Robert Carlyle on Full Monty series: “It shows things have got worse”
The Disney Plus spin-off series lands on the platform this week.
It's been nearly three decades since defining 1997 film The Full Monty was released and became a box office hit, going on to take the title of highest-grossing British film of all time.
The original comedy saw six unemployed men get involved in the stripping business to earn some money, and now the new Disney Plus spin-off series sees the Full Monty gang back together once more.
While the new series won't see any of the cast stripping, it does deal with many of the same topics that made the Sheffield-based film a standout success; themes like employment, money, mental health and more.
Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the new series, Robert Carlyle (who returns as Gaz) spoke about how The Full Monty spin-off doesn't shy away from similar sentiments and expands on them for the present day.
He said: "25 years has passed by since then, since the hats get thrown in the air. And it's been tough, it's been 25 years of Conservative rule, 25 years of austerity, it seems like. That has definitely chipped away at these characters' lives and it's chipped away some of the very infrastructure of the country.
"That's examined in the show, looking at the the NHS, looking at mental health, the state of the schools, food banks, stuff like that. Stuff that wasn't originally there 25 years ago, it shows you that things have definitely got worse since then for many people."
He continued: "There's a fantastic character with Horse, Paul Barber's character, and you see the effect of modern day society on a man of his age, how he actually fits in. He's been kind of left behind, it's incredibly sad, an incredibly sad story.
"So, there's many, many issues that this show brings up. I think they hit even harder than they did first time round. But, again, done with Simon Beaufoy's brilliance that it never gets so, so heavy, that you don't want to watch it."
Read more:
- Robert Carlyle admits "hesitation" about revisiting The Full Monty
- The Full Monty unveils first look at Robert Carlyle in new series
He added: "There's still a huge amount of comedy and having that ability as a writer to balance the comic and tragic, it's not easy. I've read many, many, many scripts that just cannot do that. But Simon does it, and Alice Nutter, of course, brilliant.”
The new eight-part series is one that Carlyle and cast insist is not a remake, but does see the cast of familiar faces back together once more. Carlyle obviously reprises his role as Gaz, but we also meet his daughter Destiny (Talitha Wing) and Wim Snape returns as Gaz's son Nathan.
Mark Addy (Dave), Tom Wilkinson (Gerald), Steve Huison (Lomper), Paul Barber (Horse) and Lesley Sharp (Jean) all return for the new series, which will explore "society’s crumbling healthcare, education, and employment sectors", according to the synopsis.
It continues: "The comedy-drama will uncover what happened to the gang after they put their kit back on, exploring their brighter, sillier and more desperate moments.
"It will also highlight how the fiercely funny world of these working-class heroes – still residing in Sheffield – has changed in the intervening decades."
The Full Monty is coming to Disney Plus on Wednesday, 14th June – sign up to Disney Plus now for £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.
Check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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