This Is England '86: DVD review

This Is England 86
Released by Madman
Rating: M

Director Shane Meadows returns to familiar pastures with this 4 ep series spun off from the successful This Is England film.

Set three years after the film and influenced more by the Mods than the skinheads this time round, it still concentrates on the same gang of Shaun, Woody, Lol, Smell, Gadget, Meggy et al and follows their escapades as they try to negotiate life in 1980s England.

It begins with the attempted wedding of Woody and Lol but quickly spirals away from that as life takes a hand (to reveal too much is to spoil the central story) in events.

With recession and lack of jobs affecting the UK at that time, there's plenty of material for Meadows to broaden the depths of his characters - and despite some initially dour moments, there's a welcome shot of dry humour throughout this mini series.

Joe Gilgun and Thomas Turgoose give great central performances and are compelling from beginning to end; it'll help to have some familiarity with the characters from the film but This Is England 86 gives welcome life to the gang - and while it could be said to be quite downbeat and perhaps a little miserable in places, it's still British drama at its finest.