Talking about this intensely personal (and beautifully written) drama set in the University of Cambridge, author Nigel Williams explains: "I followed a story that might have been. It is an imaginative re-working of the lives of two great critics". The critics here are the Cambridge don, Dr F R Leavis (1895-1978), and Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), both literary lions of their respective generations. The film intercuts the story of an intellectual relationship that might have existed between the young Leavis and his mentor, 'Q', with that of the older Leavis and his student Tulloch (an engaging performance by Alan Cumming). Ian Holm as Leavis, Sara Kestelman as his wife, Queenie, and Leo McKern as Quiller-Couch are all superb, and the pivotal scene between Leavis and Q is powerful stuff. Carefully directed by Jack Gold, this is a difficult piece that deals with betrayal and requires maximum concentration from the viewer. If you enjoy words and ideas and know your way around English Literature, you will either love or loathe it. Some could be tempted to say, "So what? ".

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