Widely acknowledged as Sheffield’s most famed cinematic export, The Full Monty quickly became a British cult classic after its release in 1997. Following a group of unemployed steelworkers from Sheffield, who, in a desperate bid to earn some cash, decided to form a male stripping troupe, the film touched the hearts of millions and sparked conversations about masculinity, class and the legacy of Thatcherite politics.
Now, a quarter of a century later, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp and Steve Huison are stepping back into the shoes of their beloved characters – Dave, Jean and Lomper, respectively – for a highly anticipated reboot launching on Disney+ this month.
Ahead of the series premiere at Showroom Cinema, Exposed spoke to the trio about reprising their roles and why now is the time to continue the story.
How does it feel to be revisiting these characters after such a long time away?
MA: Surprisingly, kind of comfortable even though it has been a long gap. It’s helpful that we have the same writer who has lived with these characters right through to today, so Simon Beaufoy and co-writer Alice Nutter have done a great job of keeping the characters true to themselves and their situation. I found it very easy just slipping back into Dave.
LS: It’s been like hanging out with an old friend, and then literally hanging out with old friends. Some of us have been fortunate enough to bump into one another since the film, and then there are other members of the cast that haven’t seen one another in the intervening years. But it just feels like it’s the right timing, the right time in the world to be revisiting these people in this city.
SH: Yeah, it’s just like putting on a familiar pair of gloves. I don’t think Lomper has ever left me anyway. There’s always been a bit of Lomper following me around, particularly when people are shouting it at me in the street. Of course, nobody’s the same as they were 25 years ago, so I really enjoyed exploring the maturity of the character and looking at the things that have happened to him in that 25 years.
Has Lomper found peace? The film obviously followed him through a very life-defining period.
SH: Yeah, well, as much as you can do, I suppose. I think I’ve played it as though he’s had the life-changing part for him [in the film] – the social connections he made, going through the whole stripping process, and that experience gave him confidence. But I’ve also been looking at why he is slightly… odd, I suppose, and trying to maybe explore that. It’s a great opportunity to pick up a character 25 years later and revisit it.
“I don’t think Lomper has ever left me” – Steve Huison returns as part of the original cast.
Dave and Jean’s story was a key one in the film, with their relationship going through some trials and tribulations before getting back on track at the end. How are they getting on 25 years down the line?
MA: Well, they’re childhood sweethearts, really. They’ve been married for 30-odd years. And you know, it’s not always a bed of roses. Dave is still the same in that he walks away from a lot of difficult conversations and doesn’t really want to confront certain issues which are causing tension between them.
LS: Throughout the film, Jean was Dave’s great cheerleader. She saw he had this amazing spirit and needed to bring it to the fore. What we see at the beginning of the series is that Dave has become Jean’s great cheerleader. She’s moved on from working in a supermarket to being a teacher’s assistant and a teacher, to then becoming a deputy head and now running a school. However, in their relationship, they haven’t addressed the pain of not being able to have a family. It’s starting to get to a point where it’s causing the tectonic plates between them to shift to where they either have to address something that is very painful or move in opposite directions.
“It just feels like it’s the right timing, the right time in the world to be revisiting these people in this city” – Lesley Sharp on returning as Jean.
You mentioned the timing was right to revisit these characters. Why is now, 25 years later, a good time to return to Sheffield and pick up the story?
MA: The Full Monty was a political film. It was about what state parts of this country were in at that time. Following 18 years of a Conservative government, I think Simon felt like we’d come full circle. You know, why in 2023 are working nurses having to go and use food banks? It’s crazy. So, it felt like the right time to explore what has changed for these people who were struggling back then, and through that also explore how certain parts of the country are still finding it really tough today.
SH: The first day I was here, we were doing some prep work at Bramall Lane. It’s the first time I’ve been in Sheffield for a long time, and as we drove in through Attercliffe I was really shocked by the number of closed shops. The only thing open was a bookies, and I thought to myself, this hasn’t got much better since we last filmed here. It’s clear that poverty is taking a grip in some areas, especially post-covid, and it’s kicking in all over the country. So, when Simon first called me about this, he told me he was really pissed off with what was going on and he wanted to say something about it using these characters.
LS: I think what Steve and Mark have said absolutely holds true. I would just add that what Simon has also done, which I think is really important, is to show that these communities that have the label of being working-class may well be financially undernourished, but they have each other’s back as a community. They deal with their hardships with wit, endeavour and graft; these are not doom-laden communities but tend to be full of life and really inspiring. And I think that Simon is also at pains to say that in the country we live in there are many who’ve got a lot, and the people who don’t have much are often part of incredible communities doing amazing things with very little. I think that is why the film got so much traction, and hopefully, this series will do the same because these are recognisable communities.
A massive testament to that is how people in Sheffield are still immensely proud of The Full Monty and have gladly sewn it into their cultural fabric. What do you think bringing it back as a TV series allows you to do that a film sequel wouldn’t?
LS: I think 90 minutes to tell a big arc story, a lot of which revolves around whether these guys are going to have the nuts to reveal their nuts is fine. But eight hours of a series gives you the opportunity to explore the psychological ups and downs and truths of the older characters, but at the same time, it allows you to bring in this tranche of fantastic young, vibrant characters who are bringing a whole other side to the story. You can explore much more this way.
The Full Monty premieres in the UK on Disney+ on 14 June.
