I went to The Full Monty world premiere and it sums up the terrible state of the country right now

When the last world premiere of The Full Monty took place at The Leadmill in Sheffield back in 1997, I would have been tucked up in bed ready for my day at primary school.

I was only 11 – and perhaps many would say – too young to appreciate the film in all its glory and it’s true meaning. My memory of first watching The Full Monty is when it came out on VHS and my dad agreed to let me watch it at his house one weekend. I was so hyped by the fact I was only 11 and got to watch a 15+. I absolutely loved it. The humour, seeing the sights of Sheffield I knew so well on the TV, and of course the dancing.

Fast forward 25 years and here I am at the world premiere of the much-anticipated new series, feeling extremely starstruck. For those who don’t know, the original film follows a group of unemployed men in Sheffield during the 1990s as they decide to form a male striptease act in an attempt to make some money.

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This series follows the same band of brothers as they navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield, and society’s crumbling healthcare, education, and employment sectors. The new series has eight parts and on Monday night I was lucky to get a sneak peek of the first two episodes, before their official release date of June 14.

For a brief synopsis and not wanting to give too much away, Gaz (Robert Carlyle) is now a grandad but he’s not growing old gracefully. He’s as full of mad schemes as ever and his teenage daughter Destiny (Talitha Wing) is following in his footsteps.

Dave (Mark Addy) is plodding along, devoted to his wife Jean (Lesley Sharp) and their dog Tallulah, but their marriage is in trouble and it’s clear there has been a lack of communcation between the pair for many years.

Lomper (Steve Huison) and Dennis (Paul Clayton) are married and trying to keep their dwindling café afloat. While retired Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) is baffled by the modern world, but it’s Horse (Paul Barber) who’s truly struggling with the state of the world. And there are some truly heartbreaking scenes to come. Some of which were discussed at the after party, held at The Leadmill (the same as all those years ago).

Mark Addy said: “This series really looks at the state of the nation, in the same way as the film did. The Full Monty came in after 18 years of Conservative government, we’re here now, after 13 years of a Conservative government and things are even worse. We have NHS nurses resorting to food banks. How is this right?”

Watching the series it truly hit me. Our country is now worse off than it was back in 1997. People of all ages are struggling both mentally and physically as the cost of living crisis deepens. This series highlights everything that is going wrong with this country.

The villain in all of this is the state, who are watching people struggle. It really does cut deep. But, in true Yorkshire style, The Full Monty also shows the good, decent human beings trying to do their best and occasionally messing up along the way – as is life.

Our government might not care about those suffering, but no matter how bad things are, people up here are resilient and kind. They have hope and humour. And what is life without a smile?

I have never been so proud to be from up north.

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