Birthday:
06-17-1936
(88 years)
Birthplace:
Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK
Biography
Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936; Nuneaton) is a British film director, screenwriter and producer. His socially critical directing style is evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (Poor Cow, 1967), homelessness (Cathy Come Home, 1966), and labour rights (Riff-Raff, 1991, and The Navigators, 2001).
Kenneth Charles Loach was born on 17 June 1936 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the son of Vivien (née Hamlin) and John Loach. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and at the age of 19 went to serve in the Royal Air Force. He read law at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated with a third-class degree. As a member of the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club he directed an open-air production of Bartholomew Fair for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, in 1959 (when he also took the role of the shady horse-dealer Dan Jordan Knockem). After Oxford, he began a career in the dramatic arts.
Loach's film Kes (1969) was voted the seventh greatest British film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film Institute. Two of his films, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016), received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, making him one of only nine filmmakers to win the award twice.
Kenneth Charles Loach was born on 17 June 1936 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the son of Vivien (née Hamlin) and John Loach. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and at the age of 19 went to serve in the Royal Air Force. He read law at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated with a third-class degree. As a member of the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club he directed an open-air production of Bartholomew Fair for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, in 1959 (when he also took the role of the shady horse-dealer Dan Jordan Knockem). After Oxford, he began a career in the dramatic arts.
Loach's film Kes (1969) was voted the seventh greatest British film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film Institute. Two of his films, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016), received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, making him one of only nine filmmakers to win the award twice.
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Their works
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Film: The Living Record of Our Memory
Act like Self
event2022 star_border 8.6
top_panel_open
Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.
Oh Jeremy Corbyn - The Big Lie
Act like (himself)
event2023
top_panel_open
In 2017, with the support of an extraordinary grassroots movement, British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn came close to becoming prime minister. The establishment trembled. Britain stood on the threshold of huge political change. But within three years all, it seemed, was lost. What happened and why?
Cannes Uncut
Act like Self
event2023 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Looks at the glamour, red carpets, movies, craziness, stunts, deals, parties and personalities that have been part of the Cannes Film Festival over eight decades, as well as looking to the future.
Catastroika
Act like Self
event2012 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
The creators of Debtocracy, analyze the shifting of state assets to private hands. They travel round the world gathering data on privatization and search for clues on the day after Greece's massive privatization program.
Jordi Dauder, la revolució pendent
Act like Himself
event2012 star_border 6
top_panel_open
This documentary looks at the life of Jordi Dauder through an interview with the actor a few weeks before his death. From her interventions and people who knew him, the play explores the experiences of actor, from his artistic side as from his political convictions and life.
I Get Knocked Down
Act like Self
event2023 star_border 8
top_panel_open
Part music documentary, part unflinching character study, part a punk version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ - I Get Knocked Down is the funny, surreal, and deeply human untold story of Chumbawamba and its ex-front man Dunstan Bruce.
Thatcher's Not Dead
Act like Self
event2022 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
This film sketches a very personal and decidedly political portrait of the Iron Lady who left the greatest mark on the UK, alongside Queen Elizabeth II. Archives and interviews are enriched by songs from this period that really help to understand the social atmosphere of that time.
We Are Many
Act like Self
event2014 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
The story of the biggest demonstration in human history, which took place on 15th February 2003, against the impending war on Iraq.
40 x 15: The Forty Years of the Directors' Fortnight
Act like Self
event2008
top_panel_open
A hstory of the Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight selection.
The Making of 'Hidden Agenda'
Act like Self
event1990
top_panel_open
Documentary looking at the making-of and real-life stories behind the award-winning conspiracy thriller starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand and Brian Cox
A Turnip Head’s Guide To The British Cinema
Act like Self
event1986
top_panel_open
Documentary presenting Alan Parker’s view of British cinema with comments from Richard Lester and others and location report from King’s Lynn on the making of Hugh Hudson’s Revolution, starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, and Nastassja Kinski.
About Cinema
Act like Self
event2015 star_border 8.3
top_panel_open
An abandoned tumbledown theater in the outback of Paraíba state is the initial setting of a film about cinema, which explores the testimonials of the novelist and playwright Ariano Suassuna and other filmmakers such as Ruy Guerra, Julio Bressane, Ken Loach, Andrzej Wajda, Karim Ainouz, José Padilha, Hector Babenco, Vilmos Zsigmond, Béla Tarr, Gus Van Sant and Jia Zhangke. They all respond to two basic questions: why do they make movies and why do they serve the seventh art. The filmmakers share their thoughts about time, narrative, rhythm, light, movement, the meaning of tragedy, the audience‘s desires and the boundaries with other forms of art.
Ken and Rosa
Act like Himself
event2001 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Documentary about Ken Loach and Rosa Ayala, a janitor who worked as an extra in the picture 'Bread and Roses'
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
Act like Self - Film Director
event2016 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
A surprisingly candid behind-the-scenes account of the career of Ken Loach, one of Britain’s most celebrated and controversial filmmakers, as he prepares to release his final major film I, Daniel Blake.
Great Directors
Act like Self
event2009 star_border 5.9
top_panel_open
Features conversations with ten of the world's greatest living directors: Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Liliana Cavani, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles. The film documents Ismailos' voyage of discovering the creative personalities behind the camera.
Water and Sugar: Carlo Di Palma, the Colours of Life
Act like Self
event2016 star_border 5.2
top_panel_open
An account of the life and work of the legendary cinematographer and director Carlo Di Palma (1925-2004) and an emotional journey into the greatest moments of cinema, from the Italian neorealism to the masterpieces of Woody Allen, commented by prestigious figures of world cinema.
Vittorio D.
Act like Self
event2009 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
A documentary about Vittorio de Sica with clips of his films and testimonials from friends and family.
The South Bank Show: Ken Loach
Act like Interviewee
event1993 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Television documentary about British film director Ken Loach.
Right to Work March
event1972
top_panel_open
They're young, unemployed and on the march - from Glasgow, Liverpool and Swansea to London.
The Dream Palace: A People's History of Tyneside Cinema
event2018
top_panel_open
In 2017 Tyneside Cinema turned 80.
A Special Day
Act like Self
event2012 star_border 6
top_panel_open
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
Who Killed British Cinema?
Act like Self
event2018 star_border 5
top_panel_open
A feature length documentary about the real state of the British film industry in relation to UK structures past, present and currently for the future. This film exposes the shocking truths about the UK Governments' will to grow an indigenous British film industry, the legacy and testament of the now closed UK Film Council (UKFC), the current British Film Institute and the new Creative England.
Celuloide colectivo: el cine en guerra
Act like Himself
event2009 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
July, 1936. The terrible Spanish Civil War begins. When the streets are taken by the working class, the social revolution begins as well. The public shows are socialized, a model of production and exhibition of films, never seen before in the history of cinema, is created, where the workers are the owners and managers of the industry, through the unions.
Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman
Act like Self
event1985
top_panel_open
A look at the career of Oscar-winning cameraman Chris Menges. Filmed on location of 'Comfort and Joy'. Chris Menges discusses his early career in television and film. Featuring interviews with Bill Forsyth, Bill Paterson, Ken Loach, Neil Jordan, and Jeremy Isaacs.
Greg Davies: Looking for Kes
Act like Self
event2019 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Comedian, actor and ex-English teacher Greg Davies is a lifelong fan of Barry Hines's classic novel A Kestrel for a Knave, the story of Billy Casper training a kestrel as an escape from his troubled home and school life. In this documentary, Greg goes in search of the book's enduring appeal, travelling to Barnsley, where the book was set and where Ken Loach's famous adaptation, Kes, was filmed.
The Great NHS Heist
Act like Himself
event2019 star_border 10
top_panel_open
A documentary film in which Dr Bob Gill, a General Practitioner and NHS campaigner, takes us through the story of the NHS and exposes the plans to privatise and sell it off for profit.
CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel
Act like Self
event2018 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
An epic exploration of the Czechoslovak New Wave cinema of the 1960s and 70s, structured around a series of conversations with one of its most acclaimed exponents - Closely Observed Trains director Jiří Menzel.
Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today
Act like Self
event2020
top_panel_open
Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.
To Make a Comedy Is No Fun
Act like Self
event2016 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Documentary feature about Czech director Jiří Menzel, featuring Menzel himself as well as Miloš Forman, Emir Kusturica, István Szabó and others.
Once upon a time... "I, Daniel Blake"
Act like himself
event2021 star_border 8
top_panel_open
The documentary, filmed in England in autumn 2020, sheds light on the genesis and background of the social drama.
Carry on Ken
event2006
top_panel_open
A documentary on the films of Ken Loach. Interviews with cast and crew who worked with Loach over the years. It describe his approach to allowing actors a wide range of freedom.
What Do You Know About Me
Act like Self
event2009 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Until the 1970s, Italian cinema dominated the international scene, even competing with Hollywood. Then, in just a few years, came its rapid decline, the flight of our greatest producers, a crisis among the best writer-directors, the collapse of production. But what are the true causes and circumstances of this decline? In an attempt to provide an answer to this question, Di Me Cosa Ne Sai strives to depict this great cultural change. Begun as a loving examination of Italian cinema, the film transformed into a docu-drama that alternates between interviews with the great names of the past and fragments of cultural and political life of the last 30 years. It is a travel diary that shows Italy from north to south, through movie theatres; television-addicted kids; Berlusconi and Fellini; shopping centers; TV news editors; stories of impassioned film exhibitors and directors who fight for their films; and interviews with itinerant projectionists and great European directors.
Making Kes
Act like Self
event2010
top_panel_open
A documentary on the making of Kes, produced by the Criterion Collection.
A Bolsa ou a Vida
Act like Self
event2021
top_panel_open
In the post-pandemic future of covid-19, will the centrality be the financial casino and the accumulation of wealth by an elite or a quality life for all, with less inequality? Did the minimal state show itself capable of serving the collective? How to guarantee life without social and labor rights? What model of society do we want to live in? The film addresses the dismantling of the concept of social welfare and makes us reflect on the incompatibility of neoliberalism with a humanist project of society.
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event2011 star_border 7.6
top_panel_open
A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.
Reel Britannia
Act like Self (4 ep.)
event2022 star_border 8.5
top_panel_open
Comedian Nick Helm narrates this bold new documentary series exploring the dramatic history of British cinema. Discover how cinema held a mirror up to society from 1960 through to the 00s.
John Bishop: In Conversation with...
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event2016 star_border 7
top_panel_open
A three series talk show. With the host in conversation with people whom he admires.
Question Time
Act like Self - Panellist (3 ep.)
event1979 star_border 5.1
top_panel_open
This topical debate series based on Any Questions? typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by a carefully selected audience.
Carry On Ken
(1 ep.)
event2006
top_panel_open
A documentary on the films of Ken Loach. Interviews with cast and crew who worked with Loach over the years. It describe his approach to allowing actors a wide range of freedom.
Victoria Wood: The Secret List
Act like Self (2 ep.)
event2020 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Back in 2009, Victoria wrote a list of her favourite moments from her seminal 80s series, intending to use it as a compilation show of self-selected best bits. The list remained locked away in her personal office until now. It features familiar favourites and often overlooked gems, but as these two programmes explore, the chosen sketches serve as a prediction of what was to come in an unparalleled career that crossed just about every genre of stage and screen.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Director (1 ep.)
event2006 star_border 7.4
top_panel_open
In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend's farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart.
Sweet Sixteen
Director (1 ep.)
event2002 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Determined to have a normal family life once his mother gets out of prison, a Scottish teenager from a tough background sets out to raise the money for a home.
Ae Fond Kiss...
Director (1 ep.)
event2004 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
A young man upsets his Punjabi family when he falls in love with an Irish schoolteacher.
11’09”01—September 11
Director (1 ep.)
event2002 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
Filmmakers from all over the world provide short films – each of which is eleven minutes, nine seconds, and one frame of film in length – that offer differing perspectives on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Carla's Song
Director (1 ep.)
event1996 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
A Glasgow man visits war-torn Nicaragua with a refugee tormented by her memories.
The Flickering Flame
Director (1 ep.)
event1996 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
Documentary following dockers of Liverpool sacked in a labour dispute and their supporters’ group, Women of the Waterfront, as they receive support from around the world and seek solidarity at the TUC conference.
My Name Is Joe
Director (1 ep.)
event1998 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Two thirtysomethings, unemployed former alcoholic Joe and community health worker Sarah, start a romantic relationship in the one of the toughest Glasgow neighbourhoods.
It's a Free World...
Director (1 ep.)
event2007 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Angie is a working class woman. After being fired, she decides to set up a recruitment agency of her own, running it from her kitchen with her friend, Rose. Taking advantage of the desperation of immigrants, Angie builds a successful business extremely quickly.
Kes
Director (1 ep.)
event1970 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence—until tragedy strikes.
To Each His Own Cinema
Director (1 ep.)
event2007 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers to produce short pieces exploring the multifarious facets of cinema and their perspective on the state of their chosen artform in the early 21st century.
The Navigators
Director (1 ep.)
event2001 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
In South Yorkshire, a small group of railway maintenance men discover that because of privatization, their lives will never be the same. When the trusty British Rail sign is replaced by one reading East Midland Infrastructure, it is clear that there will be the inevitable winners and losers as downsizing and efficiency become the new buzzwords.
Land and Freedom
Director (1 ep.)
event1995 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
David Carr is a British Communist who is unemployed. In 1936, when the Spanish Civil War begins, he decides to fight for the Republican side, a coalition of liberals, communists and anarchists, so he joins the POUM militia and witnesses firsthand the betrayal of the Spanish revolution by Stalin's followers and Moscow's orders.
Bread and Roses
Director (1 ep.)
event2000 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Maya is a quick-witted young woman who comes over the Mexican border without papers and makes her way to the LA home of her older sister Rosa. Rosa gets Maya a job as a janitor: a non-union janitorial service has the contract, the foul-mouthed supervisor can fire workers on a whim, and the service-workers' union has assigned organizer Sam Shapiro to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. Sam finds Maya a willing listener, she's also attracted to him. Rosa resists, she has an ailing husband to consider. The workers try for public support; management intimidates workers to divide and conquer. Rosa and Maya as well as workers and management may be set to collide.
Raining Stones
Director (1 ep.)
event1993 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Proud, though poor, Bob wants his little girl to have a beautiful (and costly) brand-new dress for her First Communion. His stubbornness and determination get him into trouble as he turns to more and more questionable measures, in his desperation to raise the needed money. This tragic flaw leads him to risk all that he loves and values, his beloved family, indeed even his immortal soul and salvation, in blind pursuit of that goal.
Hidden Agenda
Director (1 ep.)
event1990 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
In Ireland, American lawyer Ingrid Jessner and her activist partner, Paul Sullivan, struggle to uncover atrocities committed by the British government against the Northern Irish during the "Troubles." But when Sullivan is assassinated in the streets, Jessner teams up with Peter Kerrigan, a British investigator acting against the will of his own government, and struggles to uncover a conspiracy that may even implicate one of Kerrigan's colleagues.
Looking for Eric
Director (1 ep.)
event2009 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
A man trying to put his life back on track gets some advice from an unexpected benefactor -- the ex-footballer Eric Cantona.
Ladybird Ladybird
Director (1 ep.)
event1994 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Maggie has had four children, by four different fathers, removed by social services because of a previous violent relationship. When she meets Jorge, a gentle Latin American refugee, she gradually sees her chance for happiness, but her history still haunts her.
Black Jack
Director (1 ep.)
event1979 star_border 7
top_panel_open
When honest young Tolly is forced on the run with ‘Black Jack’, a villainous ruffian, adventure and mishap are never far away. As the two enter a world of body-snatchers, private lunatic asylums, and traveling fairs they find friendship in the most unlikely places.
