Opinion: Filming of The Full Monty needs to shift focus to Sheffield or we'll barely believe it

When Disney+ announced a spin-off Tv series of The Full Monty, eyebrows were raised as to whether this was wise.
Robert Carlyle pictured during filming for The Full Monty Disney+ mini series in Manchester.Robert Carlyle pictured during filming for The Full Monty Disney+ mini series in Manchester.
Robert Carlyle pictured during filming for The Full Monty Disney+ mini series in Manchester.

It will pick up the action 25 years after the movie about a group of unemployed steelworkers who turn to stripping to make ends meet first won fans around the world.

Perhaps it was best left there but if Disney+ couldn’t resist another turn, then one thing was certain. Filming must take place in Sheffield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We were teased by the producers. Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy and the city’s own Win Snape would reprise their roles in the city which was the backdrop to the original.

But so far there is no sign of them. Early pictures all feature the cast in Manchester. What is it now? The Full Manc?

Perish the thought. Remember the boys being stuck in the canal at Bacon Lane, Attercliffe? Recall them running from the Asda supermerket in Handsworth and starting to dance in the JobCentre on West Street in the city centre?

The 1997 Bafta winner was made and set in post-industrial Sheffield. Gaz wore a Blades shirt and Dave sported an Eagles top.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Even Prince Charles got it when he copied the boys’ dance in the job centre on a visit to the city. As for demolition-threatened Shiregreen Working Men’s Club, where the final scenes were filmed, this could be a deal changer.

So it’s clear, the filming needs to shift location and soon.

The makers said they wanted to make the series follow the original characters as they ‘navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield and society’s crumbling healthcare, education and employment sectors’.

Well they can’t do that if they are not here.

“The series will explore the brighter, sillier and more humane way forward where communal effort can still triumph over adversity,” they added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And this is still possible if the crew get in their trucks and bring the gear, cast and all, back to where The Full Monty belongs. That’s not the Manchester Ship Canal or the O2 Apollo. It is Sheffield, universally known as the home of The Full Monty. And that’s the bare truth.