Portraying the lives and loves of three working class women living and working in Battersea, Loach’s adaptation of Nell Dunn’s novel was made for the BBC’s Wednesday Play strand, and provoked a record number of complaints at the time. The strong language and depiction of sexual promiscuity might seem tame to modern viewers, but its urgency in addressing issues around abortion gives it relevance, while its mixture of drama and documentary techniques was positively groundbreaking.

This screening is FREE but ticketed. Please book at the IFI Box Office.

This film is screening as part of Ken Loach (Part One), May 3rd – 28th. Loach’s latest film, Jimmy’s Hall, opens at the IFI on May 30th.