A 1972 Alan Clarke gem about a diabetic joke shop worker and a lonely kid — devastatingly tender.
Set in Yorkshire, diabetic Horace has learning disabilities and works in the back of a joke shop. He befriends loner schoolboy Gordon Blackett, who retreats from his loveless home into an imaginary world.
Acting
Barry Jackson's Horace — heartbreaking restraint, never pity.
Direction
Clarke's early naturalism before Scum, already devastating.
Writing
David Halliwell's script avoids every sentimental trap.
Director
Alan Clarke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
One of Alan Clarke's earliest TV films, predating his notorious 'Scum' by seven years — same rage, softer gloves.
Part of the BBC's Wednesday Play strand that revolutionized British television drama; nearly lost before BFI restoration.
GB
