Then Barbara Met Alan

Written by multiple BAFTA winner Jack Thorne alongside actor turned writer Genevieve Barr, Then Barbara Met Alan stars BAFTA nominated Ruth Madeley (Don’t Take My Baby, Years and Years) as comedian and activist Barbara Lisicki and Arthur Hughes (Help, The Innocents) as singer songwriter and activist Alan Holdsworth.

Their story begins in the early 90s when many disabled people in Britain faced huge barriers in the workplace, lived in poor quality housing and couldn’t even get on inaccessible public transport. At that time, the idea that the disabled community should be the grateful beneficiaries of charity handouts was commonplace, and far from being equal independent citizens, disabled people had no rights in law. 

But Then Barbara Met Alan…

This punky and irreverent film is Directed by BAFTA winning Bruce Goodison (Anne, Murdered By My Father) and BAFTA nominated Amit Sharma (Crip Tales) with music by Chaz Jankel (The Blockheads) and Alan Holdsworth. 

The unique ensemble cast features emerging and established disabled talent, including Phillipa Cole, Reece Pantry, Fergus Rattigan, Nadeem Islam and Shreya M Patel. Their characters, like the original members of DAN, are with Barbara and Alan every step of the way, through the highs and lows of the movement and their relationship.

At its heart, this is an uplifting and irreverent love story of two extraordinary people, destined to change the world from the moment they set eyes on each other. Through their humour and unstoppable energy, disabled people find a voice and begin a journey towards gaining the rights they’ve long deserved. But as Barbara and Alan devote their lives to the cause, campaign success comes at a personal cost and the pair are eventually driven apart on the eve of their historic yet bittersweet victory.