East of Ipswich written by Michael Palin 1987

[@davidjordan9759]

RIP to Michael's wife, Helen, who died recently. He met her at Southwold and this film is partly about that meeting. Condolences to Michael. I'm sure he will miss her deeply.

[@stephenbrown1622]

Yes very sad my thoughts to michael palin and family just keep strong

[@cliftonbowers6376]

Id herd the other day 😢

[@vaniahandfas5542]

​@@cliftonbowers6376❤joguinhokhh😮😮😮😮656😊55þģþþþþ5512222qwj7u..

[@thewhitedoncheadle8345]

​@@stephenbrown1622he aint gonna read it you creep

[@johneaton25]

I love Southwold 👍

[@janechamblesswright119]

A perfect film. Thank you Michael Palin and everyone who captured this snapshot of what youth felt like - all these long years ago.

[@jackpakse1917]

.news

[@Headwind-1]

eh hem . . those long years ago . ..please . . .

[@mickeybee]

An absolutely perfect, truly charming film. Captures that point in adolescence so gently, and so beautiful in its unique Britishness..... Just stumbled upon this film, but it really reminded me how fantastic small-budget British films used to be. A perfect piece of art!

[@marypartridge5154]

My pa a man who worked for the Foreign Office used to cry with laughter at the Monty Python crew. My pa told me that he never understood God or Love so he would just carry on cracking jokes. Sadly my pa died last year aged 95 he got covid and all these special people are passing. And us aging hippies who refused to grow up are left as the "oldies". I'm sad.

[@craigruddock3824]

This is the 3rd nostalgic film I've watched in 24hrs. I don't know what's happening to me, I'm only 52😂

[@lordkorner]

Nostalgia, we all need it regardless of age😊

[@bo-borsabags6124]

I watched this when it was first broadcast thirty years ago and I had always remembered how good it was. Of all the thousands of films I must have seen since this was one of the few that I remembered. It is so charming and gentle and a reminder of a much more innocent age. Beautifully written directed and acted. A minor masterpiece.

[@user-bl2lu2nx2u]

❤❤

[@Londonfogey]

This reminds me very much of holidays I spent with my parents when aged about 15,16, 17. The boredom and desperate attempts for any kind of contact with girls, knowing I'd soon be back to an all boys school. I was a moody so and so and I know I annoyed my parents greatly when I complained about visits to churches etc. Yet, I would give anything to have my parents back again now even for just one summer's day by the sea.

[@alancollard8939]

you explained this so true , i would give anything to see my parents again

[@bigears4426]

ALAN COLLARD my dad is still here but i mowed the lawn today and ran over mums herbs and that bought her back with the smell of her soup

[@emilinebelle7811]

You guys, I’m gonna cry. Bless you all. My parents are getting older and it’s the most eye opening, heart breaking, terrifying thought. I’m trying to soak in all the moments because I know one day I won’t be able to anymore. 😭

[@revol148]

+Londonfogey we all take our parents for granted - you only realise that when it's too late.I wouldn't be too harsh on yourself although you really must be quite old if visiting churches was how you spent their holidays !

[@howardchambers9679]

@@revol148 I used to visit churches to escape the mind numbing boredom of sitting in a caravan playing scrabble, whist and all the other games. Sodding rain...

[@AniWatX]

Another example of the superb writing from the brilliant Michael Palin.

[@davidjordan9759]

Douglas Adams' Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul on holiday in the '50's. Beautifully realised, Michael.

[@suzipam1234]

Such a wonderful slice of life at that time. Thoroughly enjoyed it

[@heavyt749]

Superb film! Haven’t watched a film this good in years

[@maelstromobscura1575]

Those born pre 60s will relate to this gem...

[@kellyshaw7271]

Such a shame that the holiday had to end early. Young love and discovering the adult world. Superbly written by Michael Palin and so nostalgic for lost youth.

[@bastogne315]

Nowadays they're all at it at! Disgusting!

[@naradaian]

“Should have had another child” “ No it’s a tanker”

[@ShakespearHD]

Excellent movie. Relaxing to watch, something that is an extreme rarity in today's films.

[@sidensvans67]

The fantastic Mrs Richards from Fawlty Towers .

[@bestdisco1979]

WHAT !!?

