Miss Fozzard finds her feet

If only my own 'salon' had such an enviable reputation...

I think the UK podiatry community needs to do some more PR to the arts community.

LL

 

A wonderful performance, and on face value, it appears to be a good piece of PR for the profession- but , for those of you who missed the whole of this play by alan bennett in the Talking Heads series, Miss Fozzard goes on to attend treatment from Mr Dunderdale who is a pervert , to say the least, and who uses his profession to procure women for his erotic activities! !LOL

Perhaps it is not such a great piece of advertising for the profession! But well worth seeing anyway.

Heather

 

netizens

Miss Fossard is part of the Alan Bennett play touring Australia next month. Miss it at your pearl and Miss Fozzard is played by Benda Blethyn although the character was played originally in the tv series by Pat Routlidge. The monologue gives a superb insight into the thinking of someone who is a consumer of the health professions and how these reflections on her life circumstance. Brilliant analysis a person on the receiving end of 'expert' care and advice. Alan Bennett has over many years written much about podiatrists with a brillaint ability to capture the persona of women of a certain age.

Had the pleasure of speaking to at length to Ralph Graham former Chairman of the SOCOP at this year’s FIP Conference. He shared many of the amusing stories about the filming of Private Function and working with Bennett and Michael Palin. Absolutely fantastic and he told me he spent six weeks on the set as they were filming. Many of the chiropody props were authentic and belonged to Ralph including a domiciliary case which has a particular poignant history. The film was chosen for a Royal premier and the company wanted to invite an audience of pods to the venue. Ralph convinced them this might not be such a good idea feeling the comedy elements would be misconstrued by a ‘conservative’ profession. He was right and received many criticisms from friends and colleagues about the film and his contribution. Rather sad because it represents a fabulous time capsule of chiropody circa 1950, but Ralph took this in good part, knowing the film would be a success.

Denham Elliot’s character of the local GP arose from a childhood experience of the author whose aunts lived next door to a curt doctor. He confided in Bennett, he could not understand why they had a visiting chiropodist come to see them when they could easily call upon his medical expertise at anytime. Alan Bennett kept the experience and when he wrote Pork Royal (Working title for Private Function); he made this the underlying sub plot.

Another promoter of podiatry is Jerry Seinfeld, with has many references to podiatry in his situation comedy. These are not laughing at pods; instead comedic reference to pods is as part of the comedy plot of a group of 30 something’s. I believe this represents a quantum jump in public thinking of foot health professionals and a long way from the ‘laughing at” foot people seen in music hall (vaudeville).

I met a podiatrist the other day when my car broke down.
“You are the very man I want to see.” I said.
“Why?” He replied.
“You can give me a tow!”