The Full Monty

'The Full Monty (2023)' is a sequel series to 'The Full Monty (1997)' that follows the cast of that movie as they navigate their daily lives. It doesn't focus on performing at a strip joint (there's only one nod towards the group's iconic stage show), instead spending its time charting the various stresses and struggles of these working class characters. It mixes family drama with social commentary, bouncing between its cast members so that they've pretty much all got at least one episode dedicated primarily to them (except for Tom Wilkinson, who kind of just sits there, and Hugo Speer, who only makes a handful of appearances). It takes quite a while to get into its groove, with a couple of notable dips here and there, but it eventually ends on a fairly strong note (even if the way it handles a certain significant element of its ending is notably strange). Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, Paul Barber and Steve Huison all reprise their roles really well, and the writing typically does these legacy characters justice. They're joined by a few newcomers, the most notable perhaps being Miles Jupp, but these are given perhaps a bit too much attention considering they aren't really who we came to see. Still, everyone does what they need to do and they mostly do it well. It's not a great series - and it's not particularly necessary, either - but it's enjoyable enough for what it is and it has a couple of stronger episodes in its back half.

This is a very different beast to the film but well worth a watch and persevere with if it seems to dip a bit in the middle. Some of the episodes are stronger than others, but all have their memorable moments. Social politics are very much central to this show. School & nhs underfunding, mental health services, poverty, housing issues, bullying, the benefits system are all fair game. However, that doesn't mean it's not funny; it's just not a gag a minute but their are several laugh out loud sequences. It's definitely worth staying with until the end of the series. The last episode is very moving. Pleased this worked, as loved the film.

This show is 100% a slow burner. When the first episode came on I was worried, really really worried. The full Monty is my all time favourite film, I was upset for the fist 30 mins of the first episode, however stick with it and the original charm begins to shine through again, If you like the original film, you should definitely stick with it and keep on until at least episode 3. It's sad moving, bleak and funny, the same three things that's made the first one so good, it just dose it in a different way. I do however miss the orchestra throughout, that the first film had. The music is good through. Overall It could be bleaker but it works well.

Just binge watched the series, didn't mean to bit it was so good we couldn't stop.. The series follows on seamlessly 25 years on from the film. It holds the hard life on the dole as the film portrayed and takes us on a very credible journey in the lives of our heroes. New characters have been introduced that seam easily into the storyline. The writers have really thought about what would have happened over the 25 years and have developed very creditable storyline around the old characters as well as the new ones, resulting in a quite mesmerising take for the viewer to enjoy. If you enjoyed the film, this is a must watch series.

Was not sure they could replicate the magic. They did. And returning twenty five years later, seeing how the guys were now, was better than I imagined. A mixture of laughs, pathos and heartbreak. The situation for the blue collar workers is still an almighty struggle by and large, and there is the same political tinge that things have not really got better up north, still largely ignored. The original cast obviously carry it, but new characters too, to flesh it out. And to cap it all, the backdrop of the Steel City, run down in places, beautiful backdrop though. All in all, really glad to revisit The Full Monty. Would certainly not object to some more.