This article is about the play, see also A Taste of Honey (band).

A Taste of Honey is play by British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, first produced in 1958. It confronts a range of social issues — single motherhood, race, sexuality — with a frankness unusal for 1950s Britain. The play and its film adaptation were influential, and indicated changing British attitudes to art and society.

Set in Northern England, the play tells the story of Jo, a young working class woman forced to leave her mother's house. She finds a room with Geoffrey, a gay acquaintance, and becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with Jimmy, a Black sailor. Geoffrey takes the role of the child's father until Jo's mother returns, and the future of her new family is put into question.

Film

A 1961 film adaptation was directed by Tony Richardson, cowritten by Richardson and Delaney. It featured Rita Tushingham as Jo, Dora Bryan as her mother, Murray Melvin as Geoffrey and Paul Danquah as Jimmy.

The film won four awards at the 1962 BAFTA awards: Richardson won Best British Screenplay (with Delaney) and Best Film, Bryan won Best Actress and Tushingham was Most Promising Newcomer. Tushingham and Melvin were Best Actress and Actor at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. In America the film won Tushingham a 1963 Golden Globe for Most Promising Female Newcomer and Richardson a Directors Guild of America award.

Song

A song written by "Bobby" Scott and Ric Marlow was based on the play/film. It has been published in a number of collections, notably for Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass and The Beatles.

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