Riff-Raff

Robert Carlyle plays a homeless construction worker who falls for an unemployed pop singer in Ken Loach's hilarious yet potent paean to working class London life.

In his first starring role, Robert Carlyle plays a homeless construction worker who falls for an unemployed pop singer (Emer McCourt) who's just as down on her luck as he is, in this heartfelt paean to working class life from director Ken Loach. Achieving poignancy in his inimitable style, Loach presents a story that balances the personal and political, bringing both aspects together in effortless harmony.

While Carlyle's character is the focus, it's also rousing ensemble piece which mines many of its laughs from the camaraderie of the construction site, and in particular the eye-catching performance of Ricky Tomlinson (The Royle Family), also in one of his earliest screen roles.