This Is England Wiki
Register
Advertisement
This Is England '88
Tie88dvd
Season 3
No. of episodes 3
Original run 13 December 2011 - 15 December 2011 (UK)
DVD release 12 March 2012
Season chronology
previous
This Is England '86
next
This Is England '90

This Is England '88 is a 2011 British drama series written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne. It is a spin-off from the 2006 film This Is England, and set five years later. Like the film, This Is England '88 stars Thomas Turgoose as Shaun, Vicky McClure as Lol and Joe Gilgun as Woody. The story takes place over Christmas 1988.

Plot[]

Set during Christmas 1988, Lol is haunted by the devastating events that took place two and a half years before. She and Woody both find themselves struggling to cope with their lives without each other after he leaves the gang. Lol is carrying the burden of her guilt, whilst Woody is trying to build a domestic life with a new girlfriend and a potential promotion at work. Shaun has started drama college and, although still in a relationship with Smell, he has grown close to a girl performing in his Christmas play.

Reception[]

Writing for The Guardian, Euan Ferguson said that it "was all phenomenal" and "roll on their next story". Paddy Shennan writing for the Liverpool Echo also rated the series, calling it the best drama series of 2011. However, Hugh Montgomery writing for The Independent found all the misery "increasingly irritating". The series won the award for Best Mini Series at the 2012 BAFTA Television Awards, and also led to a Best Actor nomination for Joseph Gilgun (Woody) and a second successive Best Actress nomination for Vicky McClure (Lol).

Episodes[]

Image Season # Series # Title Writer(s) Director Original airdate
1 6 "This Is England '88 Episode 1" Shane Meadows
Jack Thorne
Shane Meadows 13 December 2011
2 7 "This Is England '88 Episode 2" Shane Meadows
Jack Thorne
Shane Meadows 14 December 2011
3 8 "This Is England '88 Episode 3" Shane Meadows
Jack Thorne
Shane Meadows 15 December 2011
Advertisement