Danny The Champion Of The World

Originally made for TV but released at cinemas in the UK, this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story teams actor Jeremy Irons with his son Samuel, who plays the Danny of the title (Sam’s granddad, Cyril Cusack, pops up as the local doctor). It’s 1955, and Danny and his widowed dad (Irons) live in a caravan on a small piece of land, but their way of life comes under threat from mean businessman Victor Hazell (Coltrane), who wants the land for himself. So when Hazell decides to hold a lavish pheasant shoot for the local gentry, Sam and his dad see an opportunity to get rid of him once and for all.
With a cast that also includes Jimmy Nail, Jean Marsh from Upstairs Downstairs, Michael Hordern and Lionel Jeffries, this is an old-fashioned British film that’s sweet and nice rather than exciting or adventure-packed.