British Comedy Guide
Withnail & I. Image shows from L to R: I (Paul McGann), Withnail (Richard E. Grant). Copyright: Hand Made Films
Withnail & I

Withnail & I

  • 1987 film

Film following the drink-and drug-fuelled misadventures of two struggling actors in a squalid London flat and an isolated Lake District cottage. Stars Paul McGann, Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick and more.

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Press clippings

Diaries of actor who inspired character of Withnail to be auctioned in London

Vivian MacKerrell - who really did drink lighter fluid - shared a house with Withnail and I director Bruce Robinson.

Sammy Gecsoyler, The Guardian, 25th June 2024

Full cast announced for Withnail & I on stage

Full casting has been announced for the world premiere stage adaptation of Withnail And I, based on the film of the same name.

Alex Wood, What's On Stage, 3rd April 2024

How Withnail & I went from cult to classic

The inside story of Bruce Robinson's beloved movie - and its darker take on the 60s - as a new book is released that will please fans hungry for more Withnail lore.

Ben Gilbert, i Newspaper, 13th October 2023

Withnail & I to premiere as stage show in 2024

Bruce Robinson's 1987 British comedy film Withnail & I is being adapted as a stage show. It will premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in May 2024.

British Comedy Guide, 12th October 2023

Withnail And I: How a Beatle-funded comedy about alcoholic actors became a cult classic

The boozy British comedy classic was produced by Beatle George Harrison and made stars out of Richard E Grant and Paul McGann, but its initial cinema release went almost unnoticed. Nick Duerden looks at the film's chequered road to cult status.

Nick Duerden, The Independent, 10th September 2023

Withnail & I producer Paul Heller dies at 93

Paul Heller, the US producer whose credits included Withnail & I, died on December 28. He was 93.

Jeremy Kay, Screen Daily, 31st December 2020

Withnail and all of us

The cult tragicomedy captures the spirit of post-imperial Britain.

Janan Ganesh, The Financial Times, 27th June 2020

Ten of the best comedy films to make you laugh

Ed Potton picks his favourite movie comedies, including Monty Python's Life Of Brian and Paddington 2.

Ed Potton, The Times, 14th May 2020

Withnail and I: Cult classic turns 30

Charting the travails of two out-of-work actors in the dying days of the 1960s, British film comedy Withnail and I has staggered to its 30th birthday. Star Richard E Grant looks back at its filming and considers whether anyone else could have tackled the role that put him on the road to Hollywood. Chin chin!

Simon Armstrong, BBC, 16th April 2017

Withnail And I and the meaning of life

Thirty years on, this film's tragedy and comedy speak to us still.

Patrick West, Spiked, 14th April 2017

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