Full Monty actor 'astonished' by decline of Sheffield city centre 25 years on from original film

Speaking to The Star ahead of the launch of the Disney+ series on Wednesday, the actor, Lomper in the original film and the new series, said it was not as he remembered it, and feels it reflects issues portrayed in the new series.

Steve, from Leeds, said: “It's a few years since I've been here, and coming here last year I really noticed now poverty has taken a grip in certain areas. I was quite astonished as well, because at one point we were staying in the hotel in the centre of town there, opposite the City Hall, and the town was dead on a night. I don't remember it like that, which presumably shows people's lack of spending power.

“There were some areas looking very run down. Simon (Beaufoy, the writer) has tapped into that, looking at urban deprivation, brought about through austerity over the last 14 years or so. We're all feeling the pinch, you can see it out there. The new series reflects that.

“That's the main reason for doing it, why he wanted to do it.”

“He wanted to make a statement about what's going on out there and how this Government have ground this country to almost a standstill,” he added.

Mark Addy, who plays Dave, said for all the poverty and deprivation, Sheffield was a vibrant, cultural city with theatre and music.

“You've got some fantastic cultural events that take place here,” he said. “It's great. But it's against a backdrop of cutting the arts budgets in schools. Do we need music? Yes, we do.”

But Robert Carlyle, who plays Gaz, and Wim Snape, Nathan in the original film and new series, still think Sheffield is a great place.

Robert said: “I do genuinely love it here, I think it's a fantastic city. I'm really impressed with how clean it is. I think the council or whoever is in charge has done a really good job of maintaining the older areas, without messing with it too much. I think they've done a fine job. There are problems in every city, everywhere in the world, but I thought it was terrific to be working here.”

Wim added: “It's a northern city that's managed not to knock things down that have some sort of historical value. It's a great city.”

> “The Full Monty” premieres in the UK on Disney+ on 14 June.