JENNY Agutter returned to Oakworth Station today, where she joined the cast of The Railway Children Return for the world premiere of the film.
The sequel to The Railway Children, which Jenny starred in at the age of 17, sees her back playing Bobbie, now a grandmother in wartime Yorkshire.
Today Jenny and the cast, including Sheridan Smith and Sir Tom Courtenay, were at Oakworth Station to board a steam train known as ‘Big Jim’ - driven by Nicholas Hellewell, who drove one of the trains in the original film - along the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway to the premiere. The red carpet screening was held at Keighley Picturehouse, where crowds gathered to see the stars arrive.
“It feels quite emotional to be here,” said Jenny. “I first stepped on the footplate of a train here and I’ve loved steam trains ever since.”
She said the film, about young evacuees arriving in Yorkshire by train, has a poignant resonance with children today: “It is, as E Nesbitt’s original story was, a way of seeing the world as children see it. We had no idea when we were filming that children would soon be leaving their homes and families in Ukraine, by train. Ultimately I think our film is a story of hope.”
Sheridan Smith, who play Bobbie’s daughter, said locations such as Oakworth, Haworth and Saltaire, are integral. “It could only be filmed here, with these stunning locations and trains,” she said. “The original film means so much to people, I used to watch it with my mum and dad, and it’s lovely to take it forward with a new set of children. They were a proper little gang, I loved being with them. When I joined them they'd formed a really strong bond and they made me part of that. They left me little notes.”
Austin Haynes, who attends Bradford theatre school Articulate, celebrates his 14th birthday today. He has a starring role in the
film, playing Bobbie's grandson and the son of Sheridan’s character, Annie.
Said Austin: “We were in a bubble when filming, because of Covid, so we really bonded. It was great to run on the railway track, where Jenny filmed over 50 years ago. She told us stories of when she made the original film. It's great to take it into a new generation. All this feels like being part of something special.”
American actor Kenneth Aikins plays a young GI. He said: “This was my first time in Yorkshire, it’s beautiful. It’s like going back in time. I did some research into the segregation of black and white GIs in the American army during the war. It was shocking to learn about the racism that was going on then.”
Game of Thrones actor John Bradley, who plays stationmaster Perks, said: “I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. I felt very lucky to film here.
"People are so emotionally connected to the original film. I hope our movie will have that effect on a new generation. America seems to have cornered the market in family films. This is a film with very British locations."
Referring to Bernard Cribbins, who played the original Perks, he added: “His performance was so iconic. It wasn't about doing an impression of him, I just picked certain aspects of his character. For me it’s about how my Perks connects to Bernard’s character. The uniform did all the work really! Once I had the uniform on, I felt it commanded an element of respect.”
Director Morgan Matthews said most of the filming took place locally, at locations including the Bronte Parsonage Museum and railway sheds in Oxenhope. “That’s unusual for a shoot, but so much of the story came from the geography,” he said. “We were lucky to still have locations people recognise from the original.”
Did he feel a sense of responsibility, making a sequel to such a beloved film? "It became a sense of responsibility during the shoot, when I saw the following the film has. I don't think I was prepared for that," he said. "The film being so widely loved was a good foundation, but this film stands on its own feet.
"The World War Two setting explores what displaced children go through. Watching the opening scene, when children are leaving their families at a train station, is very difficult when you think of what children in Ukraine have been going through. Also, I first read the script during the pandemic, when many of us were forced to spend time away from our families. As a father of two young children, I reflected on that."
Producer Jemma Rodgers added: "I hope there is a big sense of hope in this film - and that things come around, and they pass.
“At its heart, this film is about the resilience of children finding a family that isn't a blood family.
"I lived near Haworth and I know these locations inside out. There’s something very rugged, gritty and resilient about them, even the way the trees are bowed. It meant everything to film here - that and the fact that Jenny, who gets offered so much 'Railway Children' stuff, saw something so appealing in it. And the railway is a gift!”
* The Railway Children Return is in cinemas from July 15.
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