Not long now until the first epsiode of This Is England '86...
Tuesday the 7th of September at 10pm on Channel 4 to be precise!

But if that still seems a long way off, maybe these exclusive clips will help to ease the pain of waiting for a few minutes!

CLIP ONE : Shaun and Cynthia (Shaun's Mum) in the cafe after Shaun's exams:

CLIP TWO: Woody, Lol and the gang ready for the wedding:

Don't forget that the official Channel 4 website is HERE
...and the official Channel 4 Facebook page is HERE

BIg thanks to Colin at Channel 4 for the clips!

It’s 1986 – the year Maradona ends England’s world cup dreams in Mexico; the year Top Gun is the highest grossing film; the year over 3.4 million Brits are unemployed and the year Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) leaves school.

The BAFTA award-winning This is England is back in a brand new four-part series This Is England '86, coming to Channel 4 in September.
As part of the launch, Channel 4 are holding a special preview screening at the Showroom cinema in Sheffield on Thursday the 2nd of September at 6pm .
This special event will be attended by members of the cast including Thomas Turgoose, Vicky McClure, Andrew Shim and Joe Gilgun with a special introduction by director Shane Meadows.

Here comes the good bit!
Channel 4 and Warp Films have kindly given this site ten pairs of tickets to give away for this special screening on the 2nd of September.
So if you fancy being transported back to 1986 for the night, with free sausage rolls, a live ska band, and the chance to see the first episode before it gets on the telly, all you need to do is watch the latest Channel 4 trailer for This Is England '86 and then answer the question below.
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!

Here's the trailer you need to watch:

THE WINNERS:
Lee Burns
Sarah Godfrey
Jay Melia
Patrick Coyle
Kyle Cheatley
Katrina Howes
Joy McDermott
Richard Howbrook
Andrew Huddy
Steve Morgan

Don't forget to check out the new Channel 4 site for This Is England '86 which features some exclusive interviews with the cast! Click HERE to take a look!

The Channel 4 microsite for This Is England '86 has been updated and is now significantly less 'micro'.

The updated site includes the new Channel 4 TV trailer for the series, and a collection of cast interview videos.
The interview videos cover a number of different topics, from working with Shane, getting the gang back together, and reiniscing about the 80's.

To visit the new Channel 4 website for This Is England '86 simply click HERE

To coincide with the arrival of This Is England '86 on Channel 4 in September, Film4 are putting on two nights of Meadows treats.... which includes a couple of rarities!

On Wednesday the 8th of Septmember Film4 is screening:
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Small Time
Where's The Money, Ronnie? (short film)

On Thursday the 9th of September Film4 is screening:
Dead Man's Shoes
...and special rarity:
Shane's World - Shane's low budget film making masterclass, featuring short films and top tips! (click HERE for info)

Thanks to Donna at Channel 4 for the info!

Want to see the first episode of This Is England '86 before it makes its way onto Channel 4 in September?

There are two preview screenings being held at the end of August.
The first is on the 25th of August in London at the BFI (NFT 1). The screening is followed by a Q&A with Shane, Jack Thorne (co-writer), Tom Harper (director), and some members of the cast. For more details and to book one of the last few tickets check out the BFI site HERE

The second preview is being held on the 27th of August in Edinburgh at The Filmhouse. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Shane, Mark Herbert (producer), and David Abraham (Chief Executive of Channel 4). For more details and to book tickets check out the Filmhouse website HERE

Thanks to Chromebaby and Lord Thribb of Hubris on the FORUM for spotting the info!

It's the moment you've all been waiting for, the first promo video for This Is England '86!

This Is England ’86 will be broadcast on Channel 4 this coming autumn, but with the World Cup on everyone’s mind at the moment, it got us thinking back to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico City, and what Shaun, Woody, Lol and the gang would have been up to as football fever swept the nation. Here’s a sneaky peek - courtesy of Gadget’s home video!

Thanks to Donna at Channel 4 for keeping me up to date with all things This Is England '86!

Don't forget to bookmark the official This Is England '86 microsite on Channel4.com. You will find it HERE

Re-watching Le Donk & Scorzayzee the other day, I thought to myself that it was about time that I fully documented the unusual story behind the creation of the film's animated opening sequence.
For those of you who are unaware of the story behind the title sequence of the film, I think it will make quite fascinating reading.