Looks and Smiles
Director (1 ep.)
event1981 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Thatcherism and the Irish troubles provide the backdrop for this study of Mick, a well-meaning youth in Sheffield, who has, unlike Dickens' Pip, no expectations. Mick lives with his parents, works on his motorbike, looks for work, and every two weeks gets his check from the dole. There are no jobs. His best mate Alan joins the army to fix tanks and is sent to Belfast to quell Catholics. At a disco, Mick meets Karen, who works at a shoe shop and lives with her recently-separated mom. Karen misses her dad. She offers Mick emotional stability and a route to adulthood; Alan pitches the army. Does Mick have a future?
Family Life
Director (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
A young woman, Janice, is living with her restrictive and conservative parents, who lead a dull working-class life and consider their daughter to be “misbehaving” whenever she’s trying to find her own way in life.
Poor Cow
Director (1 ep.)
event1967 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
A young woman lives a life filled with bad choices. At a young age she marries and has a child--with an abusive thief who quickly ends up in prison. Left alone, she takes up with the guy's mate, another thief, who seems to give her some happiness but who also ends up locked up. She then takes up with a series of seedy types who offer nothing but momentary pleasure--if that.
Tickets
Director (1 ep.)
event2005 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
A train travels across Italy toward Rome. On board is a professor who daydreams a conversation with a love that never was, a family of Albanian refugees who switch trains and steal a ticket, three brash Scottish soccer fans en route to a match, and a complaining widow traveling to a memorial service for her late husband who's accompanied by a community-service volunteer who's assisting her. Interactions among these Europeans turn on class and nationalism, courtesy and rudeness, and opportunities for kindness.
The Angels' Share
Director (1 ep.)
event2012 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives.
Riff-Raff
Director (1 ep.)
event1991 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Stevie, fresh from prison in Scotland, finds a job on a London construction site. The working conditions are poor and most of the men are working under aliases, due to immigration status and to not conflict with their "signing on" for unemployment benefits. Some coworkers help Stevie secure housing, squatting in a council estate. Then Stevie meets Susan, from Ireland, who's struggling to be a professional singer.
Route Irish
Director (1 ep.)
event2011 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A private security contractor in Iraq rejects the official explanation of his friend's death and decides to investigate.
The Gamekeeper
Director (1 ep.)
event1980 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
George Purse is the gamekeeper for the duke's estate, a role he takes seriously. His position gives him a certain status, but he has an uneasy relationship with some of the locals, not least those who turn to poaching
The Old Oak
Director (1 ep.)
event2023 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
A pub landlord in a previously thriving mining community struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise in the town when Syrian refugees are placed in the empty houses in the community.
Fatherland
Director (1 ep.)
event1986 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
Persona Non Grata in his homeland, protest singer Klaus Drittemann must leave East Berlin, his wife and child and emigrate to West Berlin, where the representatives of an American record company are eagerly waiting for him. They plan to exploit his defection from communism both ideologically and financially. But Klaus, as ill-at-ease in the West as he was in the East, is reluctant to be used as an expendable commodity. Leaving his contract unsigned (or signed in his manner), he leaves for Cambridge to meet his father, a concert player, who -just like him - left East Berlin thirty years ago as Klaus was a little boy. He is accompanied by a young French journalist, Emma, who knows where his father has been living since he disappeared for more than a decade. The young lady is cooperative but might hide things from him...
The Spirit of '45
Director (1 ep.)
event2013 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
How the spirit of unity, which buoyed Britain during the war years, carried through to create a vision of a fairer, united society.
Which Side Are You On?
Director (1 ep.)
event1985 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
The documentary features the British miners and their family experiences told through songs, poems, pictures and words.
Jimmy's Hall
Director (1 ep.)
event2014 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.
Cathy Come Home
Director (1 ep.)
event1966 star_border 7
top_panel_open
A British woman faces a downward social climb thanks to her country's rigid and problem-ridden welfare system.
The End of Arthur's Marriage
Director (1 ep.)
event1965 star_border 5.4
top_panel_open
In this off-beat musical – a satire that combines fantasy, social observation and songs – a working class man goes to put a deposit on a new house only to find he prefers spending to saving and is happy to spend his money on a few hours of happiness rather than a lifetime's conventionality.
In Two Minds
Director (1 ep.)
event1967 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Kate, a young girl under psychiatric examination, suffers from a lack of confidence, self-esteem and self-control – telling of the “bad Kate” who commits immoral acts. Could the hypocrisy, selfishness and weakness of those around her have led to this state of mind or can Kate simply be diagnosed and dismissed as a schizophrenic?
The Price of Coal, Part 2: Back to Reality
Director (1 ep.)
event1977 star_border 5
top_panel_open
A month after the royal visit, the workers at Milton Colliery are brought crashing back down to earth by an underground explosion.
The Golden Vision
Director (1 ep.)
event1968 star_border 5
top_panel_open
The obsessive supporters of Everton FC forsake wives, families and God to follow their beloved team. Meanwhile, the club and its players try to live up to their expectations.
The Price of Coal, Part 1: Meet the People
Director (1 ep.)
event1977 star_border 5
top_panel_open
The workers of Milton Colliery prepare for a royal visit from Prince Charles.
A Question of Leadership
Producer (1 ep.)
event1981 star_border 3
top_panel_open
Shortly after Margaret Thatcher's election as prime minister, Ken Loach returned to documentary, convinced that the long gestation of feature films made them useless as instruments of topical social comment. But his trade union documentary A Question of Leadership, intended for national ITV broadcast, was criticised by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for its explicitly anti-government stance. It was eventually screened a year later, exclusively in the Midlands (tx. 13/8/1981). Believing that the then-new Channel 4 would be more amenable to politicised documentaries, Loach proposed the four-part Questions of Leadership (1983), a wider-ranging study of the trade union movement - but on viewing the completed programmes' strong criticism of leading trade unionists, an anxious Channel 4 shortened the series to two parts and proposed screening a 'balancing' documentary by a different filmmaker, before scrapping the broadcast altogether.
McLibel
Director (1 ep.)
event2005 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
McLibel is a documentary film directed by Franny Armstrong for Spanner Films about the McLibel case. The film was first completed, as a 52 minute television version, in 1997, after the conclusion of the original McLibel trial. It was then re-edited to 85 minute feature length in 2005, after the McLibel defendants took their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The Big Flame
Director (1 ep.)
event1969 star_border 5
top_panel_open
After a prolonged industrial dispute in the Liverpool Docks, the striking workers reject management demands of a return to work and decide instead to occupy the docks and run the operation themselves.
I, Daniel Blake
Director (1 ep.)
event2016 star_border 7.7
top_panel_open
A middle aged carpenter, who requires state welfare after injuring himself, is joined by a single mother in a similar scenario.
After a Lifetime
Director (1 ep.)
event1971
top_panel_open
Ken Loach's first production for ITV, shown under the 'Sunday Night Theatre' strand (originally broadcast 18th July 1971). After a Lifetime is something of a neglected, social realist masterpiece that focuses on two brothers, brought together by the death of their father, reflecting on his life of militancy and political activism. At the time critic Nancy Banks Smith called it ‘brilliantly funny, and moving with a sort of subterranean rage’. Smith himself plays the older brother with a brilliant, raw emotion.
A Tap on the Shoulder
Director (1 ep.)
event1965
top_panel_open
Ken's Loach's first production for The Wednesday Play is a story of a group of criminals planning a robbery, with the unwitting aid of a wealthy, well-connected society acquaintance. But who is the greater villain?
Three Clear Sundays
Director (1 ep.)
event1965 star_border 5
top_panel_open
Ken Loach production for The Wednesday Play, reflecting contemporary debates surrounding the abolishment of capital punishment.
The Coming Out Party
Director (1 ep.)
event1965
top_panel_open
When a boy discovers that both his parents are in prison, he sets out to find them.
The Rank and File
Director (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 5
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Wilkinsons glass-works dominates a Staffordshire town. After a small walkout over pay discrepancies, the workers of the factory vote to go on strike, but they are denied support by their trade union.
A Misfortune
Director (1 ep.)
event1973
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Ken Loach production, shown as one segment of BBC2's arts programme 'Full House'.
Up the Junction
Director (1 ep.)
event1965 star_border 6.9
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The lives and loves of three young working class women, set in the pubs, terraced houses and factories of Battersea, South London.
The Save the Children Fund Film
Director (1 ep.)
event1971
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Ken Loach's production for Save The Children, withheld from public view until 2011.
Talk About Work
Director (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 6
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Ken Loach's censored production for the Central Office of Information.
The View from the Woodpile
Director (1 ep.)
event1989
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Ken Loach documentary; made for Central Television in 1988, but rejected, and not shown until the following year, when it was taken up by Channel 4. It tells the story of the West Midlands-based Young Foundry theatre group members Stephen Page,Paul Harper, Jimmy Dunn,Chris Dunn, Caroline White and Roy Stokes who act out a series of scenes reflecting their past, unemployment, homelessness and drug abuse that is rife in the local area.
Time to Go
Director (1 ep.)
event1989
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Ken Loach documentary, pushing for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.
End of the Battle... Not the End of the War
Director (1 ep.)
event1985
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Ken Loach documentary on the end of the 1984 - '85 miners' strike.
The Red and the Blue
Director (1 ep.)
event1983
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Ken Loach documentary, contrasting the 1982 Labour and Conservative Party conferences.
Another City: A Week in the Life of Bath's Football Club
Director (1 ep.)
event1998
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Ken Loach documentary on Bath Football Club.
The Arthur Legend
Director (1 ep.)
event1991
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Ken Loach documentary for Channel 4's Dispatches, investigating false claims of fraud and corruption during the miners' strike of '84/'85 that reared their head against Arthur Scargill in 1990.
In Conversation With Jeremy Corbyn
Director (1 ep.)
event2016
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Ken Loach spent two days on the Jeremy Corbyn Labour leadership campaign trail in the summer of 2016. He documented people sharing their personal stories and discussing their reasons for supporting our agenda. These stories show why Labour must transform and rebuild Britain so that no one and no community is left behind.
Wear a Very Big Hat
Director (1 ep.)
event1965
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A young couple celebrate their wedding anniversary with a night on the town.
Idyll
Writer (1 ep.)
event2014
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Fewer families were born, lived, and died in the same place. People, especially young ones, were ready for a new life, as far removed from the old one as possible. Living space was much smaller and there were few, if any, servants. Many wives were working outside the home and leisure was not to be spent doing housework, but in being out of doors as much as possible. Emphasis was on informal living and informal entertaining.
Sorry We Missed You
Director (1 ep.)
event2019 star_border 7.3
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Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard work, and his wife's job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when both are pulled in different directions everything comes to breaking point.
On Falling
Executive Producer (1 ep.)
new_releases Release: March 07, 2025
Aurora, a Portuguese migrant, works as an order picker in a warehouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. Caught between the walls of a huge distribution centre and the solitude of her own room, Aurora tries to seize every opportunity to resist the alienation and isolation that threaten her identity.
The Limey
Thanks (1 ep.)
event1999 star_border 6.6
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The Limey follows Wilson, a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine and an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.
The Wednesday Play
Director (3 ep.)
event1964 star_border 4.5
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The Wednesday Play is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured. The series gained a reputation for presenting contemporary social dramas, and for bringing issues to the attention of a mass audience that would not otherwise have been discussed on screen.
Z-Cars
Director (3 ep.)
event1962 star_border 7
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Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
Play for Today
Director (3 ep.)
event1970 star_border 6.1
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Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.
Days of Hope
Director (4 ep.)
event1975 star_border 6.2
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Days of Hope is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach.
Teletale
Director (1 ep.)
event1963
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TV Show Details
Full House
Director (1 ep.)
event1972
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TV Show Details
Modern Times
Director (1 ep.)
event1995
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TV Show Details
Dispatches
Director (1 ep.)
event1987 star_border 6.4
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Dispatches is the British TV current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, and often features a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.
Split Screen
Director (1 ep.)
event1986
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Two partisan views of a controversial issue.
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