Is Alan Bennett’s perspicacious exploration of our education system a set text for GCSEs this year? There was a large party of schoolchildren gathered in the Theatre Royal foyer before the show.

Would Bennett mind being a set text? Would it go against the grain of all he says in the play?

I don’t know the answers to any of those questions. But I am sure Hector, his maverick schoolmaster, would have some piquant observations.

This production had its first performance in Bath just over a year ago and it’s come full circle with a few cast changes and a few tweaks in the staging.

The ensemble playing of the ‘boys’ is better than ever.

Philip Franks has taken over from Gerard Murphy as the inspirational and passionate English teacher, Hector, who throws the curriculum out of the window and teaches the boys about life, Gracie Fields, classic films, and random experiences which might not help them pass exams but will make them more rounded people.

Franks is utterly plausible and lovable, despite his character’s unfortunate peccadilloes.

The use of the revolving stage seemed more pertinent this time around. It puts a different perspective on the otherwise same classroom, just as smart new teacher Irwin (Ben Lambert) tries to get the boys to find a new angle on history and literature to make an impression on the Oxbridge interview panels.

Bennett, through Hector, calls Irwin’s slick and pragmatic approach journalism, in a disparaging way. But you sense there’s a sneaking admiration of an intellectual trick that works.

It’s very funny, with touches of pathos and harsh realism – typical Bennett.