Enjoyable but hardly classic Alan Bennett: The Outside Dog & The Hand of God reviewed

The season of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads continues at the Bridge. In The Hand of God we meet Celia, a posh antiques dealer, who befriends old maids in the hope of acquiring their valuables cheaply. Like everyone in her trade she uses play-acting and mind games to give her the advantage while haggling. If her enemy falters, she pounces. A man visits her shop and becomes visibly excited by a framed drawing which Celia hoped to flog for £30. Spotting his eagerness, she trebles the price. He pays up and hurries out. Later she learns that the drawing was by an old master whose style she failed to recognise. Millions have slipped through her fingers.

Kristin Scott Thomas is well cast as this suburban snake in the grass. All the visuals are beautifully judged. Celia, in her mid-fifties, wears a costume of soft autumn shades with a discreetly colourful scarf loosely knotted around her neck.