This Is England. A Tour De Force of storytelling told over 9 years.

Director Shane Meadow has a new project in the works called 'The Virtues'. It's going to be brilliant. How do I know this? Because he's is a genius. The man has form. He creates films and TV that will stay with you forever.

In 2006 he created a masterpiece. In 2015 he finished it.

The 'This Is England' Saga. An ugly, hilarious, grim and yet beautiful masterpiece.

This Is England

It all started with the 2006 film This Is England. Set in Sheffield in 1983 it's the story of a lonely young boy grieving for his father who falls in with a gang of skinheads and finds himself with a whole new family. These were skinheads before the culture was turned ugly by far right political ideology. Fun is had and lifelong friendships are formed before everything goes wrong. 

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It continued with the 4 part mini series This Is England '86. Set during the Mexico World Cup and this time it was a more ensemble effort focusing on a wider range of characters and the fall out from the end of the previous film. The main characters this time were Woody and Lol. Life is good (ish) until a much hated and feared face from Lol's past appears and things get horrible.

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Next up was the 3 part This Is England '88. Once again an ensemble effort and once again our characters are facing the ramifications of tough decisions and have been split into separate factions because of betrayals and infighting. This one was so intense that i was actually relieved it only had 3 parts.

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The last miniseries was the 4 part This Is England '90. Set during the second summer of love we find our gang immersed in rave culture and the drug scene that went with it. All the repercussions and actions of the past come to an almighty head in this one. It gets biblical. You'll be a wreck after it. A wreck. But in a good way.

I've just given very very brief synopses there. If you've seen the shows you might be inspired to watch them again to fill in what you've forgotten. If you are lucky enough not to have seen them yet I don't want to ruin anything for you.  

Shane Meadow is an immense writer and director. I don't know if he had all this planned out from the beginning or if the success of the film inspired him to write more and I don't actually want to know. It's worked out pretty much perfectly. He has a great way with actor's as well. Trusting them to do their own thing. It works out perfectly. The performances are second to none. There isn't a weak link. And what makes it even better is most of the younger cast had never even acted prior to the film. Thomas Thurgoose who plays Shaun, was a troublemaker in school who caught the director's eye and demanded a fiver before he would audition. A lot of improv was involved. One devastating fight scene was even made up on the spot and captured on camera. It's amazing, real goosebump stuff. It's like you're a fly on the wall watching it happen outside your local.

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We get shoved into the character's faces. It makes us feel every drop of emotion they are feeling. It's raw as hell and sometimes you'll actually want to run away but you won't and you'll be delighted you stayed. It's rich rewarding stuff. Tough going but you are paid back for staying. One minute you'll be struggling to catch your breath because of the tension and sadness and 2 minutes later you'll be in tatters laughing. The valleys are tough but when the peaks are earned they feel much sweeter. It's TV you'll definitely have a visceral reaction to because it makes you care.

The characters are amazing. You'll fall for them straight away. You'll recognise at least one of them, and probably more as someone you knew growing up. They feel real, lived in, genuine. They are people you'd want to be friends with, people you'd tell your secrets to, people you'd have a brilliant time with. Well most of them.

We see Shaun grow from a traumatised little boy to a man. We fall for the saga of Woody and Lol, a couple that need to be together but life gets in the way of them. The story of Combo, a man fueled by hatred because he knows nothing else. Kelly, the little girl who lost her way. Milky, a black man in a land that will always look at him sideways. Harvey and Gadge, 2 friends who form a family because their own doesn't want them. And Smell, I don't know how to describe her, you'll just have to watch.

As mentioned already the cast is amazing but if I have to single anyone out it would be Vicky McClure (Lol), she just gives her all, leaves her guts out on the table for us all to see. Joseph Gilgun (Woody), Stephen Graham (Combo), Chanel Cresswell (Kelly) and Michael Socha (Harvey) are superb too. They will all break your heart in different ways.

It's all nostalgic as hell as well. It will remind you of things you've forgotten and things you want to forget. A ropey hairstyle, a crap pair of pants, music you listened to, drugs you took, horrible thoughts and beliefs you might once have had. Things that will make you cringe and things that will make you grin with glee.

All this in 13 hrs. That's less than 1 series for most American shows. It shows just how padded most things are.

This show is about the England you never get to see. The England most shows and films shy away from. The deeply unglamorous side. The dark side. The racism. The abuse. The hatred. The people and places left behind in the era of Margaret Thatcher. But more importantly it's also about the loving side. The bonds people make with family and friends and the small successes that make life worth living.

It's about the effects and the consequences of your actions.

It's about redemption and the things people will do for the people they care about.

It's about your friends and the people we pick up on our strange journey's.

It's about life and it's just amazing.

Watch it. And if you've seen it already watch it again.