The Full Monty writers picket Sheffield premiere as stars gather to celebrate Disney+ reboot amid ongoing WGA strike
6 June 2023, 11:28
The writers behind the Full Monty Disney+ reboot have picketed the Sheffield premiere as part of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
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The cast of the hit 1997 film reunited once again on the red carpet in Sheffield - where the film and show are set - on Monday to celebrate the new Disney+ series.
The TV comedy is set 25 years after the action of the 90s film, which introduced the world to the group of six unemployed South Yorkshire steel workers who turn to stripping to make ends meet.
But despite the return of the popular cast, the writers behind them were noticeably absent.
British pair Simon Beaufoy and Alice Nutter, who are members of the WGA instead picketed the event, carrying placards outside the cinema.
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Ms Nutter tweeted: "Us two wrote The Full Monty TV series, Simon Beaufoy and Alice Nutter.
"We couldn’t go into our own première but we did greet the queue. WGA Writers on Strike."
Her placard read: "We love this show but we can't go - fair deal for writers."
Mr Beaufoy's said: "The Full Monty - about people, for people, by people. No AI."
Worked on The Full Monty TV show for 3 years with Simon Beaufoy but as WGA members @WGAWestwriters we are on strike so won't be doing any promo, interviews or going to our own premieres. Love this show but it is important to win WGA writers strike. Solidarity. pic.twitter.com/beiYDxFSM6
— Alice Nutter (@alicenut1) May 18, 2023
In a statement before the premiere, the duo explained: "We worked on The Full Monty TV series for over three years.
"We love this show, we put our hearts and souls into it and would like to be at the premiere - but as WGA writers, we won't be taking part in promotion until the strike is over.
"The ongoing strike and struggle to get a fair deal for writers is too important to us."
The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 members would head to the picket lines after negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers' current deal expired.
Writers say they have suffered financially during the streaming TV boom, in part due to shorter seasons and smaller residual payments.
They are seeking pay increases and changes to industry practices they say force them to work more for less money.
Half of TV series writers now work at minimum salary levels, compared with one-third in the 2013-14 season, according to Guild statistics.
