This film is part of Free

Title of error

See Help

Roll on Four O'Clock

Compelling play by the writer of Chariots of Fire, exposing homophobic bullying in a northern secondary modern.

Drama 1970 58 mins

Overview

A powerful and at times harrowing look at homophobic bullying in a Salford secondary school, this entry in ITV’s Saturday Night Theatre strand centres on introverted teenager Latimer (Frank Heaton), at the mercy of his fellow pupils. Chariots of Fire writer Colin Welland’s clever script avoids explicitly confirming Latimer’s nascent sexuality, while making a more universal point about the singling out of anyone perceived to be different. Especially provocative is the complicity of certain members of staff in the bullying (“We don’t cater for poofs”).

The harsh reality for these boys is a life on the shop floor: the head teacher, in his own pragmatic way, sees himself as duty-bound to toughen the boys up, with little patience for the intervention of Latimer’s kindly gay art teacher (Clive Swift). Filmed in a rough and ready style with a partly non-professional cast, this reminder of the horrors of adolescence is pertinent today, with homophobia still depressingly rife in British schools.

Director

Roy Battersby

Featuring

Frank Heaton , Clive Swift and Colin Welland

Genres

Drama

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Watch for free

What's a Girl Like You ... What's a Girl Like You ...

Documentary 1969 52 mins Location: Vauxhall

Scintillating look at the 1960s drag renaissance, with a visit to London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

Watch for free

Gay Black Group Gay Black Group

Magazine and Review show 1983 25 mins Location: Bloomsbury

The Gay Black Group - reasserting culture and identity on two levels.

Watch for free

David Is Homosexual David Is Homosexual

Amateur film 1978 38 mins Location: Lewisham

A lonely gay man discovers friends, love and activism in this rediscovered educational film made by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality

Watch for free

What Am I? What Am I?

Current affairs 1980 26 mins Location: Hay-on-Wye/Y Gelli Gandryll

Transgender pioneer April Ashley appears in this moving look at the challenges faced by the trans community in 1980s Britain

Watch for free

Illegal Tender Illegal Tender

Animation & Artists Moving Image 1987 14 mins

Queer psychedelic portrait of a young man’s desires in an industrial wasteland

Watch for free

Facing the Sun Facing the Sun

Drama 1980 54 mins

Sao Paulo-set love triangle drama, featuring a rare TV depiction of bisexuality.

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.