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Sky Peals explores the quiet life of Adam, a young man of Pakistani-British descent, working a night shift at a remote gas station diner. The film, directed by Moin Hussain, combines psychological drama and sci-fi elements with a subtle, contemplative approach.

Adam experiences isolation—his life centered on work’s monotony and a tense relationship with his British mother. Learning of his estranged father’s death triggers a deeper examination of his inner world.

Adam wrestles with loss, his search for meaning leading to an intriguing realization: he and his father exist as outsiders—not just to Britain, but to the very idea of belonging. What starts as a simple exploration transforms into an investigation of cultural identity, family connections, and a sense of disconnection beyond typical experiences.

Sky Peals uses restrained pacing and understated performances to invite viewers into a contemplative space, creating an enigmatic and deeply emotional narrative about human experience.

In crafting a quietly affectionate film about a man who thinks he might be an alien, “Sky Peals” director Moin Hussain manages to make an allegory about solitude and isolation with a deft and steady hand. The film’s lead character, a 30-something British man of Pakistani origin, could be a stand-in for millions who feel removed from their roots while living within cultures and among people who think of them as outsiders. Hussain’s skillful filmmaking avoids making obvious points, instead deepening the narrative as a singular character study with sci-fi elements.

Adam (Faraz Ayub) still lives with his English mother (Claire Rushbrook) while working as a night shift short order cook at a gas station diner. His life is small: just home and work, with no apparent close relationships. He has closed himself off from the world, having never been able to make real connections with other people.

“This isn’t ‘Twin Peaks,’ love.” “You’re like ‘Vera,’ boss.” “This is not ‘Broadchurch.’” BritBox’s new acquisition “Passenger” was obviously determined to stay one step ahead of critics, constantly namechecking the shows it has since inevitably drawn comparisons with. It could have referenced a dozen others, too. The dystopian conspiracies of “Black Mirror,” for example, or the supernatural mysteries of “Stranger Things.” Pop culture literates may also be reminded of everything from “The X Files” and “True Detective” to “Fargo” and even British rural soap opera “Emmerdale.”

In fact, actor Andrew Buchan has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into his screenwriting debut, also flitting between dysfunctional family drama, small-town social commentary, and broad workplace comedy. A cookie-cutter procedural this is not.

Glueing all the many disparate strands together is Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku), a no-nonsense Northern cop whose job satisfaction levels are at an all-time low. “A cat with a cough?...

“Dark Matter” Renewed for Season 2

There are many more realities to explore within Apple TV’s “Dark Matter,” and the streamer has announced it’ll do just that following a Season 2 renewal of the critically acclaimed sci-fi series.

Based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author and showrunner Blake Crouch, “Dark Matter” follows Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor, and family man who, one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago, is abducted into an alternate version of his life. As he tries to return to his reality “amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived,” he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true life and to his family to “save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.”

Watch the trailer for “Dark Matter” Season 1 below:

Jennifer Connelly stars opposite Edgerton, as well as Alice Braga,...

"The sign posts are all there - whether we choose to see them or not." What is this strange black liquid in here? BritBox has debuted the first US teaser trailer for a British crime series titled Passenger, arriving for streaming in the US in October later this year. It first launched in the UK on ITV back in March - that's quite a long wait for it to arrive for streaming in the US but so be it. Wunmi Mosaku stars as the ambitious detective in this darkly comic and twisty crime drama. Strange crimes start happening in Chadder Vale, but who - or what is behind them? As a series of particularly odd happenings and increasingly shocking crimes start unfolding within the town, Riya fights hard to convince the local villagers that all is not as it seems. The series cast includes David Threlfall, Daniel Ryan, Jo Hartley,...

BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Moin Hussain’s feature debut Sky Peals.

BFI Distribution acquired the film from Bankside Films, and will release it theatrically in the UK and Ireland on August 9.

The film follows a man working nightshifts at a motorway service station, who tries to piece together a picture of his recently deceased father, from whom he had been estranged.

Sky Peals debuted in Critics’ Week at Venice Film Festival last September, before a UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival. Faraz Ayub leads the cast, alongside Natalie Gavin and Claire Rushbrook.

It is produced...

Actor Andrew Buchan makes his screenwriting debut with ITV thriller Passenger, and here’s the trailer.

Andrew Buchan is probably best known for playing grieving father Mark Latimer in Chris Chibnall’s whodunnit Broadchurch. He has also played the title role in drama The Fixer, as well as parts in films like Nowhere Boy, All The Money In The World and The Mercy.

He now makes his screenwriting debut with ITV thriller Passenger.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Riya (Loki star Wunmi Mosaku) arrived in the quiet town of Chadder Vale five years ago and has since been searching for something, anything that will make her feel alive again. Then one night local girl Katie Wells (Rowan Robinson) mysteriously disappears. The town barely has time to register her absence before she reappears the next day, apparently safe and sound. The townsfolk ask few questions and normal life resumes. But for Riya,...

Two UK features play in competition at event’s 38th edition.

Venice Critics’ Week has selected seven features for its main competition, including two from the UK - Hoard by Luna Carmoon and Sky Peals by Moin Hussain.

Scroll down for full line-up

Hoard is the debut feature from Carmoon, a Screen Star of Tomorrow 2022,. It is produced by Loran Dunn (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2017), Helen Simmons (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2018) with Andy Starke, and stars Hayley Squires, Joseph Quinn (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2018) and Saura Lightfoot Leon.

Hoard is backed by the BFI and BBC Film, which also supported development,...

There’s probably a clever German word invented to describe the increasingly common and frustrating act of spending an entire evening indecisively flicking through Netflix arguing about what to watch before just giving up and going to bed. The streaming giant has over 7,000 titles on its UK version alone, so you can be forgiven for feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, and its recent tendency to cancel beloved Netflix Originals – some would say too soon – can leave you wondering where best to commit your time.

These British series are excellent quality, tried-and-true dramas that have received critical acclaim, with stars including Keeley Hawes, Sacha Dhawan, Jenna Coleman, Gillian Anderson, Olly Alexander and many more, plus lots of lesser-known top talent too.

So whether you fancy an edge-of-your-seat thriller like The Fall, an action-packed historical drama like The Last Kingdom or a heartrending LGBT series like It’s A Sin, these...

Red Rose is a horror series starring Amelia Clarkson and Natalie Hoflin. It is directed by Lisa Siwe, Ramon Salazar and Henry Blake.

Red Rose is one of those urban legends transformed into a series which, if in the hands of others would have been a disaster, but here we have the BBC which tries to make a good series with a plot that seems “impossible” and manages to do it.

A typical teen horror thing which, if it had been done by the usual studio, would have been a total disaster, but here, thanks to good directing, an atmosphere full of references to classics, interesting characters, an attractive story and very good direction andp planning, this series is a delight for the eyes.eferentes clásicos, personajes interesantes, una historia atractiva y una muy buena dirección y planificación hacen de esta serie una delicia que llevarse a la vista.

Red Rose (2022)

Yes,...

Traditionally, January and February are the dumping ground for major Hollywood studios. With awards season in full swing and audiences playing catchup on the biggest titles of the prior year, the first two months are usually the perfect place for dropping projects that don't inspire much confidence. But the rise of streaming is slowly changing that trend. Less concerned about the box office and much more obsessed with keeping their release schedules consistent, streamers like Netflix make sure to always have exciting new titles lined up, dump months be damned. So expect another full slate on the streamer as we enter February. Just because it's the shortest month of the year, doesn't mean we can't still have plenty of fun!

Below is a list (and some curated standout titles) of everything coming to Netflix in February 2023.

Red Rose

The idea of teens being controlled by their phones has become a...

Ali & Ava Trailer — Clio Barnard‘s Ali & Ava (2021) movie trailer has been released by Greenwich Entertainment. The Ali & Ava trailer stars Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia, Shaun Thomas, Natalie Gavin, Krupa Pattani, and Tasha Connor. Crew Clio Barnard wrote the screenplay for Ali & Ava. Harry Escott created the music for [...]

Continue reading: Ali & Ava (2021) Movie Trailer: Sparks Fly Between Ali and Ava in Clio Barnard’s Romance Film...

