This Is England '86

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.

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.

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 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!

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.