This lively, low-budget documentary about Labour MP Dennis Skinner won’t win the 85-year-old Derbyshire native any new fans, but is nevertheless an absorbing portrait of “the Beast of Bolsover”. Director Daniel Draper has spoken about not wanting to date the film with too many references to current issues (indeed, the film was mostly shot in 2014, some time before Brexit or Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership). As a celebration of old-school socialism and a historical account of Skinner’s class-conscious rabble-rousing, it’s effective enough, but Draper’s tendency towards timelessness means his film lacks urgency, suggesting a reluctance of the Labour party’s old guard to engage with contemporary politics.
