Everything you need to know about Everybody's Talking About Jamie the movie 💄
It's finally here!
It's been a very long wait thanks to the pandemic, but the film adaptation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie has finally arrived!
Earlier this year, it was announced that the long-awaited film adaptation will now be landing on Amazon Prime on 17th September after the initial release being postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director Jonathan Butterell said: “I am thrilled that our film - the story of taking your place in the world with joy, pride and acceptance - will be winging its way across the world with the Amazon Family. Let’s come together to celebrate the glorious and fabulous uniqueness of each and every one of us.”
Here you can find out how to watch as well as learn about the documentary that inspired it all to checking out the who's who of the star-studded cast, here's everything we know about Everybody's Talking about Jamie!
Watch the new trailer for Everybody's Talking About Jamie
When will the film version of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie be released?
Everybody's Talking About Jamie film was released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on 17th September.
How can I watch Everybody’s Talking About Jamie?
If you have an Amazon Prime subscription you will be able to watch the film at no extra cost, Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, games consoles, on Virgin’s V6 TV Box, the Talk Talk TV set top box, Apple TV, Chromecast, BT TV, or online. Everybody's Talking About Jamie will have a 12A age rating.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Plot
Based on a true story, this musical film follows Jamie New, (Max Harwood) a 16-year-old from Sheffield as he takes on his school, his bullies, and his disapproving father (Ralph Ineson) as he decides to go to his school prom in full drag.
Along the way he meets Hugo, (Richard E Grant) a former drag queen once known as Loco Chanelle. With the support of Hugo, Jamie’s best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel), and his mother (Sarah Lancashire) Jamie is able to be his true self.
Meet the film’s cast
This will be the film debuts of Max Harwood and Lauren Patel who will be playing Jamie New and his best friend Pritti respectively. The pair will be staring along with acting veteran Richard E. Grant who will be donning his high heels for the first time as Jamie’s mentor Hugo (AKA Loco Chanelle)
Max Harwood as Jamie New
Max Harwood makes his film debut Jamie New.
Lauren Patel as Pritti
Lauren Patel will also be making her feature film debut as Jamie's best friend Pritti.
Richard E. Grant as Hugo/Loco Chanelle
Actor Richard E. Grant dons the high heels as he plays the role of Hugo AKA Loco Chanelle. Grant has appeared in numerous films most recently Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.
Sarah Lancashire as Margaret
Sarah Lancashire will be playing the role of Jamie's mother. Sarah is known for her work on Coronation Street as well as Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax which won her Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
The Queens
The film also has some iconic British drag queens playing the roles of Hugos friends who help Jamie with his first performance.
Dan Wallace/Anna Phylactic plays Tray Sophistica, Anna is a Manchester Queen known for Channel 4's Drag SOS.
Gareth Joyner/Myra Dubois plays Laika Virgin. Myra is often found in bars around the country reminding people that she's "off the telly" having recently appeared as a semi-finalist on Britain's Got Talent.
Ola Jide/Son of a Tutu plays Sandra Bollock. Son of a Tutu is regarded as drag royalty and would usually be found at some of London's finest establishments such as the Admiral Duncan and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Shobna Gulati as Ray
Shobna Gulati will be playing Margaret's best friend Ray. You may recognise Shobna from Coronation Street or recently in Doctor Who. She also played the role of Ray in the West End production.
Adeel Akhtar as Iman Massood
Adeel Akhtar will be playing the role of Iman Massood, who we don't know anything about yet as this character doesn't exist in the stage production. Adeel has appeared in many well know films and TV shows such as Four Lions, Killing Eve, and the Les Misérables TV series.
Sharon Horgan as Miss Hedge
Sharon Horgan will be playing Jamie's not-so-supportive teacher Miss Hedge. She is known for Catastrophe as well as lending her voice to Netflix's Disenchantment.
Ralph Ineson as Wayne New
Ralph Ineson will be playing Jamie's disapproving father, Wayne. Ralph has made numerous appearances in film and TV including Guardians of the Galaxy, Chernobyl, and Game of Thrones and The Office.
John McCrea as Young Hugo
John McCrea returns to the world of Everybody's Talking About Jamie to play a younger version of Hugo. John originated the role of Jamie when the production opened in Sheffield and continued in the role for the original West End cast.
The history of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The film is based on the show that’s based on the true story of Jamie Campbell, a schoolboy from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, who defied his teachers and bullies as he went to his school prom in drag. The story originally drew the attention of the BBC, who produced the documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 for BBC Three.
The stage musical of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie opened in Sheffield back in February 2017 with John McCrea in the lead role. The production was directed by Jonathan Butterell and choreographed by Kate Prince. The show transferred to the West End and opened at the Apollo Theatre, London in November 2017.
The show became a hit and won Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2018. There have been some notable names taking on roles during the run of the production such as West End star Layton Williams, EastEnders actor Shane Richie, RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage and season six winner Bianca Del Rio to name a few.
The show was forced to shut in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but made a short return for two days in December just before London was plunged back into Tier 3 restrictions forcing them to close their doors once again. At the time of writing there is no date for when London theatres will be allowed to open but we expect Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to bounce back as soon as they do.
Who wrote the music?
The music for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was written by The Feeling frontman Dan Gillespie Sells with the lyrics written by playwright and TV writer Tom MacRae, who also wrote the book for the stage show.
Will there be any new music on the film’s soundtrack?
The film will include a brand-new original song by the same writers of the stage show titled 'This Was Me'. The new song will be sung by Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Holly Johnson and will delve further into Hugo’s backstory as a gay man living through the AIDS crisis and fighting against Margaret Thatcher’s section 28, a homophobic ruling that prevented the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools.
Director Jonathan Butterell described the song as “a big dance track, like a needle-drop,” when speaking to Empire Magazine. “What Hugo has to teach Jamie is history. He has to teach a young queer kid what shoulders he’s standing on. Even the queer community can forget what rights they have now comes on the back of the fight of other people.”