TV drama doesn’t get much bolder or more moving than this.
Shane Meadows’ This Is England began as an autobiographical tale. The movie was set in 1983 and revolved around Shaun Field, played by Thomas Turgoose. Shaun, like Shane, grew up in the Midlands (Uttoxeter) and became involved with skinhead culture. The gang rivalry and racism made this a powerful, at times brutal, film that has a strong impact but I was not as bowled over by it as many critics were.
I have no such doubts about the Channel 4 TV spin-offs set in 1986 and 1988. These state of the nation dramas allow Meadows full scope to explore the characters more deeply – the result is funny, sexually frank and effortlessly switches between high farce one minute to heartfelt pain the next. Continue reading
