| This Is England '88 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne |
| Directed by | Shane Meadows |
| Starring | Vicky McClure Joseph Gilgun Thomas Turgoose |
| Composer(s) | TBA |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Libby Durdy |
| Producer(s) | Rebekah Wray-Rogers |
| Running time | 70 minutes (each episode, inc. ads) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 4 |
| Original run | 13 – 15 December 2011 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | This Is England '86 |
| Followed by | This is England '90[1] |
This Is England '88 is a 2011 British drama series written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne. A spin-off from the 2006 film This Is England, it is also a sequel to the 2010 television sequel series This Is England '86, and is set two and a half years afterwards. This Is England '88 stars Thomas Turgoose as Shaun, Vicky McClure as Lol and Joe Gilgun as Woody.
Contents |
Set during Christmas 1988, Lol is haunted by the devastating events that took place two and a half years ago. She and Woody both find themselves struggling to cope with their lives without each other after he leaves the gang. Lol is carrying the burden of her guilt, whilst Woody is trying to build a domestic life with a new girlfriend and a potential promotion at work. Shaun has started drama college and, although still in a relationship with Smell, he has grown close to a young woman performing in his Christmas play.[2]
The character Meggy does not appear in This is England '88. Producer Mark Herbert tweeted that this was because the character apparently died while "having a dump" off-screen in 1987. This is not to be confused with when he had a heart attack on the toilet in the first episode of This is England '86.[3][4]
The story takes place in late December 1988 with the first episode starting on 23 December. Lol is haunted by visions of her dead father – whom she killed when he tried to rape her – and is struggling to cope with living alone with her young daughter, Lisa, who is a result of her affair with Milky two and a half years prior. Lol's affair has also led to Woody imposing exile upon himself from the gang, but he has begun to rebuild his life. He has a new girlfriend, Jennifer, who his parents adore, and has been offered a promotion at work. Smell and Shaun are still together, but growing distant. Shaun exercises his creative side on a drama course at college, and grows close to Faye, a girl performing in his Christmas play. Milky returns from spending some time away, which the gang appreciates, but after Woody sees them together in the pub old wounds return to the surface.
Despite Woody's clear reservations about the responsibilities associated with his promotion, he is seemingly convinced after a dinner out with Jennifer and his boss. Lol turns to a concerned paediatric nurse for help, and finally pays a visit to Combo in prison. She thanks him for having always been there to support her, and apologises for the way she treated him when he returned to the gang five years prior. Shaun takes centre stage for his acting debut, and Smell's suspicions are heightened when she walks in on him and Faye 'rehearsing' a kiss backstage before the performance. Faye has a party at her house to celebrate the success of the play, and Shaun finds her upstairs in her room. They talk, and he ends up cheating on Smell. Unbeknown to Shaun, Smell, who wasn't at the party, goes to Faye's house to apologise to him for her jealousy earlier in the evening, but she catches him in bed with Faye.
As Christmas Eve turns to Christmas Day, Shaun is devastated after Smell catches him cheating on her at the after-show party. The rest of the gang is out getting merry until they bump into Woody and Jennifer, and Woody makes clear the full extent of the pain Milky caused him. We discover that Woody didn't find out about Lol and Milky's betrayal until the birth of their daughter, Lisa, who Woody had believed to be his child until the birth, at which he was present. After going to church and "seeing" her dead father again, Lol takes an overdose of Paracetamol. She is rushed to hospital and her stomach is pumped. Trev, after being unable to contact him all night, goes to Woody's house, where he is opening Christmas presents with his parents and Jennifer. Upon hearing the news of Lol's suicide attempt, Woody, thinking she has died, rushes to the hospital, where Lol's mother and friends (including Milky) tell him she is alive and doing well. Woody and Milky make-up. Woody goes to talk alone with Lol, where she tells him the truth about killing her father and the problems she's been having. Woody tells her he still loves her and can't be with anyone else. The episode ends with Woody and Lol in each other's arms, then cuts to various members of the gang - including Combo in his prison cell.
Writing for The Guardian, Euan Ferguson said that it "was all phenomenal" and "roll on their next story".[5] Paddy Shennan writing for the Liverpool Echo also rated the series, saying that it was "sensational – absolutely sensational."[6] However, Hugh Montgomery writing for The Independent found all the misery "increasingly irritating".[7]
Many of the scenes were shot outside Park Hill Flats in Sheffield, which are a grade II* listed building. The flats have since been renovated.