Looks and Smiles

Thatcherism and the Irish troubles provide the backdrop for this study of Mick, a well-meaning youth in Sheffield, who has, unlike Dickens' Pip, no expectations. Mick lives with his parents, works on his motorbike, looks for work, and every two weeks gets his check from the dole. There are no jobs. His best mate Alan joins the army to fix tanks and is sent to Belfast to quell Catholics. At a disco, Mick meets Karen, who works at a shoe shop and lives with her recently-separated mom. Karen misses her dad. She offers Mick emotional stability and a route to adulthood; Alan pitches the army. Does Mick have a future?

Cast

Graham Green

Michael 'Mick' Walsh

Carolyn Nicholson

Karen Lodge

Tony Pitts

Alan Wright

Roy Haywood

Phil

Phil Askham

Mr Walsh

Pam Darrell

Mrs Walsh

Tracey Goodlad

Julie

Patti Nicholls

Mrs Wright

Cilla Mason

Mrs Lodge

Les Hickin

George