moskou.
Ontnuchterend cynisch bij momenten, dit portret, maar diep gaat het niet.
Ontnuchterend cynisch bij momenten, dit portret, maar diep gaat het niet.
July 22, 2024
This was really a big hit for Bennett back in the day.
Decades later it is hard to see why.
Decades later it is hard to see why.
February 9, 2017
G.B. For Guy Burgess. For Great Britain. How sad.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2011
Actress Coral Browne arrives in Moscow and meets exiled English spy Guy Burgess. Stars Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews