Shane Meadows is in my opinion the finest film-maker in England today, with his tragi-comic, poetic portraits of the English working class. The prospect of a television spin-off of his movie 'This is England' thus prompted excitement but also reservations - there's certainly enough material for a follow up, and with Meadows' involvement, the quality can only be high - but sometimes a story is told and does not need extending. This series is set at the time of the football world cup of 1986, and there's already been talk of another one set in 1990 at the following world cup: might this all be too much of a good thing? On watching it, there are indeed odd moments when the series indeed feels flabbier, less essential than the original; and the occasional lapse towards 'Shameless' territory. But in the main, this is excellent stuff. Thomas Turgoose, the star of the original, is less central here, but still steals every scene he is in; but all the characters are great, including man-child Woody and Vicky McClure's Lol, around whom the plot rotates. The football link is handled lightly, and the final, Meadows-directed episode cumulates in a horrific portrayal of an attempted rape and its aftermath that is handled with an extraordinary grace (unlikely as that word seems to describe the depiction of such an event). Meadows' films aren't loud, but he cuts to the raw edge of human vulnerability like few others; this is easily the best T.V. series of the year, and an important alternative view to the received wisdom on the Thatcher era.
20 Reviews
Really glad I gave this a go
tommyrlopez11 February 2019
The only negative I have to say is that the movie and the other seasons are not available. Excellent gritty(in a need to shower after a couple episodes good way) series that is still relatable today. Filming and acting is top notch. Highly recommend.
A 'Must Watch' for Anyone who Liked the Original Movie.
StewyMovies11 January 2022
What an incredible follow up to the movie which was also excellent.
This Is England '86 is even more moving and gripping. It was also in turns intense, tragic, funny and incredibly sad. The characters are engaging, fascinating and original. Their friendships and relationships are so well portrayed, there is nothing Hollywood about this, it's real life. The stories that weave them together through this short series are real and believable. Some moments I was holding my breath in anticipation of what was coming - there is nothing predictable in this story line. I lived through this period and felt the series captured it authentically. I want to especially pay tribute to the music chosen in this series. Some absolutely astonishing songs that add to the pathos of the story and characters, in particular songs by Paul Weller, The Jam and Fleetwood Mac that I had not actually heard before. This series has sent me down a few rabbit holes trying to find more about the soundtrack.
Thank you to Shane Meadows for writing and creating this and to all involved in it, it's tough and gritty but real and rewarding, it's eye opening and it's art damn it!!
I am so looking forward to watching the next series This is England '88.
This Is England '86 is even more moving and gripping. It was also in turns intense, tragic, funny and incredibly sad. The characters are engaging, fascinating and original. Their friendships and relationships are so well portrayed, there is nothing Hollywood about this, it's real life. The stories that weave them together through this short series are real and believable. Some moments I was holding my breath in anticipation of what was coming - there is nothing predictable in this story line. I lived through this period and felt the series captured it authentically. I want to especially pay tribute to the music chosen in this series. Some absolutely astonishing songs that add to the pathos of the story and characters, in particular songs by Paul Weller, The Jam and Fleetwood Mac that I had not actually heard before. This series has sent me down a few rabbit holes trying to find more about the soundtrack.
Thank you to Shane Meadows for writing and creating this and to all involved in it, it's tough and gritty but real and rewarding, it's eye opening and it's art damn it!!
I am so looking forward to watching the next series This is England '88.
A worthy follow up to an amazing film.
BrotherMouzone7 September 2010
I was lucky enough to attend the preview screening of This is Enlgand '86 last Thursday at the Showroom in Sheffield. The cinema was decorated to look like an 80's wedding with a buffet of sausage rolls, prawn vol au vonts, cheese and pineapple chunks on cocktail sticks, and there was also a live ska band and actors dressed in 80's clothing to help create a real 1986 atmosphere.
The preview was attended by director Shane Meadows and all of the cast, who came up on stage before the screening to introduce the first episode. The producer mentioned that Shane Meadows had been frantically working in London every day to try to get the last 2 episodes finished in time to be aired on Channel 4.
Only the first episode was shown at the screening along with a trailer for the rest of the series but I have to say that, based on what I saw, I don't think fans of the film will be at all disappointed by the series. The themes of racism, the Falklands War and Thacherite Britain take a bit more of a backseat here and the focus is now on the lives of the characters and the various personal problems they face growing up in 1986. The opening to the first episode is fantastic and the director manages to bridge the gap between the events of the film and the series in a very creative way that fans will love.
The 1986 setting looks extremely authentic and the series is complimented by a fantastic soundtrack.
The cast put in excellent performances once again, in particular Thomas Turgoose who returns as Shaun and Vicky MccLure who is again brilliant as Lol. Also look out for hilarious comedic turns from Hannah Walters (a.k.a Mrs Stephen Graham) who played the shoe saleswoman in the film, and newcomer Perry Fitzpatrick as psychotic bully Flip. I don't think I'm giving anything away here (as he is featured in all of the trailers) but we also see the return of the fantastic Stephen Graham as Combo.
Although this first episode is more light hearted in tone than the film with some more obvious comedic set pieces, the director is able to expertly switch to the more dramatic scenes and engage viewers in the various predicaments of his characters. There are several very emotional scenes which work very well and the familiar sounds of the Einaudi piano score punctuate these scenes to great effect. For me one of the things that made the dramatic scenes in the original film so engaging was Shane Meadows' use of music to heighten the emotional impact and I found that he did this very effectively again here.
The trailer for the other 3 episodes promises more hilarious scenes as well as some much darker subplots, and the series as a whole looks set to provide all of the same elements that made the original so appealing. As a fan of the film it felt a little like visiting a gang of old mates who I hadn't seen in a while, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series when it airs to find out what becomes of these great characters.
The preview was attended by director Shane Meadows and all of the cast, who came up on stage before the screening to introduce the first episode. The producer mentioned that Shane Meadows had been frantically working in London every day to try to get the last 2 episodes finished in time to be aired on Channel 4.
Only the first episode was shown at the screening along with a trailer for the rest of the series but I have to say that, based on what I saw, I don't think fans of the film will be at all disappointed by the series. The themes of racism, the Falklands War and Thacherite Britain take a bit more of a backseat here and the focus is now on the lives of the characters and the various personal problems they face growing up in 1986. The opening to the first episode is fantastic and the director manages to bridge the gap between the events of the film and the series in a very creative way that fans will love.
The 1986 setting looks extremely authentic and the series is complimented by a fantastic soundtrack.
The cast put in excellent performances once again, in particular Thomas Turgoose who returns as Shaun and Vicky MccLure who is again brilliant as Lol. Also look out for hilarious comedic turns from Hannah Walters (a.k.a Mrs Stephen Graham) who played the shoe saleswoman in the film, and newcomer Perry Fitzpatrick as psychotic bully Flip. I don't think I'm giving anything away here (as he is featured in all of the trailers) but we also see the return of the fantastic Stephen Graham as Combo.
Although this first episode is more light hearted in tone than the film with some more obvious comedic set pieces, the director is able to expertly switch to the more dramatic scenes and engage viewers in the various predicaments of his characters. There are several very emotional scenes which work very well and the familiar sounds of the Einaudi piano score punctuate these scenes to great effect. For me one of the things that made the dramatic scenes in the original film so engaging was Shane Meadows' use of music to heighten the emotional impact and I found that he did this very effectively again here.
The trailer for the other 3 episodes promises more hilarious scenes as well as some much darker subplots, and the series as a whole looks set to provide all of the same elements that made the original so appealing. As a fan of the film it felt a little like visiting a gang of old mates who I hadn't seen in a while, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series when it airs to find out what becomes of these great characters.
one of the best British directors
chrislawuk28 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Shane Meadows captures the epoch of the 80s Britain like no other director. I have never seen the 80s captured in such detail; its not just the characters and political references, but the very small details like curtains, blankets etc. Check the shots of the flat blocks, brings a chill to my spine as its so nostalgic. There is a lot of production value in the sets as well as iexcellent actors performances. He has moved British cinema forward in the vein of Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and Irvine Welsh etc. America has indie cinema and Britain has the melodrama I guess; two very different styles but both focusing on family and social relations predominantly. The This is England series deals with two of the most difficult themes you could possibly imagine but does it brilliantly. I think what marks his work above other directors is the sheer brutal force he approaches the subject matter, and the emotional attachment he develops between the audience and his characters simultaneously. This is a monumental achievement and cant remember another show which moved me to the extent this one did, which had led me to write my first review here on IMDb
The best British Drama to date.
esmagic6 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is England in my opinion is a fantastic franchise. It delivers, Dramatic tension that no other show on television would. It's a perfect representation of the 80's, perfectly acted, and perfectly directed.
If you are looking for a gritty British Drama, then This is England is certainly for you.
It starts off three years after the original film, with Shaun, Woody and Lol abandoning there skinhead selves. It's the day of Woody and Lol's wedding, and all seems well, that is until woody turns down the marriage and Meggy, former skinhead, and gang member has a heart attack. From here, we get shocking, and horrifying scenes, funny fights, and a whole dose of Shane meadows goodness.
If you are looking for a gritty British Drama, then This is England is certainly for you.
It starts off three years after the original film, with Shaun, Woody and Lol abandoning there skinhead selves. It's the day of Woody and Lol's wedding, and all seems well, that is until woody turns down the marriage and Meggy, former skinhead, and gang member has a heart attack. From here, we get shocking, and horrifying scenes, funny fights, and a whole dose of Shane meadows goodness.
bold
edumacated29 September 2010
I'm an ex-pat Brit living in the us.
and i can tell you most American viewers wouldn't last past five minutes into this show.
the cast is below average in looks, some are deformed, they talk funny; the characters are a mixture of the depressed, depraved, the thick and the stupid. the acting can only be described as a work in progress, and they lead dead end lives in dead end places. there ain't no glamor here.
all this will repel viewers whose identity is cast by fashion and t.v. programming. this show could never find a spot anytime on a us network. episode four would send middle America into a terminal tale spin--but it's not their fault. we don't get this kind of material because the money men who run us television only care about the cash--the baby faced producers would say, "who wants to watch a show about ugly losers?".
and if you want to hold up PBS as a daring non-commercial network, then drink some more koolaid. their emphasis is Lawrence welk for the primary, grey haired donors, and pimping a brainwashing liberal agenda through their political programming. they might find the balls to show a program like this around the 23rd century.
but i love it.
the original film, and this following series, seems to take a cast of mostly inexperienced actors, who may have lived the parts, and coaches them through a working class reality which at its core is full of camaraderie, loyalty, forgiveness and love. not the prettified sitcom love, but a love grown through lifelong community and shared pain, a love of real sacrifice.
these people are flawed like the rest of us, but they are not us. at first we reject their world as alien, but we see, through time, they share all our fears and traumas. we too are all common.
and thank god someone is making something about real people.
the great shame is: only a few Americans will ever see this show. we need to raise the bar, and flush out the cobwebbed hierarchy at PBS. i just hope we don't have to wait until the 23rd century for our programming to catch up. i don't think i can wait that long.
and i can tell you most American viewers wouldn't last past five minutes into this show.
the cast is below average in looks, some are deformed, they talk funny; the characters are a mixture of the depressed, depraved, the thick and the stupid. the acting can only be described as a work in progress, and they lead dead end lives in dead end places. there ain't no glamor here.
all this will repel viewers whose identity is cast by fashion and t.v. programming. this show could never find a spot anytime on a us network. episode four would send middle America into a terminal tale spin--but it's not their fault. we don't get this kind of material because the money men who run us television only care about the cash--the baby faced producers would say, "who wants to watch a show about ugly losers?".
and if you want to hold up PBS as a daring non-commercial network, then drink some more koolaid. their emphasis is Lawrence welk for the primary, grey haired donors, and pimping a brainwashing liberal agenda through their political programming. they might find the balls to show a program like this around the 23rd century.
but i love it.
the original film, and this following series, seems to take a cast of mostly inexperienced actors, who may have lived the parts, and coaches them through a working class reality which at its core is full of camaraderie, loyalty, forgiveness and love. not the prettified sitcom love, but a love grown through lifelong community and shared pain, a love of real sacrifice.
these people are flawed like the rest of us, but they are not us. at first we reject their world as alien, but we see, through time, they share all our fears and traumas. we too are all common.
and thank god someone is making something about real people.
the great shame is: only a few Americans will ever see this show. we need to raise the bar, and flush out the cobwebbed hierarchy at PBS. i just hope we don't have to wait until the 23rd century for our programming to catch up. i don't think i can wait that long.
Brilliant
nickysmithgirl9 October 2010
This is one of the best UK TV dramas in years. Shane Meadows and his team have really went all out. With each episode getting more and more grittier and complex for the characters than the last. Some of the sequences were not only atmospheric but deeply observed and put you right into the time and era of England, but also the characters dilemmas. I want to see more of this quality on our TV's but it would be too much to expect such a quality show every week. I respect that this kind of quality takes months and in many cases years to put together. I love Shane Meadows and I think that he deserves a huge break now. He has surpassed himself with this show. Brilliant.
Incredible
charlotteemmajonesuk28 March 2021
I Love all of the TIE from shane meadows, but this one has to be my favourite by far, it's absolutely incredible, and it made me feel like i knew every single character and i felt emotionally invested in what was happening every episode.
One of the best British mini-series ever made
Waffles-19923 March 2022
Just finished re-watching This Is England '86 and I completely forgot how utterly brilliant it is. I've laughed and cried, just raw emotion throughout. Ludovico Einaudi's scores made the series truly magnificent. Such a phenomenal bit of telly - 10/10. If you haven't seen this, watch it followed by '88 and '90 and if you have seen them, watch them again!
Takes a while to get going
Leofwine_draca19 April 2014
THIS IS ENGLAND '86 is the TV miniseries follow-up to the hit Shane Meadows film, THIS IS ENGLAND - a film which I happened to love thanks to its grittiness and the way it brought back the 1980s and made it timely once more.
This miniseries is split into four episodes and the first couple are simply not very good. Although it's fun to catch up with the characters from the movie and find out what they've been up to in the intervening years (answer: not very much), there isn't really much of a plot and the episodes feel aimless. Social drama has been replaced by gross-out humour and it's a chore to sit through - I only kept watching due to the goodwill left over from the film.
The good news is that the last two episodes do pick up for some extremely explicit and hard-hitting scenes, and it's probably because Shane Meadows came back as director that these episodes have such an improved feel to them. Kudos to the cast members for handling such intense drama very well. Inevitably, the outstanding Stephen Graham steals every scene in which he appears.
This miniseries is split into four episodes and the first couple are simply not very good. Although it's fun to catch up with the characters from the movie and find out what they've been up to in the intervening years (answer: not very much), there isn't really much of a plot and the episodes feel aimless. Social drama has been replaced by gross-out humour and it's a chore to sit through - I only kept watching due to the goodwill left over from the film.
The good news is that the last two episodes do pick up for some extremely explicit and hard-hitting scenes, and it's probably because Shane Meadows came back as director that these episodes have such an improved feel to them. Kudos to the cast members for handling such intense drama very well. Inevitably, the outstanding Stephen Graham steals every scene in which he appears.
Brilliant
iainsmith-1806110 January 2021
A cop out
seangavin-095128 April 2017
The series completely loses the intensity of the original film, and sells out to 'cuteness' - all of them having fun, giggling and partying. The characters are soft and fluffy now that it's been watered down. All of that frightening buildup and grittiness of the film is entirely lacking here.
Very surprising!
iamnicksemail9 September 2010
This show (Episode 1) was such a great surprise to me. I fell upon This Is England the movie by mistake, and loved it. Just as with the movie, I fell upon the series by mistake as well. After downloading the first Episode (As I live in the US and it's not shown over here), I had very little hope for this show. In the US, movies that then become shows (and usually the other way around too) are done very poorly, with no real connection to the original.
Seeing the original cast return was amazing, as I don't think they could find people to replace those actors that would do any justice. I took me a second to recognize the older Shaun, and wasn't 100% sure it was the same Woody right away with his new mop-top hair style he sports in the first episode. The show takes place 3 years after the movie ends, and as another reviewer posted, it's like checking in with old friends. Although (and I don't believe this is a spoiler) there is very to little no action between Shaun and the gang together in this episode, I feel it will get to that point, and with the end of the movie being it what it was, am glad they didn't just jump into "Yay everyone is here, times are great, on with the show" mentality. Over all so far, even after one episode, I give it a 10 out of 10. If you liked the movie, you are sure to love the show!
Seeing the original cast return was amazing, as I don't think they could find people to replace those actors that would do any justice. I took me a second to recognize the older Shaun, and wasn't 100% sure it was the same Woody right away with his new mop-top hair style he sports in the first episode. The show takes place 3 years after the movie ends, and as another reviewer posted, it's like checking in with old friends. Although (and I don't believe this is a spoiler) there is very to little no action between Shaun and the gang together in this episode, I feel it will get to that point, and with the end of the movie being it what it was, am glad they didn't just jump into "Yay everyone is here, times are great, on with the show" mentality. Over all so far, even after one episode, I give it a 10 out of 10. If you liked the movie, you are sure to love the show!
Meadows brings his characters and back-ground to life perfectly again
wellthatswhatithinkanyway30 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Playing out as the drama that it was, making it's characters so relatable to as normal people (and what a great job it did) This is England was one of those films that left you wondering what would become of the characters later on, long after it had finished. And, for those who don't fancy trekking out to the cinemas to see a follow up film, Shane Meadows has kindly made this more condensed four part TV drama that allows the drama and dynamics to build more gradually.
All eyes, naturally, are on Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), the main character from the film, who's now a teenager, who's voice has deepened and who doesn't hold out much hope in his exams, leading him to a worrying future as another layabout with no hope in Thatcher's Britain. After the devastating events at the end of the film, he's also drifted apart from the old gang and hopes to keep it that way...until a chance encounter in a hospital causes their paths to cross again, including with Smell (Rosamund Hanson) his former love interest, and Woody (Joseph Gilgun) the charismatic leader of the group. Through-out the course of the series, the various characters encounter their various triumpths and tragedies, until they are set on a collision course with the return of Combo (Stephen Graham), before everything heads towards a shattering climax that will change everything.
If there's one notable gripe here, it's that the attention to period detail doesn't feel quite as on the ball, compared with the film, with such minor notables as inside a hospital bringing this point to life no end. Otherwise, this is an inspired, relevant and worthy follow-up piece to a great film, that somehow does manage to get you more and more drawn into it as it goes on. As well as introducing a few new characters, the old faces including slow-witted Gadget (Andrew Ellis), hard faced mare Lol (Vicky McClure) and black guy Milky (Andrew Shim) are as prominent as before, some of them free to return to their more light hearted parts now free from the darker influence Combo had on them in the film. But although Stephen Graham's character is absent until the end, noteworthy considering what a massive driving force he was in the film, Johnny Harris perfectly fills his shoes in a very sinister role, truly bringing out a monstrous character in a very grim light.
Though looking a bit more polished, with probably a bigger budget to cover it over, '86 basically follows in the same style as the film, the gang just ambling along, doing their thing, with the occasional dark burst of unpleasantness to make it feel truer to life. With some critics already hailing it as the best TV drama of the year, Meadows has left an acclaimed idea to his name. ****
Playing out as the drama that it was, making it's characters so relatable to as normal people (and what a great job it did) This is England was one of those films that left you wondering what would become of the characters later on, long after it had finished. And, for those who don't fancy trekking out to the cinemas to see a follow up film, Shane Meadows has kindly made this more condensed four part TV drama that allows the drama and dynamics to build more gradually.
