My husband is dead and my only son. who has grown fat and strange, has just run away from his own father's funeral. I'll be fine. Fine. At least those bastard bees are gone. Felix Humble is drawn back to his family home after the death of his father, a biology teacher and amateur beekeeper. There in the garden he finds his waspish mother Flora, her downtrodden friend Mercy and the suspiciously ever-present local businessman George Pye. His daughter Rosie was once involved with Felix.

Felix is an astrophysicist who discovers that solving the riddle of his emotional life is considerably more challenging than the quest for a unified string theory. Charlotte Jones' family comedy won the Critics' Circle Best New Play Award following its premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2001. The play was revived at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in March 2018. 'Sad, very sad: funny, very very funny. this is a seriously wonderful play.' Sunday Times 'Rich, original, intelligent, funny and touching. I can't recommend this lovely play too highly.' Daily Telegraph.