Mike Leigh At The BBC

In his television work, Mike Leigh created the style that would make him unique among film-makers. The way he deals with issues of class, race, politics and sexuality in both poignant and comic terms; his working methods of evolving films from intense improvising rehearsals, and his collaboration with great actors – including Alison Steadman, Liz Smith, Lesley Manville, Phil Davis, David Threlfall, Brenda Blethyn and Stephen Rea – make his work instantly recognisable. This collection includes all of Mike Leigh’s surviving BBC work from Hard Labour (1973) to Four Days in July (1985).