Abigails party was a television programme written in 1977 by Mike Leigh Originating as a Hampstead Theatre production and first broadcast as part of Play for Today (BBC, 1970-84), 'Abigail's Party' (tx. 1/11/1977) is Mike Leigh's best-known television work, and perhaps the most celebrated TV play of the 1970s.
When teenager Abigail throws a party for her friends, her next-door neighbour, Beverly Moss, does likewise for the adults - inviting Abigail's mum, Sue, and neighbours Tony and Angela. In spite of the title of Mike Leigh's play, all the action takes place in Beverly's living room - and Abigail is never seen. And good luck to her, because Beverly is the hostess from hell.
Lacking any social skills Beverly stumbles through a series of cringe-making social blunders, begins flirting with Tony, starts sniping at her over-stressed husband, Laurence, does little to instill confidence in an already anxious Sue, and gets steadily sozzled whilst listening to, and inflicting on everyone else, Demis Roussos on the gramophone. Just when the evening looks as though it couldn't get any worse, her sniping at Laurence turns into a full-blown argument until he finally decides that the only way to extract himself from this awful situation is to drop dead with a heart attack.
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