An unruly bunch of bright funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex sport & a place at university A maverick English teacher at odds with the young & shrewd supply teacher A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool In Alan Bennett's classic play staff room rivalry & the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history & how you teach it; about education & its purpose The History Boys premiered at the National in May 2004