Allelujah trailer gives first look at Judi Dench in Alan Bennett adaptation
Dench is joined in the film by an all-star cast, including Jennifer Saunders and Derek Jacobi.
Brand new Alan Bennett play adaptation Allelujah releases in cinemas next year, and RadioTimes.com has got an exclusive first look at the film with a heart-warming trailer.
Allelujah, which is based on Bennett's 2018 play of the same name, tells the story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital which is threatened with closure. Upon this news, the hospital decides to fight back, galvanising the local community by inviting a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital’s most distinguished nurse.
The film is said to celebrate "the spirit of the elderly patients whilst paying tribute to the deep humanity of the medical staff battling with limited resources and ever-growing demand".
You can watch the full first trailer for Allelujah right here, now.
The film features an all-star cast including Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill, Russell Tovey, David Bradley, Derek Jacobi and Judi Dench, and has been directed by The Children Act's Richard Eyre.
Allelujah is the first film to be adapted from one of Bennett's works since 2015's The Lady in the Van, which starred Maggie Smith and was based on Bennett's memoir.
The screenplay has been written by Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas, with this being the first feature film she has written for.
Thomas spoke with RadioTimes.com earlier this year for a Big RT Interview about her plans for the 12th and 13th seasons of Call the Midwife. The show is next set to return this Christmas, with a special that is set to see two characters leave Nonnatus House.
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Dench made headlines earlier this year after a letter she wrote was published in The Times, saying that each episode of The Crown should come with a disclaimer noting that it is a "fictional dramatisation".
She said: "Sir John Major is not alone in his concerns that the latest series of The Crown will present an inaccurate and hurtful account of history. Indeed, the closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism."
Allelujah will be released in cinemas on 17th March 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
