The cast for this movie are the same cast who appeared in the original play at the National Theatre in London, England.
The story is set in the early 1980s because shortly after this, Oxford and Cambridge changed their entrance system and abolished the seventh-term post-A-level entrance exams.
Richard Griffiths won the 2006 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama for "The History Boys" as Mr. Hector, and re-created his role in this movie.
This movie was based on the award winning play by Alan Bennett, which ran at the National Theatre in London from May 2004 until April 2005.
All of the members of the principal cast appeared in The Lady in the Van (2015), which was also written by Alan Bennett.