Thanks to animator Bill Edwards (aka ChromeBaby on the forum), I have been able to include some previously unseen sketches and character drafts to accompany the story...

Scorzayzee, Le Donk, Olivia Colman, and even a little Shane.

You'll find more great sketches and drafts along with the full story behind the film's title sequence if you head over to the new web page all about it HERE

Until midnight on Sunday the 20th of June you can watch Somers Town and A Room For Romeo Brass on the BBC iPlayer.
As far as I'm aware, this is only available in the UK.
Click on the film titles above to head straight to the appropriate page on the BBC

ShaneMeadows.co.uk now has an official Twitter feed!

You'll find the Shane Meadows Twitter page at:
http://twitter.com/ShadyMeadows
If you are a regular tweeter, or just starting out on Twitter (like me), please become a follower and help spread the word about this new Meadows Twitter feed. Thanks.
(was that Twitter logo big enough do you think?)

Filming on the much anticipated TV sequel to This Is England is now very well underway, and will be hitting Channel 4 in the Autumn.
Filming on the four-part series began at the beginning of April this year with Tom Harper (director of The Scouting Book For Boys) directing the first two parts of the series, and Shane directing the final two episodes.
UPDATE: Filming has now finished and the editing process is well underway.

CLICK on the image for BIG version

Shane has confirmed that Milky is alive, Combo will return, and that Woody has a job in a factory (and is about to marry Lol)!
From the image above we can also confirm the return of Meggy, Shaun (obviously), Smell, Banjo, Trev, Gadget, Harvey, and Kelly.

Other small pieces of information about the production have been spotted too... mostly by FORUM regular Kelpie....

There's an article from the Uttoxeter Post & Times about the experiences of a supporting cast member who won the opportunity to appear in the series by winning a charity auction. You can read all about it HERE.

Producer Mark Herbert was recently quoted in an article for Screen Daily about the differences between making a film and making a TV series. Unfortunately the article is for subscribers of Screen Daily only, but if you know where to look on the forum, you may find your way there.

A couple of highlights from the interview include the news that the four, one hour long episodes of the series will be cut together to make two full length feature films which will be sold internationally!
Initiially, this double feature version will go to places where the first film garnered a big following, such as in Scandinavia.
The interview also refers back to the 18 certificate that the first film received in the UK, and Mark Herbert mentions that the TV series won't be pulling any punches either;
" It’s very bold for TV. But Channel 4 have been really supportive, and the relationship we’ve got with Film 4 and Tessa [Ross] has really helped ”

But the most exciting news from the filming of This Is England '86 has to be the shock revelation that there's a parrot in it!
How do we know this? Well, it seems the parrot caused some trouble by deciding to escape the film-star life and fly off into the wilds of Sheffield.
Can you find our parrot? The Star
Oh, actually, we've found it now! Sheffield Telegraph
UPDATE: Thanks to Kelpie on the FORUM again... it turns out that Ian the parrot is Jo Gilgun's own pet! Holy Soap.Five.tv
Rob Dowling (mentioned in The Star article) has put a slideshow of photographs from the parrot panic on his YouTube channel... take a look HERE

Warp Films' new digital download store has just been launched, and Shane's most recent film, Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee is one of the first films to be made available alongside All Tomorrow's Parties, and Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo. Best of all, there's no DRM to worry about (ask your Mum if you don't know what that means)!

You can check out the WarpFilm store at www.warpfilmstore.com
Or jump straight to the Le Donk page HERE where you can watch the first ten minutes of the film! You will also find posters, badges and mugs (for beverages).

So far the Le Donk DVD is only available in the UK, so this is a great opportunity for overseas fans to get hold of the film!

Over the last few months, Dr Martin Fradley of the University of East Anglia has been keeping us up to date with the progress of a proposed Shane Meadows themed conference which will explore all facets of Shane's films. The idea behind the project is not only to provide two days of Meadows fuelled talks, but also to create the first extensive book about Shane's work from the material generated for the conference.

The two day conference is now confirmed for Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th of April 2010 and will take place at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

The event is open to everyone and is free to attend, although formal registration in advance is required. Anyone wishing to come along should contact the organizers for a registration form:

Dr Martin Fradley - martinjohnfradley@hotmail.co.uk
Sarah Godfrey - s.godfrey@uea.ac.uk

For a full run-down of all of the different talks and subject areas they will cover, take a look at Dr Fradley's latest post on the forum HERE