[@sidensvans67]

@@bestdisco1979

[@helentucker6407]

Lol yes! She was also a teacher in please sir I think! 👍

[@MartysWhiteSuit]

A British gem and painfully accurate.

[@ruthparkinson849]

Refreshing... reminds me of the good old days!! When we were human and could see people smiling!!

[@kevinhiggins910]

This is so good as it captures the dull , conservative , grey seaside resort and contrasts it with the frustrations of youth.

[@ingridogilvie3664]

what a great film by Michael Palin .no mobile phones! lol. those were the days.x

[@AGGD767]

Michael Palin has his hand on the pulse of British character like no one else, outstanding and incredibly accurate

[@daviddixey]

"There's a bottle of sherry, but I don't encourage it!!"

[@miladydewinter7770]

That whisked me straight back to the early 60s - enjoyed it immensely.

[@stevemchadd]

Puberty at it's finest, I'm not sure we ever grow out of it, thankyou Mr Palin.

[@johneaton25]

Watching this in 2023 and the state of the UK as of today is just heartbreaking 💔 As grey as those times were they’re certainly better than now! 🤔 You wouldn’t see an OAP getting mugged at a cash machine or mindless multiple stabbing would you, or youths running riot, as captured on multiple KZbin channels! (not that cash machines existed back then)

[@ChromeShadow4eva]

This was filmed in my home in Southwold, the Mount on North Parade - it was a guest House for many years, and after being sold, the Artist who bought it rented it out to the film company and made a mint doing it! It was full of light and sunshine, so odd to see them dim and dismal it, and make it dark.

[@themekonlordofthetreens6983]

I thoroughly enjoyed this.. It took me back to my teenage years and those guest houses that were ruled by dictators in the 1950- early 1960's, with the rules about dining and dreadful food and service. The beaches with the wave breaks and the bleakness of it all. We didn't have a car and went by bus or train. But..... It was a highlight of summer holidays back in the day.

[@johneaton25]

And that awful musty, damp smell in the houses that stayed and stuck to your nostril hairs for hours 🤣🤣🤣

[@valeriemacphail9180]

Caring for each other is the spirit we, in today's society have lost. This film reminded me of the restrictions and also the beauty of what once was.

[@keithcaffray6523]

A great performance from Allan Cuthbertson as the father of one of the girls. He was Colonel Hall in the Fawlty Towers episode Gourmet Night, the one with the twitch. Can't watch this without thinking of that. Having said that this is absolutely brilliant in its own right, and I can't think of a better way to spend an hour and 20 minutes in an evening in these trying times. Pure genius, thanks to Sir Michael Palin and a wonderful cast, especially Joan Sanderson as the crabby landlady.

[@dazauto1400]

He sadly died in Feb 1988 a year after this film came out.

[@Baskerville22]

Cuthbertson was was born in Australia in 1920 and moved to Britain 1947 after serving in the R.A.A.F. during WW2

[@peterfrance702]

The wonderful Joan Sanderson!

[@jamesdewane1642]

Tactless and crabby

[@colinvenus3053]

It's Mrs Richards. Never turns her hearing sid on as it wears the batteries out. 😂😂😂

[@FRANKTHRING1]

Perhaps its because I was brought up on the east coast and remember the Cromer, Sheringham, Hunstanton, Southwold, and other such towns of the period of this film so well that it leaves me with a profound sense of melancholy - grey skies, a grey sea, a greasy, salty flavour in the air and drizzle. A line like "I think I will take a walk to the toilets," expresses the delights of those days. Of course there were sunny days. I just can`t recall them much.

[@Huaimek861]

William Wright , I love your comment . One of the features of English summers is that in some years there is no hot sunny period at all . Although my father's family was from Herefordshire , we holidayed in Cornwall , my mother's home county . Later we moved to live in Cornwall . In my youth I did an exchange with a young Italian from Florence , resulting in a lifelong friendship . In my sixties I moved to live in Italy to be near my many friends and to enjoy a really hot sunny summer . I was an actor in my youth , I never went to the east coast , but actor friends went to work in repertory theatre or at Butlins .

[@elizabethsheffield6609]

there's a great fish & chip shop in Southwold!!!

