Craggy (Shaun Thomas), Young Liam (Oscar Kennedy), Ralph (Samuel Bottomley), Addy (Aqib Khan)
Liam Williams’ critically acclaimed coming-of-age comedy, Ladhood, returns to BBC Three next week.
Freshly heartbroken, Liam looks back at his noughties’ adolescence in search of answers to his modern-day millennial angst.
Meanwhile the lads are navigating the onset of adulthood – dating, driving, dive-bars and drug-taking in suburban Leeds.
Episode one: Results
Liam is on a date for the first time since his all-too-recent breakup with Jess. With a bit of help from an ‘icebreaker’ app, everything seems to be going well. But when his date asks Liam about the last time he felt completely happy, he’s thrust back into memories of his adolescence.
Leeds, early noughties: GCSE results day and Liam is secretly overjoyed to have nailed his exams and bested his friends academically. But when thoughts turn to that evening’s big night out in Leeds City Centre, a new sort of competition rears its ugly head.
Episode two: On The Road
In the wake of his break-up with Jess, Liam devotes himself to a healthier and more productive lifestyle. At the age of 33, he decides it’s finally time he learned to drive.
Leeds, early noughties: Ralph – being the first to turn 17 – is only days away from his driving test and the lads are pinning all their hopes on him passing. For Liam, it’s a ticket to freedom and adventure. But when he realises it’s harder to escape the mundanity of life than he first thought, his frustrations boil over.
Back in the present day, the reality of driving isn’t living up to Liam’s fantasy either.
Episode three: Indie
Liam’s best friend, Ross, tells him he doesn’t want him to be best man at his wedding. Wounded, Liam stages a disastrous ‘intervention’ for his mates which leaves him ostracised from the group. Fortunately, he soon meets some new, charming – if suspiciously well-bred – friends at work.
Leeds, early noughties: Liam has still not replaced Craggy’s hula hoe and tensions boil over, causing a rift between Liam and the lads. Meanwhile, at sixth form Liam is courting a more cultured set of friends – the indie lot. Though he soon questions whether they’re as cool as they first appeared.
Episode four: Mary
Liam abandons Ross’s stag do and accepts an invitation back to the house of an older woman in the depths of the countryside. While passing around a weed vape, the woman and her friends begin to share spooky stories. Liam offers up his own story, revealing the scariest thing that ever happened to him, when he was 16 years old…
Leeds, early noughties: Bored and in search of adventure, Liam persuades the lads to do an all-nighter in a local wood. On the way, they bump into Rupert and Tin Head who warn the lads that the woods are haunted by a ghost called Mary Pannal. Pannal was accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake in the 17th century. Liam brushes off the story but when strange things begin to happen that night, he starts to question whether the rumours are true.
Episode five: Black Stones
Ross asks Liam to record a short ‘congratulations’ message to be played at his upcoming wedding. But when Liam sees his ex-girlfriend Jess is impressed by another guest’s video, his competitive instincts kick in and he hires a cinematographer to help realise his grand vision.
Leeds, early noughties: Having procrastinated for weeks, Liam now only has the weekend to finish his Media Studies project – a short film about people and place. Despite Mr Dreyfus’s advice to ‘keep it simple,’ Liam’s ego gets the better of him, and he enlists Addy, Craggy and Ralph to help make a kitchen-sink style cinematic masterpiece about a miner, set in 1960s Yorkshire.
Episode six: The Big Day
It’s Ross’s wedding day. With Liam’s ex-girlfriend due to attend as a bridesmaid, Ross asks Liam not to do anything ‘weird’ on his big day. But Liam seem suspiciously relaxed under the circumstances.
Leeds, early noughties: It’s Rachel’s 18th birthday party and things are off to a bad start. Ralph is hammered on arrival, Craggy has a condom on his head and Addy has taken a vow of silence. Liam, meanwhile, is uncharacteristically calm and positive. Especially considering his ex-girlfriend Katy is at the party. Is this just a ruse to try and win her back? And if so, how long can he keep it up?