PASS the parcel. These are some of the final words said in The History Boys by focal character Hector – an inspiring and off-curricula English teacher nurturing a group of eight boys through to their university entry exams.

Throughout the entire play his words flowed, sometimes in French, with one amazing quote or literary recital after the other.

The script offers many a chance to quote back but it was these three words that rang out for me. Pass the parcel.

Voted the Nation’s Favourite Play last year, Alan Bennett’s moving, heartwarming, thought-provoking and inspiring The History Boys is a story to pass on itself.

Set in the 1980s the original tour in 2004 was a hit and the following film adaptation in 2006 an even bigger hit.

A select group of eight boys are studying for their Oxbridge entry exams. They have Hector their English teacher who has a tendency to fiddle with their bodies while giving them a lift home on his motorbike. And they have Irwin who is hell-bent on fiddling with their minds to get them ready to pass the exam.

When you go to see a play that you have known as a film and a play before it is hard not to fall into the trap of comparing characters you already know as being played by other actors with those presented to you on the stage.

The original The History Boys play and film turned the actors into stars who we have now grown up with and fallen in love with – knowing they all lead back to The History Boys. They are my generation – it’s hard not to.

But that lasted all of about three minutes when I went to see Kate Saxon’s directed version of The History Boys at Theatre Royal Windsor during the opening night on Monday.

This was one of the most incredibly moving pieces of theatre I have ever seen. I know that as I had to wipe a tear away when it finished. Only gifted actors, delivering a script by a genius under the direction of an experienced eye can do that.

Richard Hope’s Hector and Christropher Ettridge’s Headmaster roles were beautifully cast and joined by Mark Field as Irwin and Susan Twist as Mrs Lintott they mastered the staff room banter and warmth for each other’s positions within the school with such ease. Add to that a fantastic lighting and stage direction then the story keeps rolling on one set the entire time. Little touches like the kettle on the back wall and the lights dimming meant the audience knew they were in the comfort zone of the student-free staff room where one always assumes a lot of swearing among the teachers happens.

But it was the boys who left the lasting impression.

These aren’t just any school boys. They each have their own qualities to shine through. And again this was fantastic casting.

Steven Roberts as Posner was the best matching ever. He not only had to act but be able to sing and perform. The History Boys is his professional stage debut....and I can’t believe that. Steven Roberts acted with ease and delivered such a heart-warming and touching performance – he was born to tread the boards.

Pulling it all together with his narration throughout was Alex Hope as Scripps. Alex Hope has talent waiting to explode onto the stage/screen circuit.

Just like I grew up following the careers of the original cast I know all eight of these boys are destined for similar paths.

They have been passed the parcel and I can’t wait to see how it opens for them.

The History Boys is at Windsor Theatre Royal from now until Saturday, March 14.

Visit www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk or call 01753 853888 for tickets.