Dir: Tom Harper (2 episodes), Shane Meadows (2 episodes)
Starring: Thomas Turgoose, Rosamund Hanson, Vicky McClure, Joseph Gilgun, Andrew Ellis
The Film:
This Is England ’86 is a TV series sequel to Shane Meadow’s 2006 film This Is England. This series is set 3 years after the film, and picks up with the characters from the film, most notable Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) who has since grown up a bit and is finishing school. The group of friends he befriended in the film are no longer in his life, but they are still around and this focuses on their story. Shaun does eventually get back with them but things are much different now, and Combo (Stephen Graham) isn’t in the picture for them.
The group are all going through many different things, and through these 4 episodes it examines where they are at and where they are headed. The first episode is very much an establishing piece; it is a little more light hearted, as we are re-introduced to the characters and what they are doing. It feels a lot different in tone to the film, which is likely to catch fans off guard. But stick with it because it is a great episode, which basically takes place over a day. This sets the stage for the next 3 episodes, which get darker and quite gritty. The series not only showcases England in this time frame, but also what it was like for those people there. Unemployment was high, people lived in poverty, but it isn’t always a sad story. This aims to mix positive and negative aspects and blends them together well; it is finely balanced and well executed.
This is actually quite a great follow up to a film that didn’t need one, it is true to what was and it really does remain in the same spirit. I will not lie; the stronger episodes are the ones by Shane Meadows, with episode 4 being the strongest and just one of the best television episodes of the past 10 years easily. It is tragic, but somewhere there is a sign of hope and it does not ever compromise the original vision. The characters are developed superbly, their position from the film has changed, but it has progressed in a realistic fashion and it felt right to see them here and in the situations that they were in. It isn’t easy to go back to something and successfully continue it; this really does in every way.
The performances are all fantastic; I mean everyone is a stand out. There are no bad performances or any that let it down. Everyone is back into their characters and they really disappear into them. The time might have passed but it does not show, these actors could have portrayed their characters every day since then, they don’t skip a beat. I think special mention should go to Thomas Turgoose who is an extraordinary young actor, and much like he did back with the film he delivers a great performance here. The other mention needs to go to Vicky McClure as Lol, who goes through perhaps the most development during these 4 episodes and the final act with her is truly extraordinary acting.
Shane Meadows and Tom Harper do an admiral job of fully realising this series, and continuing the story. This was Meadow’s baby and I think this is why his episodes are stronger but they also are a little more challenging. I commend them both, each episode is strong and overall this is just a fantastic drama series.
Episode 1 Rating: 
Episode 2 Rating:
Episode 3 Rating: 
Episode 4 Rating: 
The Australian DVD
Audio/Video: The video is 16:9 presentation. The picture quality is quite exceptional, it is quite clear and well presented. Audio is presented with Dolby Digital 5.1. it is a fairly decent audio track, I did not see any problems and I thought it was fine.
Extras:
* Audio commentaries
* Behind the scenes
* Out-takes
* Deleted scenes
* Photo gallery
The audio commentaries are good little numbers and well worth listening to. They examine everything and it is just an enjoyable listen, if you like commentaries this is certainly a must. Behind the scenes is a fun in-sight into the actors and how they felt about returning. I really enjoyed it! Out-takes are always fun and this is no exception, this was an odd extra but I liked it. Deleted scenes are worth watching, but you can see why they were left out.
Overall Rating
Thanks to Ben from MadMan for his support.
The Super Network 