"One of theatre's subtlest, most sophisticated minds" (The Times) One spring morning a quiet, shy man in his sixties sets out from Land's End to walk the length of his native land. He has never walked more than a dozen miles in his life before, his health is uncertain, his boots are new, and he is too diffident to talk to anyone he meets along the way. His slow, solitary progress up the spine of Britain is watched by an unseen audience - his family and friends at home. How far will he get before he is forced to give up? Is he being heroic or merely selfish? As the days of his absence go by the old alliances and quarrels inside the family shift and alter. What emerges is a story about the arbitrariness of human endeavour and about the tenacious complexity of human relationships; about one man's glimpse of the country he lives in; about courage and about love.First and Last was directed by Alan Dossor in a production for BBC television, with Joss Ackland as the walker.

This is a screenplay about a recently retired insurance manager who is ill. He decides to combat his illness by walking from Land's End to John O'Groats and in doing so becomes a healthier and more aware human being. It is a gentle comedy with serious overtones by the author of "Clockwise".

About the Author
Michael Frayn's work for the stage includes Alphabetical Order, Make and Break and Noises Off, all of which received Best Comedy of the Year awards, while Benefactors was named Best Play of the Year. His other works include Democracy (National Theatre and West End prior to Broadway) and Copenhagen (winner of numerous awards including the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Best Play Awards 1998). He has translated Chekhov's four last plays and is also a novelist and recipient of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel for Spies.


Book Information
ISBN 9780413171900
Author Michael Frayn
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 300g