Full Monty star welcomes more filming in ‘overlooked’ north of England

By Mike Bedigan and Dave Higgens, PA

Full Monty star Mark Addy has said it is “great” more productions are being filmed in the north of England and in regions that have previously been “forgotten about and overlooked”.

The Yorkshire-born actor, who stars in a new TV spin-off of the 1990s surprise hit movie, said any promotion of the regions was “no bad thing”.

Addy starred alongside Robert Carlyle, Steve Huison and Lesley Sharp in the original 1997 film, which won several Baftas.

The new eight-part TV comedy, set 25 years after the action in the film, is set to air on Disney+ later this month.

It sees Addy, Carlyle, Huison and Sharp reprise their roles in the story, which introduced the world to the group of six unemployed South Yorkshire steel workers who turn to stripping to make ends meet.

Speaking to the PA news agency about the changes to the northern production landscape, Addy said: “It’s great that there’s more and more stuff being filmed in Yorkshire and the north of England generally.

“Investment is needed in a lot of the North, it tends to get forgotten about, overlooked.

“Whatever we can do to help people appreciate that is no bad thing. Let’s level up.”

The series will be streamed worldwide on Disney+ and Sharp said it contained both global and local messages about pulling together in the face of adversity.

“I think that’s the way everybody feels, so the show, as well as being very local, very UK based, has an imperative that’s actually about the way a lot of people feel, no matter where they live and who they are,” he told PA.

Addy, Sharp, Huison and Carlyle attended the red carpet premiere of the series on Monday, which took place in Sheffield.

Carlyle said the new series did not shy away from highlighting the effects of austerity in the UK and that it was “impossible” to separate politics from The Full Monty.

“You cannot separate the politics from The Full Monty. It’s impossible,” he said.

“These men, 25 years on, have lived through what everybody in this country has lived through, 25 years, near enough, of austerity.

“Their whole being has been chipped away, the whole infrastructure of the country has been chipped away. And that’s there for sure.”

Speaking outside Sheffield’s Leadmill club, Carlyle said the production had not shied away from any of these issues.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think myself or any of the boys would have done it, if it had,” he told PA.

The Full Monty is coming to Disney+ on Wednesday June 14.