The new television series Pistol is easily one of the most anticipated biopics of the year that sees the rise of punk in 1970s London. Lauded Scottish director Danny Boyle of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire fame is directing a young cast that follows the beginnings of the anarchic Sex Pistols.
The series marks Boyle’s first release since Yesterday, a romantic comedy that follows a man who finds himself in a world without the Beatles. It looks at the early days of the band and their relationships with some of London’s most notable faces at the time, such as Vivianne Westwood, who helped to pioneer the punk movement.
What is Pistol about?
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The six-part series is based on Steve Jones’ 2017 memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, and features Toby Wallace, Jacob Slater, Anson Boon, Christian Lees and Louis Partridge as the members of the raucous punk band. The story charts the band’s rise to notoriety and touches on Sid Vicous’s violent relationship with Nancy Spungen, who was found dead with a single stab wound in 1978.
The official synopsis for the series reads: "The furious, raging storm at the centre of the rock and roll revolution are the Sex Pistols - and at the centre of this series is Sex Pistols’ founding member and guitarist, Steve Jones.
"Jones’ hilarious, emotional and at times heart-breaking journey guides us through a kaleidoscopic telling of three of the most epic, chaotic and mucus-spattered years in the history of music."
John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) has said it’s “the most disrespectful sh*t” he’s “ever had to endure” and tried to stop his ex-bandmates from licensing the band's music for the series. Paul Cook and Steve Jones sued Lydon to allow their songs to feature in the series and won the legal battle in August 2021.
Who is in the cast of Pistol?
The young cast stars Australian actor Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) as the Sex Pistol’s guitarist and the show’s lead. Other notable faces include Games of Throne’s Maisie Williams as Pamela Rooke - known more commonly as Jordan, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually) as the band’s illustrious manager, Malcolm McLaren, and Derry Girl’s Dylan Llewellyn.
The show was created for screen by Craig Pearce through FX with Danny Boyle directing all six episodes. Bandmember and memoir author Steve Jones is also an executive producer. Production occurred in Hemel Hempstead, Dover, Deal and London.
Cast:
Toby Wallace as Steve Jones
Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten
Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious
Jacob Slater as Paul Cook
Christian Lees as Glen Matlock
Dylan Llewellyn as Wally Nightingale
Sydney Chandler as Chrissie Hynde
Emma Appleton as Nancy Spungen
Alexander Arnold as Jamie Reid
Maisie Williams as Pamela Rooke
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren
Talulah Riley as Vivienne Westwood
Beth Dillon as Siouxsie Sioux
Where can I watch Pistol?
The six-part series is available on the streaming service Disney+ from May 31, 2022. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