“Sex Education” producer Eleven has revealed a cast of rising stars for upcoming BBC and Netflix horror series “Red Rose.”

Created by the Clarkson Twins – Michael and Paul, the eight-part series explores the relationship between teenagers and their online lives. Set over a long hot summer following high school, the teens’ friendships are infiltrated by the Red Rose app, which blooms on their smartphones, threatening them with dangerous consequences if they don’t meet its demands. The app exposes the group to a seemingly supernatural entity and the seductive power of the dark web.

The cast includes Amelia Clarkson, Isis Hainsworth, Ali Khan Ellis Howard and Ashna Rabheru alongside Adam Nagaitis, Natalie Gavin and Samuel Anderson. Making their television debuts are Harry Redding, currently in “To Kill A Mockingbird” on London’s West End, and Laurence Olivier Bursary winner Natalie Blair.

“Red Rose” is directed by Ramon Salazar (Netflix thriller...

In the run-up to Cannes, the British Film Institute and the British Council held the Great8 showcase, which presented eight U.K. films from emerging filmmakers. Here are the films selected:

“Aftersun” (drama)

Director/writer: Charlotte Wells

Cast: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall

Sales: Charades

Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father 20 years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.

“Birchanger Green” (sci-fi)

Director/writer: Moin Hussain

Cast: Faraz Ayub, Natalie Gavin, Claire Rushbrook, Simon Nagra

Sales: Bankside Films

Adam lives a solitary life. Upon hearing that his estranged father has died, he finds himself in search of answers. Piecing together a complicated image of a man he never knew, Adam starts to become convinced he is descended from an alien race.

Titles include ’Aftersun’, ’Enys Men’, ‘Birchanger Green’ and ‘A Gaza Weekend’.

Cannes premieres Aftersun, sold by Charades, and Enys Men, sold by Protagonist Pictures, are among the titles selected for year’s Great 8, the annual Cannes buyers’ showcase of UK films from emerging directors.

The other six titles are all in post-production.

Now in its fifth edition, the 2022 Great 8 showcase is funded and run by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4.

Unseen footage from all of the titles will be introduced by their filmmakers and screened on May 12 exclusively to buyers and festival programmers during the online-only showcase,...

The BFI and British Council have revealed the line-up for this year’s Great8 showcase, which allows international distributors and festival programmers to get an early look at eight releases from emerging U.K. filmmakers in the run-up to Cannes Marché.

Now in its fifth year, the showcase on May 12 will allow filmmakers to screen unseen footage from the films, which will be available to buy during the market, which runs from May 17-28.

Of the eight films selected for the showcase, one has also been selected for the official Directors’ Fortnight and another for the Critics’ Week line-up. The remaining six films are in post-production.

The Great8 showcase is funded and organized by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4. It has previously presented films including “I Am Not A Witch” and “Calm with Horses.”

Neil Peplow, the BFI’s Director of Industry and International Affairs,...

Film4, BFI, Screen Yorkshire backed the film.

UK-based sales firm Bankside Films has boarded sales on Birchanger Green, the feature debut of Screen Star of Tomorrow writer-director Moin Hussain that wrapped production in Yorkshire last month.

Bankside will debut the film to buyers in Cannes; Screen can reveal a first-look image at the film (above).

Birchanger Green centres on a man living a small, lonely life working nightshifts at a motorway service station. On hearing his estranged father has died, he finds himself in search of answers and starts to become convinced that he descends from an alien race.

The...

Clio Barnard took inspiration from two people she met while filming previous films for Ali & Ava, which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

“I knew I wanted it to be a love story,” Bernard said to Anna Smith at Deadline’s Contender’s Event: London. She also described the idea behind the film as a “bio-fiction.”

Joining Bernard on the stage were the film’s stars Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook.

“It all felt very organic and very easy and slow moving,” said Akhtar, “to the point where when we were on set, and I was actually being Ali, I think it was the most free I’ve ever felt.”

“It’s clear from reading the script that it was a very tender, warm, and funny love story” said Rushbrook. “Just being free with no preconceptions… I don’t feel like I came with much prepared, just a keenness to being open.

