

A working-class caretaker vs. systemic cruelty — Thatcher's Britain bites hard.
Wally, a caretaker in a block of flats, loses his job when the flats are used to rehouse Bhengali families.
Acting
Liz Smith's Elfie — devastating, lived-in perfection.
Writing
Unflinching social realism, zero preachiness.
Director
Peter Duffell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made for ITV's 'Playhouse' strand, this is peak '80s British television tackling immigration panic head-on while mainstream cinema looked away.
Liz Smith later became famous as Nana in 'The Royle Family' — her Elfie here is the same wounded warmth, unvarnished.