[@Skipperj]

I grew up in northern New York in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The weather was similar in the summer and the winters were horrible.30 below zero F.

[@cityandsuburb]

"Melancholic' is quite the most perfect description for those times...!! I so enjoyed your reminiscence, I was born in 65, so that post-war austerity hung in the air like a fine drizzle... Your account took me back to those times. Hey-ho....!!

[@cityandsuburb]

@@Huaimek861 Sounds marvelous David...... Florence....sun.....long summers.....

[@catdogbirds7110]

Lost youth and parents that used to be so annoying back then. It's no fun being an orphan, even when you're older. When you go back there, only the sea remains the same.

[@clivespendlove5993]

I was in the dining room at The Crown in Southwold - the posh seaside resort where this is set - and I couldn't believe my eyes when Mr Palin and some others came and sat at another table... That was long after this was made (probably in the early 2000s) so he must have long had some kind of connection there. It's lovely to go for a short holiday but I would just die of boredom after a while. Superb film, calibre of Alan Bennett whom I also love. The best of being English, this kind of thing.

[@angiecairns8687]

An enjoyable watch from someone who lives in 'Sleepy Suffolk'..At 17 yrs old , Suffolk had its special memories for me too!! 🤐😇

[@hitchannel7777]

Thoroughly the best, Michael Palin you are a genius.

[@RUBYMUNRO]

I was 16 in 1965, had a great life.

[@TheEleanor1]

Oh how being a teenager was so much easier without Silicon Valley!

[@user-gl5lh5id1n]

For those of us of a certain age, this is a horror film, not a comedy.

[@patrickjm3487]

This reminds me of coming home from our school party it was so beautiful when you are there and when you’re going home ya feel down and can’t stop thinking about the girls who were there in holidays and I hated when it was time to go back home all your thinking about us next year’s holidays (( Great movie and I really enjoyed it God bless ya all

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

Walberswick spotted at 4:05. The landlady at 8:07 was in Please, Sir. One thing distressingly common on beaches at the time was lumps of oil everywhere. 27:05 Covehithe is a lovely ruined church not far from Southwold. 39:30 Southwold Pier before it was developed. Love how the sky is uniformly slate grey, in mid summer

[@missmuffet3874]

Absolutely charming film. Never seen it before. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@peterfrance702]

Superbly evoked. Surely every viewer will note the extraordinary contrast with current culture. Yet all bar one are too polite to mention it such is their fibre and such is the pallor of our sour times.

[@sashanealand8315]

wait till 10 years in the future and you'll have nostalgia for now!

[@Baskerville22]

John Nettleton, playing Mr Burrill here, died just 5 days ago. I remember him from Yes Minister and Midsomer Murders (the episode about the rare orchid murders)

[@deepindercheema4917]

"I'm off to the toilets" . One of the great cinematic announcements. The toilets man ( Nettleton) is still alive, well 'pounded' sir.

[@theresadonaghy3832]

Ah, Janine Duvetski brilliant actress and comedian.

[@museonfilm8919]

She's great! If you can find it on KZbin, she makes a very early appearance in 'The Blackstuff' (early 1980's.) Well worth a watch.

[@williamavalon4830]

A lovely, nostalgic view of a now sadly lost world!

[@marconatrix]

I wouldn't say 'sadly'. Kids today, they wouldn't believe how limited it was back then.

[@thumbprint7150]

This was nostalgic, yes, and a sweet coming of age drama; but in reality those times were ghastly. Little England all buttoned up and mean-spirited. Terrible food, mostly processed (he couldn't even distinguish the flavour of the packet 'white soup'), domineering landladies / landlords in grim, grimy boarding houses (you had to stay out most of the day in some of them), adolescents with nothing to do. Rain and cold with only the odd day of sun. Enforced visits to sites of 'cultural' interest. It was all utterly drab and repressed. Victorian-era so-called respectability.

[@Lydiard91]

@@thumbprint7150 shut up boomer

[@sthelenshistorychannel]

Not a patch on 'Wish You Were Here' from the same year. Now that was a proper film!

[@robintowns2002]

Superb evocation of the 1950s. Watched it again today - coincidentally the day when the death was announced of the wonderful John Nettleton: RIP

[@stevenwilson1816]

Just watched this brilliant film again today and realised John Nettleton passed away last week, aged 94. Also Pat Heywood is still alive, aged 91.

