Where were you in 1987? If you were there, you might remember that the charts were dominated by Rick Astley, Pet Shop Boys and T’Pau, James Bond returned in The Living Daylights and the re-election of Margaret Thatcher dominated UK politics. If that’s jogged your memory, you might also remember a four-part Yorkshire Television programme called On the Manor, about life on the Manor Estate of council housing in Sheffield.

Sheffield’s Manor estate was developed in the 1920s, rehousing thousands who had lived in overcrowded Victorian back-to-backs. By 1987, after years of neglect, the demolition crews had moved in, and the community was again forced into coming to terms with change. Filmed over six months in 1987 against a backdrop of industrial closures, high unemployment, and the looming general election, On the Manor was a documentary snapshot of a community in flux.  

At the time, Manor was the site of the country’s largest council house rebuilding scheme. Over 1600 homes would be demolished, but only 500 new ones built, fragmenting and dispersing the community to new homes across the city. As bulldozers ate their way through chimneys and walls, director Peter Gordon provided a portrait of the remaining residents, creating a record of Manor as it really was.  

After the four-part film aired on television in 1987, it has rarely been seen. Fans of the film have long shared video recordings and clips on YouTube, but for a film that is so brilliantly made and still thematically relevant in the current climate, it’s long overdue a full revival. That’s why on 1 December, Showroom Cinema and Yorkshire Film Archive are teaming up to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the film by showing a feature-length selection of highlights from On the Manor on the big screen for the first time.  

On the Manor is a programme about strength and resilience and a community fighting to survive despite the broken promises of planners and policy. One of the very best films made in Sheffield, the film is a must-see portrait of the city whether you remember 1987 or you weren’t yet born then. 

Do you remember On the Manor? Were you in the film or remember it being filmed? If you do and would like to share any memories ahead of the event on 1 December, please contact Ryan Finnigan at [email protected]

Tickets for TV Time Machine are now on sale. 

On the Manor is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network. 

This article first featured in the Sheffield Telegraph on Thursday 24 November 2022.