The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Name on the Knife Blade: Roy Hattersley Re-Visits Sheffield
Forever the politician, here Roy Hattersley defends the building of Parkhill flats, laments the passing of cricket in Sheffield, and cheers on Sheffield Wednesday.
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Overview
On the occasion of his mother, Enid, becoming Mayor of Sheffield in 1981, Roy Hattersley takes time out from fighting the left-wing in the labour Party and addressing the issues around the Brixton riots to make a film of his home city. Among his favourite haunts are Hillsborough, watching Sheffield Wednesday, the cricket pavilion at Brammal Lane, shortly before demolition, the old steelworks he once, briefly, worked in, and his old city council desk.
Presumably, Hattersley’s mother Enid, on becoming Mayor in May 1981, prompted YTV to get her son Roy to make this film. At the time Hattersley was Shadow Home Secretary, and it was a politically turbulent time for him. The previous November he unsuccessfully ran Denis Healey’s campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party, leading to four of his colleagues leaving the Labour Party to form the SDP in March. And he was soon plunged into another battle when Healy was challenged by Tony Benn for the deputy leadership in the summer, when riots erupted in many cities. Furthermore, Sheffield Wednesday finished mid-table, and the cricket pavilion at Bramall Lane was demolished shortly after (the clock was saved).
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