Meadows enrolled on a
Performing Arts course at
Burton College, where he first met friend and future collaborator
Paddy Considine. They formed the band
She Talks to Angels (inspired by a
Black Crowes song
of the same name), with Meadows as vocalist and Considine as drummer. Lead guitarist in
She Talks To Angels was
Nick Hemming, who was also a member of
the Telescopes and now fronts
The Leisure Society. Much of the content of his films is semi-autobiographical and based on his experiences in Uttoxeter.
Twenty Four Seven was inspired by his youth, both at a boxing club, and also playing in a local football club. Despite some huge losses, the club's coach never lost faith in them.
A Room for Romeo Brass was also inspired by his youth. After Paul Fraser, his best friend, neighbour and future writing partner, had a bad accident and was bed-bound for two years, Meadows hung around with some of the town's more undesirable characters. ''
Dead Man's Shoes'' is based on the more unpleasant side of his youth in Uttoxeter, where a close friend who had been bullied developed a drug problem and then committed suicide. Meadows said "I couldn't believe that, going back ten years later, he had been totally forgotten in the town – it was as if he had never existed. I was filled with anger against the people who had bullied and pushed the drugs on him, and with despair at what drugs had done to that small community". In an interview for his 2019 series
The Virtues, Meadows discussed the abuse he suffered as a nine-year old, and how the experience has undoubtedly influenced his work. Five of Meadows' films were shown at the 2007 Flourish Festival, held annually in Uttoxeter, to mark the release of
This is England (a film set in 1983). His second feature-length film,
Twenty Four Seven, won several awards at film festivals, including the
Douglas Hickox award at the
British Independent Film Awards and Best Screenplay at the
Thessaloniki Film Festival. ''
Dead Man's Shoes, his sixth film, and third starring Paddy Considine, was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Film. His seventh film This is England, won the British Independent Film Awards 2006 for best British independent film. Meadows was presented with the award by Sylvester Stallone and used the occasion to announce that he was to be a father. This is England'' also won a
BAFTA for Best British Film.
This is England has since had a series of sequels adapted into television serials. The first series,
This is England 86 (set in 1986), aired on Channel 4 in September 2010). A second series,
This is England 88 (set in 1988) was aired in December 2011. A third and final series, ''
This Is England '90 (set in 1990), was originally due to be broadcast in December 2012, but in July 2012, Shane Meadows announced that the production had been put on hold in order for him to complete his documentary about The Stone Roses, and the actors were still waiting for confirmation as to when filming would start. The series was finally broadcast in September 2015, and was met with critical acclaim. Phil Harrison of The Guardian
stated: "Shane Meadows has once again elicited some remarkable performances from his actors and the result is emotionally draining for everyone who has taken these characters to our hearts." Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy'' also wrote that "...all things considered, this series - this saga - remains an astounding accomplishment from Meadows and co-writer Jack Thorne." In 2021 the BBC announced that Meadows is to direct a tv series based on a novel by
Benjamin Myers and produced by
Element Pictures.
The Gallows Pole is a period drama set against the backdrop of the coming industrial revolution in 18th century Yorkshire. The drama follows King David Hartley as he assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a revolutionary criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history. In 2025, Meadows completed principal photography on
Chork, a film he co-wrote alongside Jack Thorne.{{cite web|website=Variety|url= https://variety.com/2025/film/global/shane-meadows-wraps-chork-first-feature-17-years-1236437832/ |date= Jun 23, 2025|title= ‘This Is England’ Director Shane Meadows Wraps Production on First Feature in 17 Years: Runaway Road Trip Movie ‘Chork,’ Co-Written by Jack Thorne|accessdate=23 June 2025 ==Filmography==