National Theatre Live – Nye

Confronted with death following a serious operation, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan looks back on his life. His mind takes
him on a journey from childhood, through his political career campaigning at the coalfields and in the Houses of
Parliament, to his later career as founder of the NHS. The hospital setting and its patients and staff are
transformed into fragments from his memories.
Nye remembers his father’s illness as a result of working in the mines, and the lack of affordable doctors. He
remembers the punishments he endured at school due to his stammer and the friend who stuck up for him.
Visiting the local library, Nye learns to navigate speech with his stammer by finding synonyms to replace the
words he struggles with.
As Nye grows older he becomes a great orator, speaking regularly on political issues in local campaign groups.
His work eventually takes him to the Houses of Parliament as an MP, and into fights with Prime Minister Winston
Churchill over his demands for a nationalised Health Service where medical treatment is free to all.
While most doctors and politicians are initially against Nye’s proposal, the tide soon turns and Nye’s battle ends
in victory. Lying in his hospital bed surrounded by his loved ones, he is proud of the achievements that helped to
change a nation.