The Bed Sitting Room

A war veteran with a badge of ‘Defeat of England,’ Martin clings to authority and male bravado as London falls apart. He is repeatedly mistaken for a doctor and pursues Penelope as a route to power, embodying the era’s pretensions amid chaos. His optimism clashes with a collapsing political landscape, pushing him toward a questionable place in a new order.

A young woman living on a Circle line tube train with her parents, Penelope becomes central to the group’s survival. She is reportedly pregnant, navigating love with Alan while a world ends around her. Her resilience is tested as family ties dissolve and the journey to safety takes strange turns.

Penelope’s fiancé, who joins the group and forms part of the makeshift family. He exudes a practical, loyal presence amidst the chaos, seeking stability for Penelope and the unborn child. His decisions reflect a desire for safety and connection in an unstable world.

Measured by the police and aspiring for political power, Father embodies the desire to control a broken system. His conflicting priorities lead to a fatal collapse as resource scarcity and fear drive choices. He ultimately dies, and his body’s fate underscores the dehumanizing conditions of the era.

Mother moves through the bed-sitting room, eventually transforming into a cupboard—an emblem of how identity dissolves in the postwar chaos. Her survival becomes a practical exercise as she threads through the crumbling household. Her fate mirrors the film’s comedic yet bleak outlook on transformation and absurdity.

An influential figure who treats the postwar chaos as a stage for political maneuvering, often treating Martin as a tool. He announces news and plays a larger-than-life role in the unfolding absurdity, hinting at the hollow prestige of leadership in a devastated nation.

A regional seat of government survivor who hides in a fallout shelter and spends his days watching old films. He reveals dark memories and speculates about the origins of germ warfare, serving as a commentary on paranoia and memory in a world without rules.

A nurse overwhelmed by the scale of postwar malnourishment and chaos, attempting to prescribe relief in a world where medical systems are collapsing. His presence underscores the absurdity and the strain on caregivers in a broken health service.

A figure of authority who navigates the surreal aftermath with a mix of skepticism and grave humor. His interactions reflect the film’s critique of governance and law in a society that has collapsed into theater.

A figurehead figure whom the others imagine will assume leadership in some future, despite a logic that seems to falter amid shortages and fear. His presence demonstrates the pursuit of political legitimacy even as the country is defined by survival.

A clergyman who performs the wedding of Penelope and Alan in submerged circumstances, symbolizing ritual persistence amid ruin. He embodies the film’s blending of sacred ceremony with the absurd and surreal world.

A character who encounters Mother and moves her into the bed-sitting room, reflecting the film’s mosaic of people who appear and influence each other’s fates in quirky ways. The portrayal touches on how outsiders relate to the shrinking world.

The late Queen’s former charwoman referenced in the closing beat, representing memory of pre-war society and the uncertain line between status and survival. Her character epitomizes the film’s comedic yet bleak outlook on class and proximity to power.

A supporting figure who contributes to the satirical chorus of the film’s setting, adding humor and complexity to a world where ordinary conversations about postwar life still occur. His presence helps to puncture pretensions in the ruins.

A recurrent patient whose existence signals the ongoing health issues and the strange, improvised medical world in the bed-sitting room. The role adds to the sense that bodily needs persist despite the dissolution of society.