Following on from THIS IS ENGLAND ’88, the original cast are back in Sheffield for what director and writer Shane Meadows calls “maybe a full stop” for the BAFTA award winning drama.
Talking to DigitalSpy, Meadows discussed the themes for the final four-part TV series: “The younger members of the crew, it becomes their time. Obviously Woody (Joseph Gilgun) and Milky (Andrew Shim) and Lol (Vicky McClure) were the genuine skinheads – and Combo (Stephen Graham) – the others attached themselves to it. In This Is England ’90 it becomes about Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) and Kelly (Chanel Cresswell) and Trev (Danielle Watson) and Gadget (Andrew Ellis) actually getting into the Roses and getting into that scene and going clubbing and going raving and all of that.”
Meadows added, “They sort of go off on that journey. Combo comes out of prison, he’s served his time for manslaughter, and actually starts working in the community and the rehabilitation of his character begins. Woody and Milky set up a scooter shop. Woody finally gets out of that awful Mr Squire’s factory that he’s been working at, and him and Milky become really strong again. Everyone starts to do slightly separate things, but it’s still got that beautiful unity that the others have all had. So, I’ve got the stories all lined up in my head, but I just need to get them down on paper.“
THIS IS ENGLAND was first introduced in 2006. Beginning in the year 1983, Turgoose starred as Shaun, a troubled 12-year-old who lived with his widowed mum having lost his father in the Falklands War. After a chance encounter with Woody, Shaun is accepted by a group of skinheads, but his newfound friendships are threatened when right-winged Combo is released from prison. Meadows followed up the feature film in 2010 with four-part TV series THIS IS ENGLAND ’86 and three-part TV series THIS IS ENGLAND ’88 in 2011.
THIS IS ENGLAND ’90 comes to Channel 4 this autumn. Watch the trailer here.
