Boys from the Blackstuff

A warm, funny, and devastating look at proud men ground down by unemployment, watching them fight to keep dignity and family together.

Created by

Alan Bleasdale

Genres

Drama

Starring

Bernard Hill, Michael Angelis, Tom Georgeson

Tagline

TV series that defined the depression-scarred 1980s Britain

Overview

Alan Bleasdale's five-part series relates the further experiences of unemployed Liverpudlian tarmac layers Dixie, Chrissie, Loggo and Yosser, and their revered older friend, retired longshoreman and union leader, George Malone. As they struggle to make ends meet in a depressed economy, and to hold together their financially battered families, they are harrassed by the petty bureaucrats of the DHSS. But the lumbering investigational juggernaut is, both comically and tragically, guided by drivers with only a provisional license.

How it feels

Bleak, warm, melancholic and satirical. Slow-burning and needs your attention.

About

Work, class, family, isolation

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)