7. Context

Available for over a year

Jean Menzies and Carl Anka take a look at what was going on in the 1980s when Willy Russell's Blood Brothers was written. They discuss how this context is reflected in the play when it was first performed. Conservative party leader Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. Britain suffered an economic downturn and unemployment soared. Willy Russell would have seen this first hand in his home city of Liverpool. Some of this context is directly reflected in the play when Russell shows the effects of unemployment on Micky's self-esteem. Jean and Carl use extracts of the play to illustrate these themes and pick out the best quotes for you to use in your exam. This episode includes conversations about mental health. Suitable for: AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas