ARE certain qualifications worth the paper they are written on? Not if the premise of The External, at Malvern Theatres, is to be believed.

Nave but uptight young external assessor Dr David Colt (Jake Broder) is brought into an established university to run his critical eye over a student's work, with critical being the operative word.

Dismissing the thesis as rubbish, his academic instinct is to fail it but it soon becomes clear that this will not be as straightforward as it seems, when he is put under pressure to reconsider.

Dr Anne Hanson (Prunella Scales) opens a can of worms involving the university's leading light, Sir Edgar Naseby (Scales's real-life husband, Timothy West).

Naseby's brilliant mind is at odds with his flawed character and his involvement with the female student whose work is being assessed complicates a process that should be no more than a formality.

This is all too much for the idealistic Colt -- coltish by nature as well as by name. His resolve is severely tested as he faces the twin, yet conflicting dilemmas of strictly applying his professional judgement or bringing an eminent man down.

The potential consequences of his decision are the nub of The External.

Fine performance

Broder turns in a fine performance as the apparently inoffensive Colt, who little by little, reveals pent-up anger and prejudices.

Scales is restrained as the dutiful but determined Dr Hanson, while West revels in his setpiece scene in which Naseby shows a fondness for the bottle as well as young students.

The play's short running time of 75 minutes is about right, with The External saying all it has to say without outstaying its welcome.