Alan Ayckbourn

It is no great exaggeration to say Relatively Speaking made an overnight success of Alan Ayckbourn and fundamentally changed his entire life. It is impossible to read the weight of glowing London notices without the realisation that just one night marked the difference between a little-known writer becoming one of theatre's hottest properties. Of c... ourse, the reality is Alan paid his dues over many years and neither he nor the play were quite the overnight phenomenon sometimes portrayed. Alan Ayckbourn had been writing professionally for six years before writing Relatively Speaking . His first play, The Square Cat , was produced at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, in 1959 and by 1963 he had produced another five plays. Yet the success of Relatively Speaking is even more remarkable considering the events surrounding its immediate predecessor, Mr Whatnot . Mr Whatnot was commissioned by Stephen Joseph, as was the case with all of Alan's previous plays, and premiered at the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1963. It was a well-received romantic-comedy with a mute lead character and an enormously complex sound plot. It was an unusual piece which required delicate handling that was not present when it opened at the New Arts Theatre in London on 5 August 1964. Despite featuring popular comedian Ronnie Barker, Alan's first West End play was met with some merciless notices. Deeply upset by the experience, Alan considered stopping writing for good. Perversely, his biggest failure paved the way to success. In the immediate aftermath of Mr Whatnot , Alan contacted his agent Margaret Ramsay, better known as Peggy. Coincidentally she was meeting the renowned Northern rsdio producer Alfred Bradley, who suggested Alan apply for a post as Radio Drama Producer at the BBC studios in Leeds. Successful in the interview, Alan accepted the job and began working in December at the BBC, entering "that great paternalistic womb for the wounded to crawl into". There to "lick his wounds" and with "no thought of writing again - ...Read More