All eyes, naturally, are on Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), the main character from the film, who's now a teenager, who's voice has deepened and who doesn't hold out much hope in his exams, leading him to a worrying future as another layabout with no hope in Thatcher's Britain. After the devastating events at the end of the film, he's also drifted apart from the old gang and hopes to keep it that way...until a chance encounter in a hospital causes their paths to cross again, including with Smell (Rosamund Hanson) his former love interest, and Woody (Joseph Gilgun) the charismatic leader of the group. Through-out the course of the series, the various characters encounter their various triumpths and tragedies, until they are set on a collision course with the return of Combo (Stephen Graham), before everything heads towards a shattering climax that will change everything.
If there's one notable gripe here, it's that the attention to period detail doesn't feel quite as on the ball, compared with the film, with such minor notables as inside a hospital bringing this point to life no end. Otherwise, this is an inspired, relevant and worthy follow-up piece to a great film, that somehow does manage to get you more and more drawn into it as it goes on. As well as introducing a few new characters, the old faces including slow-witted Gadget (Andrew Ellis), hard faced mare Lol (Vicky McClure) and black guy Milky (Andrew Shim) are as prominent as before, some of them free to return to their more light hearted parts now free from the darker influence Combo had on them in the film. But although Stephen Graham's character is absent until the end, noteworthy considering what a massive driving force he was in the film, Johnny Harris perfectly fills his shoes in a very sinister role, truly bringing out a monstrous character in a very grim light.
Though looking a bit more polished, with probably a bigger budget to cover it over, '86 basically follows in the same style as the film, the gang just ambling along, doing their thing, with the occasional dark burst of unpleasantness to make it feel truer to life. With some critics already hailing it as the best TV drama of the year, Meadows has left an acclaimed idea to his name. ****
Amazingly Accurate for the Times
joepio-640322 August 2022
This may be a fictitious series, but it is dead on accurate as to life in this 'scene' would have been. I'm in my 50s now and after watching the series, it brought me back to better and bitter days. Hats off to Shane Meadows for his brilliant job.
This is England '86, Brilliant Drama!
ckinnair20530 October 2010
This is England '86 is a great follow on to the original film, based in 1983. I think the actors are sensational and Thomas Turgoose, the young boy is very original and such a seeker. When you watch other films with some of the actors who have done terrible things you feel like you can't feel sorry for them but you do because there such good actors :)
The only problem was for me is the horrific disturbing rape scene in this programme. On Episode 3, Series 1 it was shocking and many people agree with my opinion. There was many complaints BUT that means the programme has tried to make people feel disturbed which proves it is a good Drama!
The only problem was for me is the horrific disturbing rape scene in this programme. On Episode 3, Series 1 it was shocking and many people agree with my opinion. There was many complaints BUT that means the programme has tried to make people feel disturbed which proves it is a good Drama!
This Is England '86
jboothmillard27 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The film was brilliant, and I was praying that the television follow up would be as good, and thank goodness it was, from writer and creator Shane Meadows (Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, Dead Man's Shoes). Basically the story continues where the film left off, three years later, most of the friends still see each other, and are obviously brought together by the big events that take place throughout the series. Teenager Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) getting slightly bullied, missing exams and catching his mother Cynthia "Cynth" (Jo Hartley) having sex with his new employer Mr. Sandhu (Kriss Dosanjh). Lol (BAFTA winning Vicky McClure) has a relationship with boyfriend Woody (Joseph Gilgun), they fail to get married, move into a grotty house together, her abusive father Mick (BAFTA nominated Johnny Harris) returns, and she starts an affair with Milky (Andrew Shim). Gadget (Andrew Ellis) has feelings for Lol's sister Kelly (Chanel Cresswell), but seeing her kissing someone else he starts a fling with older single mother Trudy (Hannah Walters), and in the process changes his appearance and personality. The once violent supposedly changed Combo (Stephen Graham) returns because his mother is dying, Trev (Danielle Watson) is violently raped by Mick, and he is killed by Lol with a hammer to the head when he attempts to do the same to her. At the end of the series all characters reunited for the 1986 World Cup England v Argentina match, that saw the infamous "Hand of God" moment, Shaun has sex with older goth girlfriend Smell (Rosamund Hanson) in the toilets, Combo takes the blame for Mick's murder, and Lol keeps quiet to her sister Kelly. Also starring Perry Benson as Meggy, George Newton as Banjo, Michael Socha as Harvey, Perry Fitzpatrick as Flip and Coronation Street's Georgia May Foote as Gemma. The talented cast are all fantastic, the returning actors and the one or two editions, Turgoose, Hanson, McClure and Harris standing out best, the subject matters and situations are still as realistic and thought provoking for the time setting as the film was, it is a brilliant British television drama. It won the BAFTA for Best Make Up & Hair Design, and it was nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Director for Meadows and Best Editing. Very good!
