I'll never forget walking home from school past a load of cameras and crew - and then a couple of years later I watched this film to realise that I'd walked past the infamous corner shop scene being filmed.

Jordan Pickford had a crazy childhood

You're only 25?

Lad, you've an old soul. Fair play.

Another nod to Shane Meadows basing the character of Shaun on himself is the name, Shaun Fields

"Absolute peak British drama right there. When an actor like that locks in, you know the whole series is gonna be worth the watch.

I’ve had similar experience when I was young in Lancaster getting beaten up by lads chasing me with bricks, knives  and jagged bits of concrete being chased down alleyways screaming racist stuff and frothing a the mouth, they’d be on a right hunt, not just trying to bully me but some of them really horrible rage, almost murderous in their eyes. I grew up and lived next to this council estate and had to deal with one main kid who was a total nutter and his minions. His mum worked at the local corner shop and was proper nice but she always had black eyes and bruises on her arms, I never saw his dad but I don’t doubt it all came from him. Luckily there were plenty of sound people too I made friends with and backed me up. I had endless fights with this bloke and others, chased him with a hammer once and was waiting for days for some sort of revenge. Funny thing is I was half English but they didn’t see that part of me. My mum was totally oblivious to it all until I’d come back with blood on my face and we got the police involved. By the time I was 14 this lad was selling drugs and pretty much accepted I was part of the neighbourhood but i was always aware hes was about. You build a thick skin but there was a few times I thought he was gonna go for the kill. Moral of the story is A- stand up for yourself and B- not to Vote for Reform, these anti migrant messaging parties and media don’t understand how they build up hate in people who don’t have good educations or are looking for someone to blame, sorry.

Excellent analysis mate. This is England is one of the best stories ever told and I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was to see you covering it.

It's a masterpiece, Stephen Graham's performance is incredible. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
It'd be great if you did videos on more of Meadows' films, they're all so different but they've all got a grounding in the reality of the time and their setting.

Dude, you are soooo wrong. Of course we want a 3hr mega retro on the complete This is England!! Great work

Lots of it was filmed where I lived in St Ann’s Nottm. That prefab church had “f*uck Maggie” painted on it, which we always enjoyed as my nan was called Maggie and she lived in the maisonettes opposite 😂

This was a very hard watch for me, for a number of reasons, childhood trauma like having to see rage from a father like combo (although he hardly laid a hand on me or my sister, he did show a lot of anger towards my mother), the bullying in school to the point my life was threatened. I applauded the actors for all the roles they had to play. It made me respect Stephen Graeme as an actor and producer/writer, also that he reminds me of my dad both by the angry look and the family I have in Liverpool. It’s scary that I see a lot of things happening now from back then as they say history repeats itself. Knife crime never died out though, still as rife now as it was back in those days.

I've bumped into Stephen Graham a couple of times in my local COOP and petrol station..Nice guy.

Mr.Bean defines England DO YOUR RESEARCH

I watched the Kingsman movies way too many times before i noticed it was The Thomas Thurgoose that was in those movies being one of Eggsy's best friends!

3:33 random fact my dad knew this unfortunate bastard and he worked in the bomb factory later with a new leg still serving building tank shells and the paste they use for tomahawk missiles. Bloody legend.

Jo Hartley between This is England and Dead Man's Shoes has "Good Mum" awards sewn up.

I've grown up in the same town as Thomas Turgoose, and I saw the film when I was 9. I've never been more confused and upset watching a film as when combo started fucking milky up since. Only when I rewatched it did I start to properly understand and it's one of the most gutting moment in cinema. It's the most "real" film that's ever been made. Even the interiors of the houses all looked familiar, and the way people talked with each other, it's so legit. I've BEEN in houses like that and now it's on the screen. Not a lot in movies/games and TV ever tries to capture what real pre 2010s England feels like. Pebble dashed houses orange streetlamps and overcast skies, shitty corner shops and angry moody kids who don't quite know what to do with themselves. Shane Meadows captures the vibes of what England feels like to me perfectly on the screen. If any of you haven't watched Dead Man's Shoes watch it, it's the same sort of feeling.

Nobody does antisocial personality disorder like Stephen Graham. Such talent.

Great video, love This is England. It's amazing how stacked the cast is with O'Connell, Graham, Gilgun and McClure but also amazing how the likes of Socha and Shim didn't kick on to a similar level with their performances. Look forward to the 86, 88 and 90 videos

Man Stephen Grahams last scene is just fucking intense.