Behind the scenes: Shane Meadows’ The Virtues

“We broke a lot of the rules for how you are supposed to make a TV drama,” says producer Mark Herbert about the production of Shane Meadows’ new film The Virtues.

The Virtues features Meadows’ trademark mix of humanity, revenge, tragedy and bittersweet humour familiar from 2004 crime thriller Dead Man’s Shoes and four series of This is England, the Bafta-winning study of British subculture. But it also represents something of a departure for Meadows.

“This is clearly authored by Shane which means it has a huge heart, incredibly powerful performances and that mix of humour he finds in characters and situations, but this is very much a focus on one man rather than an ensemble piece,” Herbert explains.

Stephen Graham (who played Combo in This is England and also features in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Irishman) is Joseph, a moral yet troubled man with repressed memories who travels to Ireland to confront demons from a childhood spent in the care system. Helen Behan (also from This Is England), plays Anna, the sister Joseph hasn’t seen since they were separated as children. Frank Laverty (Michael Collins, Angela’s Ashes) is her husband.

• Read more: Behind the scenes: Dumbo

“It’s a story that Shane has wanted to tell for a while even before This is England began…