Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The most distressing thing about ageing, according to Alan Bennett, “is to find not only that one is old, but like all the other old people. At 60 one is still an individual. At 90 one is a cliché.”There are, thankfully, few clichés but many instances of dry wit and wry introspection in Alan Bennett 90 Years On, an interview with the feted writer on the occasion of this landmark birthday. Set predominantly amid the charming clutter of Bennett’s Primrose Hill home and featuring the occasional monologue — read aloud from a script painstakingly typed out on an old Corona by two index fingers — the hour-long film almost has the feel of an intimate one-act play. In it, Bennett both reflects on a six-decade body of work comprising pieces for the stage, small and silver screen, and on his experience of getting older, but not necessarily wiser. “I seem to have learnt nothing, except perhaps the importance of luck,” he quips. A (slightly scattershot) sweep of career highlights — from comedy sketches in the 1960s to later successes with The Madness of King George, The History Boys and The Lady in the Van — suggest that talent and an insight into the human condition might also have had something do with it. And while Bennett initially recoils at the idea of being asked to rewatch and comment on his “own filth”, it’s revealing to see what elicits groans of dissatisfaction even after half a century, and what — like Talking Heads, his acclaimed dramatic monologue series that first aired in 1988 — evokes a flicker of quiet pride. Yet, though there are some observations about how his parents inspired memorable characters, and affectionate anecdotes from his Yorkshire upbringing, Bennett generally seems reluctant to delve into his personal life and views. Save, that is, to remind us of his “incompetence”, his impending infirmity, and his growing disillusionment with Britain and its nationalist-tinged nostalgia. In truth, Bennett seems both in good shape and high spirits as we see him going around his neighbourhood on a tricycle in his trademark jacket and tie, and on the set of an upcoming film with his long-term partner Rupert Thomas. And if Bennett’s career can feel a little underserved by a single hour, and the man himself a touch elusive, there’s something to be said about him leaving us wanting more, 90 years on.★★★☆☆On BBC2 on December 13 at 9pm and streaming on BBC iPlayer
