Saved (play)

Saved is a play by Edward Bond which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in November 1965.

Its subject is the cultural poverty and frustration of a generation of young people on the dole and living on council estates.

The original cast included John Castle, Tony Selby, Ronald Pickup, Dennis Waterman, William Stewart, Barbara Ferris, Lucy Fleming, and Gwen Nelson.

The creative team included director William Gaskill and lighting by Eric Baker.

When it was performed to large private audiences, the Lord Chamberlain decided to prosecute those who were involved in the production of the play.

The revival cast included: Malcolm Tierney (as Len), Kenneth Cranham (as Fred), Patricia Franklin (as Pam), Queenie Watts (as Mary), Tom Chadbon, Peter Blythe, and John Barrett.

In October 2011, the play was revived in London for the first time in 27 years, at the Lyric Hammersmith, directed by Sean Holmes.

Over the course of one scene, Pam fights with Len and with her mother Mary while the neglected baby cries continually.

When Len suggests that something needs to be done about caring for the baby, Pam responds "Put it on the council", i.e. hand it over to child welfare authorities.

Fred and Len's friends Pete, Colin, Mike and Barry turn up, as does Pam, who is wheeling the baby in a pram.

Pete, Colin, Mike and Barry tease the baby, at first harmlessly then with increasing roughness.

Len feels a sexual attraction to Mary, Pam's mother, and flirts with her; she is flattered, but doesn't act on it.

When Pam confronts him and asks for him back, he explodes and calls her a "bloody menace", before leaving in disgust.

Len slowly and methodically repairs the broken chair while Harry does his football pools, Pam reads a magazine and Mary does housework.