Saved is set in South London during the 1960s. The play centers around Len, a young working-class man struggling to find hope as the girl he loves, Pam, gives birth to another man's unwanted child. Meanwhile, Pam’s parents tear each other apart in an emotional stalemate of a marriage. Pam’s baby is born into a loveless and hopeless world, and the brutal and horrific end to its short life reflects the cultural poverty and frustration of a generation on the dole and living on council estates. Saved shocked its audiences when first produced in 1965, but it is now considered a theatrical masterpiece and played a key role in the abolition of theatrical censorship in Britain.
Saved guide sections
