The Ploughman's Lunch

The Ploughman's Lunch

An age of deceit... A man of our times

1983 · 107 min · ★ 4.8 · Drama

As the UK begins its military engagement in the Falklands, a BBC news journalist attempts to climb up from his working-class roots, at any cost, lying to those around him to get what he wants, only to discover that he is the recipient of a deception far more clever than his own.

Directed by Richard Eyre · Written by Ian McEwan

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Shout! Factory Amazon Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon Video

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 57m together

The Ploughman's Lunch

The Cherry Orchard

Both from Richard Eyre.

More from Richard EyreSee all →

AtonementAtonement · 2007
Atonement
7.62007
MovieDramaRomance
A young girl irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
ComediansComedians · 1979
Comedians
7.51979
MovieDramaComedy
Comedians is a TV movie/play by Trevor Griffiths, set in a Manchester evening class for aspiring working-class comedians.
10 Minute Tales10 Minute Tales · 2009
10 Minute Tales
7.52009
SeriesComedyDrama
The biggest names in writing, acting and directing come together in a series of shorts on Sky1 HD this festive period. Experience a novel Noel with these original, uplifting and highly creative slices of silent cinema that prove actions do speak louder than words. Starring Mackenzie Crook, Bill Nighy, Peter Capaldi, Ross Kemp, and a host of major stars, each of the 10 Minute Tales promises to be a unique and engaging look at life, loss, and love.
The Hollow CrownThe Hollow Crown · 2012
The Hollow Crown
7.42012
SeriesDramaHistory
A series of British television films featuring William Shakespeare's History Plays.
Screen TwoScreen Two · 1985
Screen Two
7.11985
SeriesDrama
Series of single made-for-television dramas.
Notes on a ScandalNotes on a Scandal · 2006
Notes on a Scandal
7.12006
MovieDramaRomance
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.
The Cherry OrchardThe Cherry Orchard · 1981
The Cherry Orchard
7.01981
MovieDramaTV Movie
Madame Ranevsky and her daughter Anya return home from Paris to find their beloved family estate and cherry orchard are to be auctioned off to pay debts. Lopahin, a former serf on the estate who is now a wealthy landowner, proposes razing the home and cherry orchard and dividing the estate into plots that could be leased at great profit. The family, however, continues to hold out hope that their beloved home can somehow be saved from destruction.
Remembers…Remembers… · 2022
Remembers…
7.02022
SeriesDocumentaryTalk
What are the secrets of our favourite TV shows? Famous names from both sides of the camera reflect on making some of the most popular and influential programs of all time.
Richard IIIRichard III · 1995
Richard III
6.81995
MovieDramaWar
Having helped his brother King Edward IV take the throne of England, the jealous hunchback Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to seize power for himself. Masterfully deceiving and plotting against nearly everyone in the royal court, including his eventual wife, Lady Anne, and his brother George, Duke of Clarence, Richard orchestrates a bloody rise to power before finding all his gains jeopardized by those he betrayed.
Stage BeautyStage Beauty · 2004
Stage Beauty
6.62004
MovieComedyRomance
Humble Maria, who outfits top London theater star Ned Kynaston, takes none of the credit for the male actor's success at playing women. And because this is the 17th century, Maria, like other females, is prohibited from pursuing her dream of acting. But when powerful people support her, King Charles II lifts the ban on female stage performers. And just as Maria aided Ned, she needs his help to learn her new profession.
Play for TodayPlay for Today · 1970
Play for Today
6.61970
SeriesDrama
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.
The Children ActThe Children Act · 2018
The Children Act
6.62018
MovieDrama
In the midst of a marital crisis, a High Court judge must decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite his family's refusal to accept medical treatment for religious reasons.
IrisIris · 2001
Iris
6.42001
MovieDramaRomance
True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Suddenly, Last SummerSuddenly, Last Summer · 1993
Suddenly, Last Summer
6.41993
MovieDramaTV Movie
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.
PerformancePerformance · 1991
Performance
6.31991
SeriesDrama
An anthology series of various plays and dramatic performances.
The DresserThe Dresser · 2015
The Dresser
6.22015
MovieDramaTV Movie
One fateful night in a small English regional theatre during World War II a troupe of touring actors stage a production of Shakespeares King Lear. Bombs are falling, sirens are wailing, the curtain is up in an hour but the actor/manager Sir who is playing Lear is nowhere to be seen. His dresser Norman must scramble to keep the production alive but will Sir turn up in time and if he does will he be able to perform that night? The Dresser is a wickedly funny and deeply moving story of friendship and loyalty as Sir reflects on his lifelong accomplishments and seeks to reconcile his turbulent friendships with those in his employ before the final curtain.

More Like This

Love ActuallyLove Actually · 2003
Love Actually
7.12003
MovieComedyRomance
Eight very different couples deal with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.
Dial M for MurderDial M for Murder · 1954
Dial M for Murder
8.01954
MovieThrillerCrime
When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder her and inherit her fortune.
Bend It Like BeckhamBend It Like Beckham · 2002
Bend It Like Beckham
6.32002
MovieComedyDrama
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Finding NeverlandFinding Neverland · 2004
Finding Neverland
7.32004
MovieDramaFantasy
During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.
Pandora's BoxPandora's Box · 1929
Pandora's Box
7.41929
MovieDramaCrime
The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the GirlBroken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl · 1919
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
6.91919
MovieDramaRomance
The love story of an abused English girl and a Chinese Buddhist in a time when London was a brutal and harsh place to live.
Blow-UpBlow-Up · 1966
Blow-Up
7.31966
MovieDramaMystery
A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he unknowingly captures a death on film.
The PrestigeThe Prestige · 2006
The Prestige
8.22006
MovieDramaMystery
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
The Remains of the DayThe Remains of the Day · 1993
The Remains of the Day
7.41993
MovieDramaRomance
A rule-bound head butler's world of manners and decorum in the household he maintains is tested by the arrival of a housekeeper who falls in love with him in post-WWI Britain. The possibility of romance and his master's cultivation of ties with the Nazi cause challenge his carefully maintained veneer of servitude.
The Good ShepherdThe Good Shepherd · 2006
The Good Shepherd
6.42006
MovieDramaThriller
Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion, qualities that help him to be recruited for a career in the newly founded OSS. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.
Breaking and EnteringBreaking and Entering · 2006
Breaking and Entering
6.12006
MovieDramaRomance
Set in a blighted, inner-city neighbourhood of London, Breaking and Entering examines an affair which unfolds between a successful British landscape architect and Amira, a Bosnian woman – the mother of a troubled teen son – who was widowed by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sliding DoorsSliding Doors · 1998
Sliding Doors
6.61998
MovieComedyDrama
Helen, a London ad executive, is fired from her job and rushes out to catch a train, but, as she runs down, her life suddenly splits off. In one version she catches the train; in the second, she misses it. Her whole life changes in that one second, and the rest of the film depicts what happens in each scenario.
Mona LisaMona Lisa · 1986
Mona Lisa
6.91986
MovieCrimeDrama
George is a small-time crook just out of prison who discovers his tough-guy image is out of date. Reduced to working as a minder/driver for high class call girl Simone, he has to agree when she asks him to find a young colleague from her King's Cross days. That's when George's troubles just start.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter