Dockers (film)

Dockers
Written by	Jimmy McGovern Irvine Welsh
Directed by	Bill Anderson
Starring	Ken Stott Crissy Rock Katy Lamont Ricky Tomlinson David Parkinson Christine Tremarco
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Sally Hibbin
Running time	91 minutes [1]
Production company	Prism Leisure
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	11 July 1999 (1999-07-11)

Dockers is a 1999 British feature-length television drama produced for Channel 4 about the struggles of a small group of Liverpool dockers who were sacked and subsequently spent nearly 2 and a half years picketing during the Liverpool Dockers' Strike of 1995 to 1998.

Although the credited screenwriters for the drama were Liverpool screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh the drama was largely written by sacked dock workers and previous union members under the supervision of the two screenwriters. This unusual writing method was considered an experiment in 'democratic television' and was documented in a separate Channel 4 documentary, Writing the Wrongs .

Production

Development

A group of dockers held regular workshops with the production team ^[2] over a period of 14 months. Once a week, they met with Jimmy McGovern and Irvine Welsh, who were both supporters of the strike and who contributed towards developing the script. Around 200 of the dockers were also employed as extras. ^{[3] [4]}

Filming

When choosing locations for the film, the Transport and General Workers' Union refused to allow filming to take place within their premises, with former dockers being removed from the building at one point when actor Robert Carlyle came to offer support in a scripting session. ^[5] The union later described the film as "an insult". ^[4]

Critical response

Writing for the Liverpool Echo , reviewer Peter Grant, who came from a family of dockers, described it as a powerful story that shows the writer's skill at using conversation to demonostrate life's unfairness. ^[6]

References

1. "Dockers Watch Full Episode". 4oD. Channel 4. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
2. "Resources for Learning". 4Learning. Channel 4. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
3. "What was the 1995-1998 Liverpool docks dispute all about?". Liverpool Echo. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
4. Paul McCann (2 July 1999). "Film of Liverpool strike puts Labour Party in the dock". The Independent. p. 13.
5. "Union leader is traitor in strikers' film". The Guardian. 2 July 1999. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
6. Peter Grant (8 July 1999). "Ex-docker John takes TV role as company boss". Liverpool Echo. p. 3.

External links

• Dockers at the British Film Institute
• Dockers at IMDb