Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You Begins Shooting in Newcastle

Production began today, 11th September 2018, on director Ken Loach’s new feature film Sorry We Missed You, industry reporting confirms. Filming has started in Newcastle upon Tyne, where the shoot is expected to run for approximately six weeks.

Image: Sixteen Films

The screenplay was written by Paul Laverty, who previously collaborated with Loach on such projects as The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Sorry We Missed You is being co-produced by Loach’s Sixteen Films and Why Not, alongside the French company Les Films du Fleuve, the British Film Institute and BBC Films. Distribution in the UK will be handled by eOne.

This project reunites Loach and Laverty following their Palme d’Or-winning film I, Daniel Blake (2016). That earlier collaboration garnered widespread attention and remains one of Loach’s most notable recent releases. The new film continues the pair’s focus on contemporary social issues, this time centring on the realities of the modern gig economy.

According to production notes, Sorry We Missed You will follow a northern English family who are coping with mounting financial pressure after the 2008 economic crash. The narrative aims to examine how changes in work and employment—particularly the rise of gig and platform-based labour—affect everyday family life, security and wellbeing.

Relative newcomers Kris Hitchen and Debbie Honeywood have been cast in the lead roles, with Rhys Stone and Katie Proctor playing their children. The casting of emerging actors aligns with the filmmakers’ traditional preference for authentic, grounded performances that reflect the lived experience of the characters they portray.

Filming in Newcastle will capture the urban and regional settings that provide the backdrop for the story. The production’s schedule, set to last around six weeks, will allow the creative team to shoot on location and develop the intimate family dynamics at the heart of the script.

Ken Loach and Paul Laverty have built a long-standing director-writer partnership known for realist storytelling and social engagement. Their collaborations frequently tackle contemporary political and economic themes through personal, human-centred stories. Sorry We Missed You appears to continue that tradition by focusing on the intersection of work, family and financial precarity in the 21st century.

As of now, no official release date has been announced for Sorry We Missed You. Further production updates, casting details and distribution plans will likely be released as filming progresses and post-production begins.

This new Loach-Laverty collaboration adds to a body of work that has repeatedly drawn attention to social and economic issues in the United Kingdom and beyond. With support from prominent film organisations—the British Film Institute and BBC Films—and international partners, the film is positioned to reach both domestic and international audiences when it is ready for release.

For those following UK independent cinema, the start of principal photography on Sorry We Missed You marks a significant moment. The film’s exploration of the gig economy and its effects on ordinary families is timely and will contribute to ongoing discussions about work, welfare and social policy.