It Couldn’t Happen Here (1987): Cast & Plot
It Couldn’t Happen Here is a 1987 adventure drama directed by Jack Bond, starring Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant and Gareth Hunt. It runs 1 hour 26 minutes.
English What Is It Couldn’t Happen Here About?
The premise of It Couldn’t Happen Here without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys travel across England, confronting a landscape that shifts between the nostalgic memories of their youth and the stark reality of Thatcher’s late‑1980s Britain. Along the way they encounter familiar, sometimes ominous, faces, and the film is set to some of the duo’s best‑known tracks.
It Couldn’t Happen Here Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- english schoolboy
- blind priest
- reference to pet shop boys
- postcards
- beach
- seaside resort
- man riding a bicycle
- pier
- pop music
- greasy spoon cafe
- nuns
- riding a bicycle
+38 more Show fewer
- shopkeeper
- bed and breakfast
- landlady
- breakfast
- bikers
- fortune teller
- mutoscope
- amusement arcade
- concept of time
- teacup
- jukebox
- paddington station
- paddington station london
- synth pop
- windy
- dress
- ventriloquist dummy
- bodybuilder
- aerobics
- ditch digging
- white flag
- diegetic music
- black tie
- dinner jacket
- tuxedo
- white scarf
- riding a bicycle on a beach
- song during opening credits
- inner monologue
- blown up skirt
- nude beach
- peeping tom
- view through binoculars
- reminiscing
- voice over postcard
- packing a suitcase
- inflatable boat
- inflatable toy
It Couldn’t Happen Here Cast & Characters
Chris Lowe leads the cast, with Neil Tennant and Gareth Hunt as Uncle Dredge/Postcard Seller/Ventriloquist. Directed by Jack Bond; 42 actors are credited in all.
- Director Jack Bond
- Chris Lowe as themselves
- Neil Tennant as themselves
- Gareth Hunt as Uncle Dredge/Postcard Seller/Ventriloquist
- Barbara Windsor as Seaside Landlady/Neil's mother
Also Starring in It Couldn’t Happen Here
· 38 more- Joss Ackland Priest/Murderer
- Neil Dickson Pilot/Car Salesman/Coachman
- Carmen du Sautoy Cafe Waitress
- Stephanie Buttle Dancer
- Dominique Barnes Girl at the Beach/Girl Hitchhiker/Girl on the Bicycle
- Gavin Watson Skinhead
- Mitzi Mueller Mud Wrestler
- Chris Chering Skinhead
- Symond Lawes Skinhead
- Klondyke Kate Mud Wrestler
- Tom Searle Dancer
- Christopher Hall Dancer
- Natalie Roles Dancer
- Jonathan Haley Schoolboy
- Lisa Jones Dancer
- Kevin Duffield Cast Member
Show all 42 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Heavon Grant Dancer
- Chris Tudor Dancer
- Clair Becker Dancer
- Nicholas Haley Schoolboy
- Lisa Hendry Dancer
- Emma Hendry Dancer
- Lyndsey Cole Dancer
- Michelle Nelson Dancer
- Voyd Dancer
- Paul Sexton Skinhead
- S.J. Versey Cast Member
- Wyn McLeod Cast Member
- Audrey Kirby Cast Member
- Lillian Coyle Cast Member
- Christopher Coyle Cast Member
- Christopher Gabriel Cast Member
- Terry Fisher Cast Member
- Tabby Cast Member
- The Beach Bikers Biker Gang
- The X Posse Street Corner Rappers
- Peter Salem Violinist
- Michael Bayliss Puppeteer
More from Jack Bond
More films directed by Jack Bond: The South Bank Show: Werner Herzog, Anti-Clock, Separation and Dali In New York.
It Couldn’t Happen Here Plot Summary
What happens in It Couldn’t Happen Here from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the early morning light along the Clacton-on-Sea coast in Essex, a troupe of dancers warms up on the sand while Neil Tennant rides in on a bicycle, the air alive with the song It Couldn’t Happen Here. He pedals toward a seaside kiosk to buy postcards from the shopkeeper, a moment brought to life by Gareth Hunt. The shopkeeper rails against the political faults of the modern world, but Neil stays focused, scribbling messages as the sea breeze mingles with the chatter of the promenade.
Full summary
The whole story of It Couldn’t Happen Here, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know It Couldn’t Happen Here?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which song plays while the dancers warm up on the beach at the start of the film?
Cars in It Couldn’t Happen Here
33 cars on screen, including the 1956 Ford Zephyr Six MkI and the 1979 Lincoln Continental Executive Limousine.
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1956 Ford Zephyr Six MkI Main role -
1979 Lincoln Continental Executive Limousine Important role -
1934 Ford V8 Minor role -
Harley-Davidson Panhead Custom Chopper Minor role
It Couldn’t Happen Here Also Known As
3 alternative titles, including “A Hard Day's Shopping” and “超时空漫游”.
- Also known as
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- A Hard Day's Shopping
- 超时空漫游
- Pet Shop Boys - Der Film
Seen It Couldn’t Happen Here?
Movies Like It Couldn’t Happen Here
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Pet Shop Boys: Somewhere, It’s All Happening and London Town.
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Pet Shop Boys: Somewhere 1997 -
It’s All Happening 1963 -
London Town 2016 -
The Britpop Story ‘It Really, Really, Really, Could Happen’ 2005 -
Yesterday 2019 -
Yesterday 1985 -
I’ve Been Trying to Tell You 2021 -
England Is Mine 2017 -
Here 2024 -
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978 -
This Must Be the Place 2012 -
Live It Up! 1963
It Couldn’t Happen Here FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of It Couldn’t Happen Here, each answered in a sentence.
How long is It Couldn’t Happen Here?
It Couldn’t Happen Here runs 1 hour 26 minutes (86 minutes).
When was It Couldn’t Happen Here released?
It Couldn’t Happen Here was released on November 1, 1987.
Who directed It Couldn’t Happen Here?
It Couldn’t Happen Here was directed by Jack Bond.
More films by Jack Bond Who is in the cast of It Couldn’t Happen Here?
It Couldn’t Happen Here stars Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant and Gareth Hunt as Uncle Dredge/Postcard Seller/Ventriloquist, among 42 credited actors.
Does It Couldn’t Happen Here have a post-credit scene?
No. It Couldn’t Happen Here has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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