That's how it really was almost in tears
auaffiliates10 October 2011
I was a 16 year old skinhead in Sydney Australia back then in 1986 and this pretty much sums it all up. A heap of kids from broken homes coming together. Rather than drugs it was drinking, music and each other. Skins, Rudy's, Mods, Rockers we all came together. There used to be soccer matches with all the sub-cultures it was a great time. This is perfect because it shows skinheads as they were not seig hailing nazi boneheads. I hope this series is extended it is a prefect reflection of that era. The characters are perfect and the different sub- cultures portray. Even in 2011 bands from that era are enjoying more success today then back then.
Vacant drama
Capo-idFilm29 September 2010
The father/son element took on contemporary resonance in the earlier work: its exposition made clear that Shaun was fatherless due to his father being killed whilst serving in the Falklands War, and though grossly misguided, Combo's anti-war rant to Shaun provokes a great anger and frustration in the youngster because of its essential truths – that the war itself was being fought under false pretences, fed to tame the same working classes that Margaret Thatcher had openly waged war on. The film's release, at a time in which the UK was once again involved in an escalating imperialist war – this time in both Iraq and Afghanistan – gave it an extra political edge.
This material, even in the hands of a limited cinematic storyteller such as Shane Meadows, proved quite powerful at points. Meadows himself apparently saw much further potential in the work: "When I finished This Is England, I had a wealth of material and unused ideas that I felt very keen to take further," he said in August 2009. "Not only did I want to take the story of the gang broader and deeper, I also saw in the experiences of the young in 1986 many resonances to now – recession, lack of jobs, sense of the world at a turning point. Whereas the film told part of the story, the TV serial will tell the rest." Though these sentiments ring true for the film, the mini-series, we should say before anything else, is a mostly vacant work, with no significant attention paid to a recession, to unemployment, to a sense of political and social upheaval. If the central relationship between Combo and Shaun offered a potentially rich examination of political disillusionment amongst the young in both the England of the Eighties and of the present day, its television follow-up, co-scripted with Meadows by Jack Thorne, makes an industry out of fashionable miserablism, forced humour and a moral viewpoint that can only be described as confused at best.
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This material, even in the hands of a limited cinematic storyteller such as Shane Meadows, proved quite powerful at points. Meadows himself apparently saw much further potential in the work: "When I finished This Is England, I had a wealth of material and unused ideas that I felt very keen to take further," he said in August 2009. "Not only did I want to take the story of the gang broader and deeper, I also saw in the experiences of the young in 1986 many resonances to now – recession, lack of jobs, sense of the world at a turning point. Whereas the film told part of the story, the TV serial will tell the rest." Though these sentiments ring true for the film, the mini-series, we should say before anything else, is a mostly vacant work, with no significant attention paid to a recession, to unemployment, to a sense of political and social upheaval. If the central relationship between Combo and Shaun offered a potentially rich examination of political disillusionment amongst the young in both the England of the Eighties and of the present day, its television follow-up, co-scripted with Meadows by Jack Thorne, makes an industry out of fashionable miserablism, forced humour and a moral viewpoint that can only be described as confused at best.
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