The Full Monty - Disney+ Premiere Screening in Sheffield

Written by Ben Matthews

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the global premiere for the latest Disney+ series, The Full Monty. Acting as a sequel to the 1997 classic of the same name, the eight-part series follows the original group as they navigate their way through a modern Sheffield. My main reservation when a sequel series was announced, was that it would act as more of a feel-good nostalgia vehicle, as opposed to being a great story in its own right. Luckily, in its first few minutes, these worries were dispelled, with a comedic take on a This Is England style montage addressing the countless political issues and controversies of the past few years. Simon Beaufoy (who also wrote the ’97 film) and newcomer to the Monty crew, Alice Nutter, clearly recognise the importance a story such as this could hold in 2023, and they do an incredible job of balancing said nostalgia for the original, while also giving the series its own sense of place and purpose.

The first two episodes shown to the premiere audience, barely touch on the actual idea of going ‘full monty’, and instead use the cast of characters which we know from the nineties setting, to explore the various issues facing the current working-class communities in Britain, and especially in a city such as Sheffield. The first films setting in the wake of industrial collapse at the hands of a conservative government, consciously echo the sequel series’ take on an unfortunately similar societal situation. My favourite aspect of the first two episodes was the focus on the character of Dave (perfectly played by returning actor, Mark Addy) who has moved on from supermarket security, to being the caretaker of a Sheffield secondary school. Dave befriends a lonely, bullied, schoolboy, nicknamed Twiglet, each finding in the other a sense of something that they had been missing before.

Through the secondary school setting, Beaufoy is also able to explore economic difficulties in the arts, showing the downfall of a thriving music department, and as a result the disengagement of its students. A particularly great monologue comes from the school’s music teacher, who explains the importance of the arts as giving a way of expression for those who couldn’t care less about maths or science. It feels fitting that the premiere should take place in The Leadmill and the

Showroom cinema, two Sheffield institutions facing increasing financial difficulty since the pandemic, and as a result of a conservative government which tends to see them as little more than unnecessary expenditure. Similar criticism comes in the way of returning character, ‘Horse’ (played again by the inimitable Paul Barber), who acts as an aging, Daniel-Blake-type character, struggling to live under the gate keeping of the country’s benefit system, which appears bent on withholding money from those who need it most.

 I’m sure the rest of the series will live up to the promise of these first two episodes, and I can’t wait to see how they play out. It also feels great to have something like this on a global platform such as Disney+, being as Beaufoy described it on his WGA strike placard last night, “about people, by people, for people”. A fitting representation of Sheffield and working class spirit.