[@hughwalker5628]

Both brilliant in this. Utterly convincing. I feel like I knew the Burrills from my pre-Ottawa days in Wooburn Green.

[@timothydigiuseppe1753]

Another gem from Michael Palin's remarkable career. Nice to see Allan Cuthbertson (Mr. Horrobin). Will always remember Allan as The Lawyer in Perfomance (1970 - Dir.: Donald Cammell/Nicholas Roeg).

[@nickmccreery3869]

Just learnt of Michael Palin's wife dying my deepest condolences Michael if you read this

[@stephenburnage7687]

I think you need to have experienced an English childhood to appreciate the irony of this movie.

[@marypartridge5154]

I loved this as it was realistic and showed the respectable middle-class with all their fussy British ways. My parents were different as they longed to get rid of me so I was allowed to gallivant all over the country and RAF camps. No wonder Palin got into comedy you would need light relief with that lot.

[@robertallen2832]

Joan Sanderson was a joy,as always.

[@martinworld7214]

Good to see Mrs Richards the other side of the reception desk !!

[@didierbion8056]

Oh thanks for posting , i had a VHS of this, brings so many memories when i lived in Hampshire. Always loved Michael Palin's productions incl The Missionary and Private Function. This is ace.

[@didierbion8056]

To complete the picture i recall attending a premiere of Private Function in Southampton Michael Palin and Maggie Smith were there together with Betty, one of the 3 pigs used for the film.

[@donaldauguston9740]

Absolutely charming! Thank you for uploading this film. I'd never heard of it and could not have enjoyed it more.

[@markstanton63]

The time when the mere possibility of a knee trembler down a cobbled back street was the highlight of a holiday ... (or your life so far). It encapsulated the whole slightly torturous trials of going on holiday with your parents at that age ..... But years later you look back on those occasions with misty minded affection ...... Beautifully written and acted ...... sweet, funny, authentic ..... and not without pathos ... Thank you for uploading.

[@conradmason87]

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond Ah yes the knee trembler what a wonderful concept...how well I remember the rain swept evenings down the cobbled back alley of many a hostelry with many a willing barmaid...yes... those were indeed the days of innocent pastimes.

[@markstanton63]

Conrad Mason You were lucky​! .... I didn't get any ' back alley' action until i was in my mid 20s ... (I don't recall any cobbles).

[@conradmason87]

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond I began at an early age and always found barmaids fairly susceptible, this was in the environs of Baker Street, Warren Street and the West End back streets where hostelry's were always, for some reason, cobbled?

[@markstanton63]

Conrad Mason Ah .... You had a fertile hunting ground at those locations. I had a traumatic experience as a naive 16 year old in the West End .... And i missed the last train back home. I did however get invited into a barn with a comely farmer's daughter whilst on holiday that summer so it evened things out. (She used the pretext of wanting to show me the newborn chicks).

[@conradmason87]

Yes, the West End was also, unfortunately, the hunting ground of many an unsavoury character... I to had many a close call as a young lad in the back streets of Soho...nevertheless I managed to escape their clutches and by a process of experience found many a comely lass to partake of ye olde knee trembler...those were, indeed, the days.

[@davidthompson4540]

I was young in 1978. Left for Canada. It was a breath of fresh air. I go back as a tourist nowadays. Love it.

[@lefranglais1155]

Ah! the heartbreaking longings of adolescence! I just about remember them - 25 years before this film was made. A gem of a film. Many thanks for the reminder...

[@SophieBird07]

Good Lord. This gives me teen angst and Im 65 yrs old. Great flick.

[@thumbprint7150]

@Spencer Proctor You are not her!

[@eunicestone838]

I was 7 years old in 1965. I am now 63 years old and still have the same boredom and angst. Lol

[@SophieBird07]

@Spencer Proctor ah but you don’t say where you are. Glad you are happy with yourself. Teen angst is stage we should all go through. Staying there....no.

[@norfolknomad]

I grew up in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth 70s. This film was right up my alley. Perfect!

[@jamesgeddes1572]

A brilliant movie so true I was 17 in 1962,

[@SojournFive]

Moons and Junes and Ferris Wheels, that dizzy dancing way you feel....They don't make em like this anymore, or did we just grow up and forget what it was really like!

