This Is England 86: This Is England 86 is a drama that takes place at a time when Top Gun was in cinemas and when millions of Brits were unemployed - 1986. The show picks up a few years after the original 2006 film This Is England, and follows Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) as he comes to the realisation that hell have to… More do something with his life after his final school exams. Shane Meadows, who wrote and directed the film, returns to helm this four-part series, with Jack Thorne (Skins) co-writing the scripts.