This Is England facts for kids

Quick facts for kids This Is England
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shane Meadows
Produced by	Mark Herbert
Written by	Shane Meadows
Starring	Thomas Turgoose Stephen Graham Andrew Shim Vicky McClure Joe Gilgun Rosamund Hanson
Music by	Ludovico Einaudi
Cinematography	Danny Cohen
Editing by	Chris Wyatt
Studio	Warp Films FilmFour
Distributed by	Optimum Releasing
Release date(s)	12 September 2006 (2006-09-12) (TIFF) 13 April 2007 (2007-04-13) (United Kingdom)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£1.5 million
Money made	£5 million

This Is England is a British drama film from 2006. It was written and directed by Shane Meadows. The movie is about young skinheads in England during 1983. It shows how their style and music, which came from 1960s West Indies culture like ska and reggae, started to be influenced by groups with hateful ideas. This caused problems and splits within the skinhead scene. The film's name comes from a moment when a character named Combo uses the phrase "this is England" to explain his strong nationalistic views.

This is England was very popular and earned £5 million at the box office. Because it was so successful, three TV series were made as sequels: This is England '86 (2010), This is England '88 (2011), and This is England '90 (2015).

The Story of This Is England

In July 1983, Shaun is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his mother. He often gets picked on at school and in his town. On the last day of school, Shaun gets into a fight. Another boy, Harvey, makes fun of his wide bell bottoms (a type of trousers) and jokes about Shaun's father. Shaun's dad died in the Falklands War, a conflict between the UK and Argentina.

On his way home, Shaun meets a group of young skinheads led by Woody. Woody feels bad for Shaun and asks him to join them. Shaun meets Milky, who is the only black skinhead in the group. He also meets Pukey, Kes, and Gadget. Even though Shaun and Gadget don't get along at first, the group welcomes Shaun. Shaun becomes very close with Woody, seeing him like an older brother. Woody's girlfriend, Lol, also acts like a mother figure to Shaun. Shaun also starts to like Michelle, known as Smell, an older girl who has a new wave style.

A New Leader Arrives

One night at a party, a bald man with tattoos and a large knife surprises the group. Then, Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne, an older skinhead, pretends to attack him. Woody explains that Combo has just finished three years in prison. Combo introduces the man as his friend, Banjo. Combo is a strong leader, but he starts to share very strong and hateful views about England and other races. This makes Woody, Lol, Kes, and Milky uncomfortable.

Combo tries to take charge of the other skinheads. When he talks about the Falklands War, Shaun gets upset and tells the group his father died in that war. Combo uses this to trick Shaun into joining his side. The group then splits up. Shaun, Pukey, and Gadget (who feels picked on by Woody) choose to follow Combo. Woody's group wants to stay out of politics.

Combo's Influence and Bad Choices

Shaun starts to look up to Combo, and Combo likes Shaun. Combo's group goes to a meeting for a group called the National Front, which has racist ideas. On the way home, Pukey says he's not sure about their racist ideas. Combo gets very angry. He stops the car, pulls Pukey out, and makes fun of him. Then, he leaves Pukey alone by the road.

The group then spray hateful messages on walls and on the shop of an Asian shopkeeper, Mr. Sandhu. Shaun, who was not allowed in the shop before, says mean and hateful words to Mr. Sandhu. Combo threatens Mr. Sandhu with a large knife, and the group steals things for a birthday party.

A Sad Ending

Combo gets upset after Lol, Woody's girlfriend, rejects him. To feel better, Combo invites Milky to a party. Combo and Milky get along well at first. But Combo becomes very bitter and jealous when Milky talks about his large family and happy childhood, things Combo never had. Combo gets very angry and badly hurts Milky. Banjo holds Shaun down, and Meggy watches in shock.

Combo then angrily kicks Shaun out of his flat after Shaun tries to defend Milky. He slams the door. When Banjo says he wants to hurt Milky too, Combo also hurts Banjo and makes him leave. Combo then feels very sorry and cries over Milky. Shaun and Combo later take Milky to a nearby hospital.

The film ends with Shaun in his bedroom, looking at a picture of his father. He thinks about what happened. His mother, Cynthia, tells him that Milky will be okay. Shaun is then shown walking near the beach. He throws his St George's Flag, a gift from Combo, into the sea.

Meet the Characters

Music from the Film

• "54–46 Was My Number" – Toots & The Maytals
• "Come On Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners
• "Tainted Love" – Soft Cell
• "Underpass/Flares" (Film dialogue)
• "Nicole (Instrumental)" – Gravenhurst
• "Cynth / Dad" (Film dialogue)
• "Morning Sun" – Al Barry & The Cimarons
• "Shoe Shop" (Film dialogue)
• "Louie Louie" – Toots & The Maytals
• "Pressure Drop" – Toots & The Maytals
• "Hair in Cafe" (Film dialogue)
• "Do the Dog" – The Specials
• "Ritornare" – Ludovico Einaudi
• "This Is England" (Film dialogue)
• "Return of Django" – Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters
• "Warhead" – UK Subs
• "Fuori Dal Mondo" – Ludovico Einaudi
• "Since Yesterday" – Strawberry Switchblade
• "..." (Film dialogue)
• "The Dark End of the Street" – Percy Sledge
• "Oltremare" – Ludovico Einaudi
• "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" (The Smiths cover) – Clayhill
• "Dietro Casa" – Ludovico Einaudi
• "Never Seen the Sea" – Gavin Clark (of Clayhill)

More Songs from the Film

• "Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 in D. OP 39/1" (Edward Elgar) – performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• "Maggie Gave a Thistle" – Wayne Shrapnel and The Oi Stars
• "Let's Dance" – Jimmy Cliff

Making the Film

Much of This Is England was filmed in neighborhoods in Nottingham, like St Ann's and Lenton. Some scenes were shot at RAF Newton, an old airbase. The first fight scene was filmed at Wilsthorpe Business and Enterprise College in Long Eaton. Other scenes, like the docks, were filmed in Grimsby, which is where Thomas Turgoose, who plays Shaun, is from.

Thomas Turgoose was 13 years old when they filmed the movie. He had never acted before. He was even banned from his school play for being naughty! He asked for £5 just to show up for the film's auditions. The movie was dedicated to Thomas's mother, Sharon, who passed away in 2005. She didn't get to see the whole film, but she did see a short preview. The cast even went to her funeral.

TV Series Spin-offs

In 2010, a TV series called This Is England '86 was released. It was set three years after the movie and shown on Channel 4. A sequel to that series, This Is England '88, came out in December 2011. A third part, This Is England '90, was shown in September 2015.