[@johnhanson5943]

At the Suffolk coast today. Takes me back quite a few years - this and that.

[@thumbprint7150]

Thanks for uploading. A good depiction of the era and good acting.

[@victorjamesireland]

The sentient Michael Palin turns melancholia into enjoyable nostalgia. Charming, intelligent, and entertaining,

[@vesnahill444]

...and depressing.

[@naradaian]

Ah the Naturist….Health and Efficiency indeed.

[@justanother-couple9927]

Splendid stuff, I enjoyed it when it was first shown and haven't seen it since. Many thanks for the pleasure and the memories of life as a child, although my rememorable childhood was just a few years later than the period this is set in. I was born in the mid fifties so my memories start in the very late fifties / very early sixties but life for children was just as stultifying then.

[@briannumme9337]

I love Richard’s grey sweater!

[@alancollard8939]

michael palin must have been there like the rest of us , i have never seen this before utterly brill this was my life in the 50,s,in the south west

[@joannekucks4343]

A charming movie. I could identify. My mom was Welsh and my dad was from Brooklyn and I grew up at the New Jersey shore. She was very strict and kept a tight leash on my younger sister and me. My dad was more lenient and he would give us money to find some adventures on the boardwalk and mini golf when we were without the parents. Several British character actors I’ve seen in other favorite shows.

[@taooflovepassionandcomedy8722]

The good old days before kids ruled the world. We were lucky with R mum and dad we went to Cleethorpes and Withernesea they are rate fun times they were.

[@kevinsenior8155]

Wow! I am not quite old enough to remember the 50s, but this seems SO authentic. Incredibly boring times, but a hint of the liberation that was coming. Great job Michael.

[@MarkHenstridge]

Well done Mr Palin, I am now late for work.....how spiffy

[@barbarathompson1294]

Great story, fabulous cast.

[@TheBubkid]

Delightful movie

[@robindixon4814]

I’m surprised that the men aren’t wearing ties even at the beach with their shorts. I always said I was born in the UK 1946 wearing a tie.

[@s.claire8522]

Love period tv series. They are the best. They don't make tv like they used to, for sure.

[@lucyflower8283]

This is a cracking trip back down memory lane really enjoyed this thank-you for sharing.

[@marybarratt2649]

An excellent cast, I loved it. I think Pat Heywood is brilliant in anything. Thank you for uploading.

[@marconatrix]

The 'period' detail and ethos are effin perfect! Cringworthy-ly so. OMG it was hell being 16 in the early 60's, did I really want to be so graphically taken back and reminded? Nevertheless, a masterpiece in its way.

[@KuiWagacha]

Bless.

[@kevinhiggins910]

Even in 1971, I remember guest houses had hardly changed a few more people with long hair and that was the only difference.

[@staceykersting705]

We never wore church clothes to the beach, just bathing suits/couldn't believe what they wore on the sand! I always think of my mom as such a 'tiger mom', but we had some freedom on vacations.

[@newforestpixie5297]

Life was often hell being 16 in 1980 too - went to Torquay and Gt Yarmouth the year before with dad and his 2nd or 3rd lady - no action beyond watching Paul Daniels and ‘ the lovely Debbie Magee - a blowie from anything female would’ve made my year 🙄

[@pigknickers2975]

Oh I'm falling in love with this and I'm only 7 minutes in. I used to stay on the coast with my grandparents in Lincolnshire so I suppose I can relate to this.

[@jaxthename]

I have to watch this every now and then. 😂

[@Huaimek861]

I have loved this film ever since I first saw it on television . My father wouldn't stay in a guest house and hotels were too expensive with all the family , we had our own holiday home by the sea in Cornwall . My sister and I were subject to the same sort of rules ; on gray or rainy days we went out touring in the car with parents . I got into terrible trouble aged 17 by hiding and not going on a trip , because I wanted to see a pretty girl in the nearby town . Worse still my sister and I were invited to a party and we all went skinny dipping afterwards . My father was horriffied that his beloved daughter had been naked on the beach at night with other people .

