With Alan Ayckbourn’s hit comedy Relatively Speaking currently touring the UK, it seems an appropriate time to revisit its SpotLight on Ayckbourn on video.

The SpotLight videos goes behind-the-scenes to look at the background to and creation of some of Alan Ayckbourn’s most significant works.

Spotlight on Ayckbourn: Relatively Speaking looks at the playwright’s breakout work which is one of his most popular and produced plays. It looks at how the impetus to create one of his most successful works was instigated as a result of one of his biggest failures. It explores the process of writing the play and how the initial production was unlike anything which followed.

Never before seen pages from the director’s prompt script reveal how he cut reams of material from the play without the playwright’s knowledge for the world premiere production.

From there, the video looks at how the West End production altered the play including completely changing its climax and a bizarre decision to amend the first scene.

Researched and presented by the playwright’s Archivist, Simon Murgatroyd, this is a fascinating insight into how Alan Ayckbourn wrote this pivotal play in his writing career.

The video can be found be clicking on the YouTube video below or at Alan Ayckbourn’s Official YouTube Channel by clicking here.

For details of the 2023 UK tour of Relatively Speaking, see the earlier story on the blog here.