Ammonite, the period romance pic starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan from God’s Own Country filmmaker Francis Lee, received the highest individual production award from the British Film Institue’s Film Fund this year.

The pic from The King’s Speech outfit See-Saw Films was awarded $1.74m (£1.3m) in production finance. It tells the story of Mary Anning, an infamous fossil hunter who develops an intense relationship with a young woman after being sent to convalesce by the sea, and was shot on location in West Dorset in spring this year.

The pic was absent from the Sundance list, where Lee’s God’s Own Country debuted to acclaim, likely because it wasn’t ready in time, though it’s expected to pop up at a significant festival this year. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, Lionsgate and Transmission have all boarded distribution in key markets.

Second on the list is Ali & Ava,...

Peter Mullan as Hector: 'I don't think any first-time director making a film with Peter Mullan in the lead role could deny being very, very nervous for the first couple of days' Many of the Christmas movies served up at this time of year are as heavily seasoned as Christmas dinner, complete with sugar-overload, but there are nearly always one or two little gems to look out for that celebrate the humanism and warmth of the season in less in-your-face ways. In the States, Christmas, Again is offering offbeat thoughtfulness and, here in the UK, Jake Gavin's debut film Hector explores what it means to be homeless in a season synonymous with hearth and family, without descending into misery.

Jake Gavin on the red carpet at Edinburgh Film Festival. Photo: Rob O'Donnell, Eiff, Edinburgh International Film Festival All Rights Reserved Gavin's film is a portrait of the eponymous Hector - a homeless pensioner,...

From performances in Trainspotting, Top of the Lake, Tyrannosaur, Red Riding, War Horse, Boy A, Children of Men, and more to directorial work like Neds and The Magdalene Sisters, Peter Mullan has crafted out a distinct career with a distinct voice. As a fitting birthday present for the actor (who turns 56 today), we have the first trailer for his next feature, Hector.

The directorial debut of Jake Gavin, it follows Mullan’s character as a homeless man who embarks on a journey from Scotland to London and reconnects to those in his storied life along the way. While there’s no U.S. distribution set yet, it’ll arrive next month in the U.K. and looks to have another great performance from Mullan.

Check out the the trailer below (with a hat tip to Screen Relish) for the film also starring Sarah Solemani, Keith Allen, Stephen Tompkinson, Natalie Gavin and Sharon Rooney.

We've got telly treats galore for you lucky people in this week's Tube Talk TV picks.

From award-winning Us shows to fantastic British drama, we've rounded up the programmes you can't possibly afford to miss this week (we're nice like that, you see).

Just before we kick off proceedings, let us get sentimental for a moment and remind you to bid farewell to the iconic heart of the BBC with a special programme, Goodbye Television Centre on Friday (March 22) at 8.30pm. It's the end of an era!

The Syndicate: Tuesday (March 19) at 9pm on BBC One

Kay Mellor's endearing drama The Syndicate returns to BBC One on Tuesday night, with a slight change of scenery from last series's Leeds supermarket to a Bradford hospital, and a new set of intriguing characters, played by the likes of Alison Steadman and Jimi Mistry .

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery, and...

The Syndicate Season Two. BBC

B Van Heusen

Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate was one of the BBC’s biggest success stories of 2012. The lottery based dramedy ruffled some feathers at Camelot but viewers loved watching the action unfold as a group of soon-to-be unemployed store clerks hit the jackpot. The second season of the show features an all new syndicate comprised of hospital workers. Like their counterparts in season one, the five victors soon learn that money isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

Mark Addy, Natalie Gavin, Alison Steadman, Siobhan Finneran and Jimi Mistry played the quintet at the heart of the action while Mellor takes on the dual roles of writer and producer. The first of the six episodes airs on Tuesday 19 March on BBC1. Viewers stateside can catch up with season one of the show which is available between now and March 31 through Acorn Media’s streaming service.

Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) and Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey) are among those confirmed to star in a second series of BBC drama The Syndicate. Series two of Kay Mellor's acclaimed show will focus on five low-paid hospital workers in Bradford who win £72 million in the EuroMillions lottery draw. Addy will play recovering alcoholic Alan, who finds himself tempted by the booze following the big win, while Finneran is cast as nurse Mandy. Natalie Gavin (Prisoners' Wives) will star as Mandy's daughter Becky, a single mother whose numbers win the jackpot, while Jimi Mistry (Strike Back) is male nurse Tom, who decides to have a baby with his girlfriend following the win. Gavin & Stacey's Alison Steadman is the final member of the syndicate, former dancer Rose, who hopes to pick up where she left off with (more)...

Prisoners Wives BBC

N Conrad

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The Prisoners’ Wives season finale began with the psychotic Andy (Anthony Flanagan) popping around to do some Diy work at Gemma’s (Emma Rigby) house. While he was there he also encouraged her to withdraw the statement she had made to the police that incriminated her murderous husband. The poor girl attempted to comply with his demands before being strong armed into testifying but it nearly ended in tears as Andy almost burst in on Gemma as she gave birth in a public bathroom.

While things (sort of) worked out for Gemma, Francesca’s (Polly Walker) desire for the high life saw her make choices that lead to trouble for her father and her kids. Meanwhile, Lou (Natalie Gavin) and her man switched places as she went to jail just as he was released.

Prisoners' Wives

N Conrad

Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.

Episode five of Prisoners’ Wives was the most dramatic of the season thus far. The female quartet had to contend with feelings of guilt, shame, failure and loneliness while their fellows were less successful at controlling their own feelings of anger, jealousy, betrayal and lust. Once again, Pippa Haywood was very strong in her scenes with her troubled son Gavin (Adam Gillen). The duo sometimes get lost among the bigger name actors but their volatile mother-son relationship has become one of the linchpins of Prisoners’ Wives.

With one episode left, Gemma (Emma Rigby) is in mortal danger as Jonas Armstrong has realized that she is the snitch. Can she rely on to DS Hunter (Andrew Tiernan) to keep her safe from the deranged Andy (Anthony Flanagan)? More to the point...

Prisoners' Wives Episode Five

N Conrad

Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.

To this point, Lou (Natalie Gavin) has been on the fringes of things in Prisoners’ Wives but this week Polly Walker and Emma Rigby were forced to take something of a back seat as episode four was all about the young red head. The episode began with Lou having a near breakdown after she realized that her young son had gone walkabout while she was busy selling drugs. Sadly for her son, she soon changed her priorities and by midway through the episode four of Prisoners’ Wives the youngster was being employed as a drug mule by one of his mother’s shady friends. After suffering the indignity of being mistaken for a prostitute, Lou suffered an even bigger fall from grace at the episode’s end as...

Okay, some updates.

It's Tuesday, so keep an eye on Beginning of Line. A new episode of Caprica season 2 goes up today.

There are a couple of things to check out on TV tonight. Patton Oswalt is on Conan at 11 pm on TBS, and on Chelsea Lately, also at 11 on E!

Deck the Halls with Luciana Carro and Hiro Kanagawa premieres at 9 pm on TNT. From the press release:

Holiday cheer turns to holiday fear when a private investigator’s father is kidnapped in TNT’s all-new original movie Deck the Halls, starring Kathy Najimy, Scottie Thompson, Jane Alexander, Larry Miller and David Selby. Based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark and daughter Carol Higgins Clark and the first in their series of holiday mystery novels.

A crackling good mystery with a warm holiday heart, Deck the Halls brings together two of the Higgins Clarks’ most popular characters: cleaning-woman-turned-amateur sleuth Alvirah Meehan,...

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2011

Price: DVD $24.99

Studio: Strand Releasing

Natalie Gavin portrays playwright Andrea Dunbar in The Arbor.

The critically lauded 2010 documentary The Arbor follows Lorraine Dunbar, eldest daughter of the acclaimed British playwright Andrea Dunbar, as she and her siblings seek to understand the struggles their late mother faced. Well-known for her three unflinchingly honest play about her distressing upbringing on the Arbor, a notoriously underprivileged residential area in West Yorkshire, Andrea Dunbar died tragically in 1990 at the age of 29 from a brain hemorrhage.

One of Dunbar’s plays, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, was adapted into a movie in 1986 by Alan Clarke.