[@pauldg837]

David Barneby I can relate to that, it must have been a generational prerequisite of all baby boomers. Needless to say, I think we visited every stately home and castle in Britain as we toured the country in a mini. Not the most comfortable of journeys', considering that there were four children in the back seat. Even worse, my parents insisted that a bit of rain hurt didn't hurt anyone, and on that note we were told to go out and play. However I was slightly more fortunate than you at 17. I persuaded my parents to let me attend a 2 week Scout camp in Sweden, which turned into a 2 month stay with a Swedish family who happened to have a beautiful girl of my age. And amazingly enough, that girl and I are still in contact, 44 years later.

[@Huaimek861]

Paul DG , One looks back on those days with so much nostalgia , even if at the time there were irritating parental frustrations . I have a similar experience to yours with the Swedish girl . By chance out for a summer evening walk in London . I was asked direction by a beautiful Italian girl . I guided her to a nearby address , her friends were away , so I offered to show her around London in the next few days . We fell in love , became lovers , we are still in contact after 56 years , I will be 80 in April and she will be 86 in August . Tho we've both been married to other people , I have loved her all these years .

[@pauldg837]

David Barneby Wow, that is an amazing story. Likewise, although both she and myself became happily married to our respective partners, there is no question that our friendship has endured through a love that we have always had for each other. I feel very fortunate and privileged to have experienced such an enduring and special friendship over the last 44 years. We shall remain soul mates forever. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@jefferychamberlain9808]

you're a dirty old porter

[@cacampbell3654]

+Jeffery chamberlain: He is not, imo! I don't know what you mean by a "porter". I'm Canadian, a feminist, female, and a sexual abuse survivor who has worked and educated others in the field. So I suspect I'm as equipped to judge the mental health of people commenting about a coming of age film as you are. Your comment on the other hand strikes me as ageist and sexist!

[@kenmccready2870]

Excellent,great cast lovely film ...!!!

[@Starchaser63]

Sad to hear about the passing of Michael's Wife , R I P 🙏

[@toddcott9510]

Having spent many happy days in Southwold, where this was filmed, it takes me back to happy holidays , Adnams bears and fish n chip's.

[@avrilcrisp5725]

Regrettably Southwold is filled with arrogant London yuppies and that ilk. Still have Adnams beer and good fish and chips, some lovely tea shops and charity shops.

[@toddcott9510]

@@avrilcrisp5725 Sadly true, all the Norfolk coast has gone that way , Wells next the sea is a good example.

[@DinsdaleDinsyPiranha]

Adnams isn't very good IMO.

[@abdulseaforth6930]

Enjoyed immensely

[@therange4033]

Oh those wet, windy days wandering wearily wherever waiting for dinner!

[@wingobingo]

Almost Mike Leigh! Great film, never tire of it

[@Lymondo]

By far the best part of this post are the comments - most entertaining.

[@simontaylor2319]

Oona Kirsch (Julia) was/is gorgeous

[@markturner4219]

Brings back many happy holiday memories. I am pleased to say the only thing my parents had in common with his was that we had the same model car. :-)

[@pcka12]

We had the Austin A55 but ours was two shades of green & known as Aida, but the lad's parents are a crusty old pair!

[@liquidsonly]

Went to my girlfriend's father's wedding in Easton. Nice place. Love Suffolk, and Norfolk. Good beer too.

[@geoffjoffy]

Back in the day when they made these little films...thanks

[@thomaswykes3647]

The opening scene was filmed in Southwold looking north on the Parade. The pink house is now grey

[@punkyduckscn2732]

The English seaside....my grandparents lived near Eastbourne.Grey and pebbly but they did have a beach hut for warming cuppas! Really enjoyed this and can imagine Michael Palin on holiday with his parents ...

[@Neldidellavittoria]

Loved the guest house manager or owner. Very funny lady.

[@xmillion1704]

It seems like she was drawn to emulate the same Torquay hotelier which influenced John Cleese to imagined Basil Fawlty. The actor here also played a perfectly rude Mrs. Richards, in a Fawlty Towers episode.

[@flybobbie1449]

Headmasters secretary from "Please Sir" kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3inh357otyDkM0

[@robertallen2832]

Smashing film, very reminiscent of the late 1950's.

[@leopemberton5439]

Brilliant movie well worth watching 👏👏👏