The Knowledge (film)

The Knowledge is a 1979 British comedy-drama television film about a group of young men doing "The Knowledge", the training required to become a London taxi driver. It was directed by Bob Brooks with an ensemble cast including Nigel Hawthorne, Mick Ford, Jonathan Lynn and Maureen Lipman.

Four out of work Londoners apply to do "The Knowledge" to become London taxi drivers. They have to contend with learning 20,000 streets and 500 set routes as well as Mr Burgess, a notoriously sadistic examiner from the Public Carriage Office.

In 1978 Jack Rosenthal received a telephone call from Bob Brooks, an American who had lived in London for many years, wanting to make a film about something "exclusive to London". After some discussion they decided on "The Knowledge", the training and testing required to become a driver of a Hackney carriage. They initially pitched the idea to Euston Films as a feature-length drama before settling on the concept of a comedy-drama. Executive producer Verity Lambert agreed to commission a 90-minute television film, despite reservations that Rosenthal and Brooks would struggle working together. Rosenthal researched the story by accompanying taxi drivers around London to collect their stories about doing The Knowledge. Lambert later recalled "Jack Rosenthal and Bob Brooks had this good idea - it was Bob's idea and Jack wrote it."

It was the first production by Euston Films to make use of Steadicam.

In his autobiography, Rosenthal describes Nigel Hawthorne as "such a lovely actor" who "gives a superlative, unforgettable comic performance as Mr Burgess, based on a real-life, notoriously sadistic examiner".