Directed by first-time feature helmer Clio Barnard, The Arbor is comprised of personal letters, interviews with Andrea’s family and friends and a reading of her first play, which also happens to be entitled The Arbor. Uniquely, there are sequences wherein actors mouth the words of pre-recorded interviews of the Dunbar family,...

Reviewed by Randee Dawn

(from the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival)

Directed by: Clio Barnard

Starring: Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomley, Monica Dolan, Neil Dudgeon, Danny Webb and Jimi Mistry

There are documentaries and there are narrative features; “The Arbor” is a little of both, but first and foremost it is a documentary. Just how it goes about presenting itself is either a brilliant stylistic interpretation or a gimmick , and perhaps, by the end of the film, it’s a little of both of those things, too.

So back up a bit: “The Arbor” is in large part the story of playwright Andrea Dunbar, who wrote about growing up in a West Yorkshire, England, housing project (the “arbor” refers to the green common area in the project, which was also the title of her first play) in the 1960s-1980s. By the time she died suddenly in 1990, she had three children by three fathers,...

Reviewed by Randee Dawn

(from the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival)

Directed by: Clio Barnard

Starring: Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomley, Monica Dolan, Neil Dudgeon, Danny Webb and Jimi Mistry

There are documentaries and there are narrative features; “The Arbor” is a little of both, but first and foremost it is a documentary. Just how it goes about presenting itself is either a brilliant stylistic interpretation or a gimmick , and perhaps, by the end of the film, it’s a little of both of those things, too.

So back up a bit: “The Arbor” is in large part the story of playwright Andrea Dunbar, who wrote about growing up in a West Yorkshire, England, housing project (the “arbor” refers to the green common area in the project, which was also the title of her first play) in the 1960s-1980s. By the time she died suddenly in 1990, she had three children by three fathers,...

Director: Clio Barnard Writer: Clio Barnard Starring: Manjinder Virk, Jimi Mistry, Christine Bottomley, Natalie Gavin, Monica Dolan, Danny Web, Neil Dudgeon, Kathryn Pogson, Jonathan Jaynes In what has come to be known as verbatim theatre, transcripts of interviews, hearings and/or trials are dramatised on stage by actors. Rob Epstein’s film Howl is probably the best cinematic example of this novel storytelling technique, but director Clio Barnard really ups the ante by having her actors lip-sync their dialogue to audio-recorded interviews, further morphing the line between reality and fiction. Barnard’s film is about Andrea Dunbar, the West Yorkshire author of three gritty social-realist plays who died in 1990 of a brain hemorrhage at the ripe young age of 29. Dunbar hailed from Bradford, England's rough and tumble Buttershaw Estate (dubbed "the Arbor"). The dialogue in The Arbor is taken directly from interviews conducted by Barnard of Dunbar's family, friends and...

Wanted For Clio Barnard Film Project

“The Selfish Giant”

Boys Aged Between 8 And 15

Please come along for a chat onSATURDAY 15Th January 201112 noon to 4pm

Buttershaw Youth Club, Reevy Road, BD6 3Pu, Bradford.

Who we are:

Amy Hubbard (casting director of Clio Barnard’s The Arbor, The Lord of the Rings,Bourne Ultimatum, Father Ted etc.,)

Natalie Gavin (actress from Shameless and The Arbor playing Andrea Dunbar).

Andrea Dunbar shot to fame with Rita, Sue and Bob Too, her frank play about a Bradford estate. Now her own brief life is the subject of a film

The Buttershaw estate in Bradford is no longer the wilderness of burnt-out cars and waist-high grass depicted by its most famous resident, the playwright Andrea Dunbar, in the 1980s. A balmy Saturday morning finds most of the gardens well tended and the plain, postwar semis in a good state of repair. I'm here to watch the shooting of a new film about Dunbar's life. But when I head towards a cluster of vehicles that has attracted a crowd of onlookers, I discover that they belong not to film-makers, but the police. What's going on? "Drugs raid," says a bystander. "Welcome to Buttershaw."

The film unit, it turns out, is in the next street, Brafferton Arbor, where Dunbar grew up, and after which her first play,...