National Theatre of Brent

The National Theatre of Brent is a British comedy double act, in the form of a mock two-man theatre troupe. Patrick Barlow plays Desmond Olivier Dingle, the troupe's founder, artistic director and chief executive. The role of his assistant (or as Desmond likes to call him, "my entire company") was first performed by Julian Hough. It has subsequently been taken by various actors, including Jim Broadbent (as Wallace), Robert Austin (as Bernard), and John Ramm (as Raymond Box). Their 1998 production Love Upon the Throne (featuring Barlow as Prince Charles and Ramm as Diana, Princess of Wales) was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Comedy. Barlow has written a number of books under the banner of The National Theatre of Brent, two of which, Shakespeare: The Truth! and All the World's a Globe: From Lemur to Cosmonaut, have been adapted for radio. Their radio production in 2007 was The Arts and How They Was Done, for BBC Radio 4, starring Barlow and Ramm, with Harriet Walter as guest star. In September 2011 the National Theatre of Brent produced Giant Ladies That Changed the World, the story of the suffragettes, as five 15-minute episodes broadcast as the 15 Minute Drama following Woman's Hour on Radio 4. Productions