Everybody's Talking About... Sheffield - how movie premiere shone spotlight on city's rich cultural scene

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’s Sheffield premiere showcased the rich cultural scene this city has, so let’s shout about it.
Telegraph reporter Steven Ross at the premiere of Everybody's Talking About JamieTelegraph reporter Steven Ross at the premiere of Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Telegraph reporter Steven Ross at the premiere of Everybody's Talking About Jamie

“We had the first premiere in London but everybody was talking about this show at the Crucible. This is the one.” – That’s what Mark Herbert, producer of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, said about last Friday’s premiere.

The film was set and shot entirely in Sheffield and made by local production company Warp Films. Attending the premiere felt like being at a big London event (not that I’ve ever been to a big London event, but one can dream) with famous faces, crowds of excited fans, and a whole bunch of photographers.

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There’s clearly an appetite for this type of event in the city, and Tudor Square, home to the largest theatre complex outside London, provides the perfect venue, so why are these glitzy occasions so rare in Sheffield?

The pink carpet event for the Sheffield premiere of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.The pink carpet event for the Sheffield premiere of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
The pink carpet event for the Sheffield premiere of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

It could be London snobbery – even though the Jamie stage show started in Sheffield, and even though the film is shot here, the first premiere was still held in London.

But with Sheffield’s cultural scene growing, and the massive success of the Jamie premiere at The Crucible, this needn’t be the case any longer.

Director, Jonathan Butterell said: “The crowd here are probably responsible for us being back here, because they made it happen.”

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Writer, Tom MacRae, added: “We filmed the movie with a cast from all around the area. If you cut it down the middle it will say Sheffield.”

Mark Herbert, producer of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.Mark Herbert, producer of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
Mark Herbert, producer of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

This was definitely the case, watching the film in the Crucible alongside the local people who produced and starred in it was a special experience. The excitement of these people on the pink carpet before the film was palpable. They had seen the film earlier that week at the Royal Festival Hall, but they didn’t care. As Mark said, this was the one, their premiere was in Sheffield.

Sheffield does have a rich history, with its industrial heritage and subsequent decline which gave birth to productions like The Full Monty, and a wartime experience that influenced the recent stage production Operation Crucible.

With the city’s resurgence in recent times and as the culture shifts from London-centric to a desire to tell more local stories, there’s no reason why everybody should stop talking about Sheffield anytime soon.

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