This Is England

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

This Is England is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates that skinhead subculture, whose 1960s roots include elements of black culture, especially ska, soul and reggae music, became adopted by white nationalists, which led to divisions within the skinhead scene.

Two timeskipped Spin-Off Miniseries were produced for Channel 4. This is England '86 takes place three years later, with Shaun making amends and rejoining the skinheads, Lol's father returning and Combo's release. This is England '88 features Shaun in college and Lol raising a child.

Tropes used in This Is England include:
  • Almighty Mom: The scene where Shaun's mum storms into the cafe and tells off the skinheads for giving her son an Important Haircut without her permission.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: Combo unexpectedly declares his love for Lol, giving her a present and telling her she was the only thing that got him through his three years in jail. He can barely get his words out at first, and begins to tremble uncontrollably when Lol coldly rejects him, barely holding back the tears.
  • Asian Store Owner: bans Shaun early on, and gets his Disproportionate Retribution later on.
    • Returns in '86 on better terms with Shaun, giving him his first job after he finished school. He also ends up in bed with Shaun's mum in the second episode.
  • Ax Crazy: An externally subdued form in Combo, but the guy definitely has issues. Violent ones.
  • Bald of Awesome: The entire original skinhead gang, basically a bunch of disaffected bald teenagers out to have fun.
  • Bald of Evil: Combo and Banjo, much older than the rest, fresh outta prison and armed with machetes.
  • Berserk Button: Any mention of the Falklands War sends 12 year old Shaun berserk with rage. He assaults Harvey and Combo (both fully grown men) with varying results.
  • Black Best Friend: Milky is Woody's oldest and best friend, and the only token black guy in the gang.
  • Broken Pedestal: Combo goes from headstrong father figure to shattered nervous wreck in a matter of minutes, leaving Shaun wholly disillusioned with his life at that point.
  • Butt Monkey: Gadget, who is relentlessly mocked for his weight problems.
  • Coming of Age Story
  • Corruption of a Minor: Shaun is groomed by Combo into becoming a mini National Front member.
    • Although Shaun was hardly an angel before initially falling in with the skinheads - getting banned from Mr. Sandhu's shop, fighting with Harvey at school, openly swearing at Trudie in the shoe shop...
  • Crapsack World: Set in a depressed, shitty suburb of some nowhere city in outer England, amidst the Falklands War and crippling unemployment.
  • The Eighties - 1983.
  • The Falklands War: Shaun's dad died there. Shaun doesn't like to talk about it.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Combo.
  • Good Times Montage: Louie, Louie...
  • Important Haircut: Obviously a necessity if you're joining a skinhead gang.
  • Ironic Nickname: Milky
  • Kitchen Sink Drama
  • Knuckle Tattoos
  • Machete Mayhem: Combo's Weapon of Choice
  • May-December Romance: Smell is 16, while Shaun is 12.
  • Mood Dissonance
  • Mood Whiplash
  • My God, What Have I Done?: After Combo lays the smackdown on Milky, Banjo, Meggy and Shaun in a blind rage, he collapses into a heap and starts crying over Milky's lifeless body.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Combo gets stoned with Milky and appears to bond with him, but subsequently undergoes a transformation when Milky begins talking about his amazing family life. Combo begins to verbally abuse him, which Milky reacts to with a wry smile. Combo blows his top and beats Milky to an unconscious pulp in a rather graphic and disturbing scene.
    • He becomes so consumed with violent rage that he then smashes a wine bottle over his best friend Banjo's head, almost impulsively.
  • Nothing but Hits: Say what you like about skinheads, they had some damn fine taste in music.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Gadget, Lol, Woody, Milky, Combo, Banjo, Smell...

Smell: I guess cause it sounds a bit like Michelle... but not really.

The miniseries provides examples of:

  • Absentee Actor: Threee characters from the film are mysteriously missing from the miniseries - Pukey, Kes and Pob (Milky's girlfriend). No explanation is given for their absence, although possibly justified considering the series takes place three years later and friends can come and go in that time.
    • Pukey and Kes are effectively replaced by Harvey, who was a minor schoolyard bully in the film and not a member of the skinheads.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Gives Lol, Woody and Milky a lot more scrutiny.
  • Ascended Extra: Harvey, who had a very brief appearance in the film as a bully at Shaun's school, is now a fully-fledged member of the gang.
    • Not only him but Flip, the hilarious leader of the biker gang, had a "blink-and-you-miss-it" moment in the film as the boy who mocked Shaun's trousers outside Mister Sandhu's shop.
  • Large Ham: Flip to a tee.
  • New Job Episode
  • Parent with New Paramour
  • Rape as Backstory: Lol, by her father.
  • Rape as Drama
  • Taking the Heat: Combo
  • Time Skip
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Milky is revealed to be Lol's... 'til he gets lucky. He breaks it off when he realises Lol and Woody are the Official Couple.
  • The World Cup: Mexico '86 is in full swing.
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