Nuts in May

[MichaelB]

Mike Leigh’s classic comedy NUTS IN MAY to be released on Blu-ray by the BFI on 10 August 2026 for its 50th Anniversary.

London, 4 June 2026 – The BFI announces that Mike Leigh’s classic and much-loved 1976 comedy Nuts in May has been added to its upcoming home entertainment slate for the third quarter of 2026. First shown in the legendary BBC1 Play for Today strand, the film, newly restored in 4K by the BBC, will be presented on Blu-ray for the first time to mark its 50th Anniversary and released on 10 August.

Nuts in May follows an uptight couple, Candice Marie and Keith, played by Alison Steadman and Roger Sloman, whose idyllic camping trip to Dorset descends into social chaos; things go from bad to worse as they contend with their difficult fellow campers.

The film has been hugely influential on British comedy films and TV shows, such as Sightseers, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer’s At Home with Vic and Bob and The League of Gentlemen and is an inspiration for many, including actor and writer Dexter Fletcher, who has previously introduced a screening of it at BFI Southbank.

The Blu-ray disc will be packaged with extras to be announced, and an illustrated booklet.

Nuts in May is available to pre-order online today from the BFI Shop and usual home entertainment retailers.

[andyli]

This is a nice surprise! I presume this was delayed from the Q3 line-up announcement. Hope there's more Leigh to follow.

[What A Disgrace]

Potential full specs:

• Newly restored by the BBC in 4K and presented in High Definition
Mike Leigh Remembers… Nuts in May (2026, 14 mins): the director looks back on one of his most influential television plays
• Director and cast Q&A (2021, audio, 43 mins): Mike Leigh, Alison Steadman, Roger Sloman, Anthony O’Donnell, Sheila Kelley and Stephen Bill are reunited on stage at BFI Southbank
• BFI London Film Festival 2024 Screen Talk: Mike Leigh (2024, 48 mins): celebrating the 2024 release of his film Hard Truths, Leigh discusses his career with writer and journalist Amy Raphael
• The Country Comes to Town (1933, 21 mins): a documentary made to help modernise the image of the farming and the British countryside
• Spring Comes to England (1934, 16 mins): documentary on the journey produce makes from field to market – including Candice Marie’s favourite, mushrooms
• Winter on the Farm (1941, 15 mins): a public information film on Upton Manor Farm in Dorset
• The Chiffy Kids: Pot Luck (1976, 19 mins): the Children’s Film Foundation favourites take a holiday under canvas
• Play Safe: Camping and Fishing (1978, 2 mins): a safety awareness film showing the dangers lurking in the countryside
FIRST PRESSING ONLY Illustrated booklet with essays on Nuts in May by Mike Leigh, John Wyver and Dr Adam Scovell and writing on the archive films by Ellen Cheshire and Vic Pratt