Mr Whatnot: Articles

This section contains articles on Mr Whatnot by Alan Ayckbourn and other authors. Click on a link in the right-hand column below to read the relevant article.

This short article was written by Alan Ayckbourn for an amateur production he directed with Leeds Art Theatre in 1968.

Mr Whatnot

Articles by Alan Ayckbourn

○ Mr Whatnot (1969)
○ Mr Whatnot (1976)

Articles by Other Authors

○ Ronnie Barker (Bob McCabe)

It was in 1963 whilst acting with the newly formed Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, that I first dreamed up the idea of writing a silent film, for the stage. That is, a play that depended upon lengthy visual techniques with the minimum emphasis on dialogue which actors, as opposed to trained mime artists, could perform.

Mr Whatnot was the result.

It has no message - no claims to anything deep or mysterious. The people in it really do exist. Just buy a copy of the Tatler and you'll see where I pinched what dialogue there is. They're narrow, stuffy, unimaginative, boring and I'm very fond of them.

I hope you enjoy the exploits of Mr Whatnot who blunders into their world. After all, that was why it was written purely for laughter.

Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.