A pivotal work of British cinema is streaming for free now on Channel 4 now, starring Stephen Graham in his most indelible role.
Set in the East Midlands in 1983, This Is England stars Thomas Turgoose as bullied 13-year-old Shaun, who finds friendship and purpose in a local group of skinheads.
However, events take a darker turn when the sinister Combo (Graham) arrives on the scene.
In stark contrast to the cuddly Woody and Lol (Brassic’s Joseph Gilgun and Line of Duty star Vicky McClure), Combo is a violent racist, set on pushing his vile agenda to increasingly terrible ends.
Directed by Shane Meadows and released in 2006, the film spawned a series of equally powerful TV follow-ups… each more devastating than the last.
Viewers can now see where it all started by streaming This Is England via Channel 4 on Demand.
This Is England was beloved by critics upon its release, contributing to an impressive 93% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Common Sense Media called it ‘one of the greatest films of the 21st century,’ while New York Times deemed it to be ‘nearly flawless.’
Calling it ‘UNMISSABLE,’ Johnny Vaughan’s review for The Sun hailed it as ‘the best of British.’
Audiences are united with critics in their appreciation for the film, lending it a 90% positive ‘Popcornmeter’ score on the review aggregator.
This Is England was, in turn, followed by three sequel miniseries, each of which picked up with the characters several years later.
Set in 1986, 1988 and 1990, respectively, these seasons follow young Shaun as he and his friends struggle with recent events.
This includes simmering tension between Woody and Lol, Shaun’s difficult teenage years… and the return of Stephen Graham’s Combo, of course.
Reflecting on playing Combo, Graham said: ‘That character has been such a huge and important part of my life.’
He told DigitalSpy ahead of This Is England ’90: ‘That character, that film basically, changed my life.
‘So I will be very sad to see him go, but at the end of the day, it’s been so great to be able to play a character for such a long time and to grow with it.’
Meadows hasn’t directed a film since 2009’s improvised comedy Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee, instead concentrating on his TV and music video work.
However, he will return next year with his road trip movie Chork.
The director told Variety: ‘To be returning to film after 17 years, writing alongside “megadude” Jack Thorne again, and working with so many gifted collaborators has been an absolute privilege.’
‘Megadude’ Thorne, previously collaborated with Meadows on This Is England, before working with Graham on this year’s Netflix hit, Adolescence.
Meadows added of Chork: ‘Our story follows two beyond bright, funny as heck, and mischievously ingenious young people on a “runaway” road trip the length of this glorious isle.
‘Safe to say, I’m beyond excited about what we’ve captured on their journey.
‘I’m also hugely grateful to our partners at BBC Film, BFI, Screen Yorkshire, Hoopsa Films and Altitude for their undying trust and support throughout.’
This Is England is now streaming on Channel 4.
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