A 1999 production for the Royal Shakespeare Company
of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, Bates as Timon:

Alan was scheduled to do "Timon" and "Antony and Cleopatra" in repertory during the RSC's 1999-2000 season, two huge roles: Timon has more lines than any other Shakespearean character.
"Antony" was already in production in Stratford when the "Timon" rehearsals began. In July a bug swept through the "Antony" cast, and many players were ill - on one awful night, both Antony and Cleopatra were out sick, as well as several others. Alan's cold settled in his lungs and throat, and without voice, and coughing nonstop, he (who virtually never canceled) had no choice but to rest, under doctor's orders.
This happened at a pivotal time in the "Timon" rehearsals: it was the last possible moment to replace the star without sacrificing the schedule. (Photos - see above - had been taken by distinguished photographer Harry Borden; posters, flyers and postcards were already in circulation.)
After much deliberation, and with great reluctance, Alan decided to be sensible and withdraw. Shortly thereafter, Michael Pennington stepped in as Timon, Alan returned to his normal good health, and went on to do the full "Antony" season in Stratford, London, and on tour.

Cast opposite Helen Mirren, Bates was sidelined only weeks before rehearsals began, needing immediate knee surgery. Alan Rickman stepped in as Antony.
Reacting to bad reviews from both the press and theatre goers, one person posted this comment on the National Theatre's web site on 4 November 1998: "I was really pleased to get my tickets to this play for the end of the month, but I don't think I want to go now. 3 and a half hours is a long time if it's as bad as you all think! They should have had Alan Bates, even in a wheelchair if necessary."

"Tapestry, the production company, are keeping this under wraps for now. Film scheduled for production Jan 26th, 1998. ICM London describes it as "Full Monty" meets "The Commitments." Lisa Stansfield has been cast in her first acting role to play a singer in a Liverpool swing band. Other cast are Jimmy Nail (Evita) and Alan Bates with an offer out to "Full Monty" star, Robert Carlyle, to play the lead.
Clarence Clemons will supply the saxophone leads. This will be the ultimate sax movie says writer/ director Nick Mead."

"Another London play, this one a drama that played in the West End last year, is to come over early in 1990. It's Simon Gray's "Melon," and, according to Jack McGuiggan, who plans to produce it, it's been almost totally rewritten, and the name has been changed to "Mark Melon: His Life and Times." If negotiations go well, it will star Alan Bates, who originated the role."
In the event, the play was completely rewritten, but it was called instead, "Holy Terror," it was performed on BBC radio, and off Broadway. The critical response was that it did not measure up to "Melon." (Bates did not perform in it.)

"Goldie meets Godfrey. Goldie Hawn and Alan Bates have both been pitched the Broadway musical version of "My Man Godfrey." No decisions yet. That 1936 screen classic starred Carole Lombard and William Powell, both sparkling so much you'd never suspect that they had divorced only three years before.
A lukewarm reprise came in 1957, with June Allyson and David Niven; the verdict on that one: music might've helped -- well, now it's got it!" [I believe that this was to be written and composed by Lerner & Loewe (as in "My Fair Lady.") Sadly, Alan Jay Lerner died in 1986, and Frederick Loewe two years later. KR]

"Soon after the first night of Pravda, I had another passage of arms with John Osborne, who had often labelled me publicly as the Ghengis Khan of the South Bank. We had met -- and he was predictably cordial, as always when face to face -- to talk about a revival at the National of his 1957 success "The Entertainer." Alan Bates was to play the role created by Olivier, and I suggested Joan Plowright might now be the right age to play Phoebe, the wife; she would be very good casting, and there was the added interest that she had originally created the role of the daughter. He agreed.
Just before rehearsals began, Osborne suddenly protested that he had never been consulted about the casting and would not have Joan in the production. It was a 'bizarre notion that was never put to me', he declared. The rights of the play belonged to him of course; and though terms had been agreed with his agent, John had not yet returned his signed contract. I had no alternative but to drop the project -- and John achieved public humiliation of Joan, the National and me."

4 April 1978 to Keith Jeffrey: [The bulk of this long letter suggests that Dexter is formulating the next evolution of his career. Then at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he is envisioning an artistic community similar to Britten's at Aldeburgh, centering around the beautiful little opera house in Buxton, Derbyshire:]
" ...This communal opera would be balanced by, let us say, James Levine conducting (if we could ally ourselves to the Halle orchestra) Figaro/Flute at the beginning of the opera season. The animals/children would have made their own costumes in the schools to designs by Jocelyn Herbert. Peter Firth (Pudsey -- 3/4 hour away) would do his first Hamlet and Alan Bates (Derby 1/2 hour away) his first Lear."

This tantalizing note from 6 March 1986: '"'King Arthur ' in Buxton, Handel, Purcell? I'd rather do a dramatisation of 'The Sword in the Stone' with the local kids." [Bates participated in the production in July 1986, directed by Malcolm Fraser. Obviously Dexter was offered, and declined, the directorship.]

25 October 86: "Explain Malvern casting plans. 'Iago' in the end of next year. Gambon? Alan [Bates]? Colin [Blakely]? And then tie in with the three choirs."

21 January 1977 to Nicholas Clay: "...At the moment my feeling is that if England is an island sinking, giggling into the sea, I can let it sink. One of the last concessions the Royal Court made was that it would consider going ahead with the production if I would cast Alan Bates.
My answer to them is simple -- there is a right and wrong way to do that play. Alan Bates is wrong as John Tanner and you are right. I am too old to involve myself in work which does not excite me." The play was eventually mounted by the Royal Court in partnership with the RSC, directed not by Dexter but by Clifford Williams, with John Wood as Tanner. --ed. ]