British World War 2 classic film is on TV this Bank Holiday Weekend | Films | Entertainment

Back in 1949, Ealing Studios released their comedy classic Whisky Galore! starring Basil Redford, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood and Gordon Jackson.

Based on the 1947 novel of the same name, the story is a true account of a World War 2 event.

Scottish islanders off the coast of the Outer Hebrides have run out of whisky due to wartime rationing.

However, they are overjoyed to discover that the SS Politician has run aground and the shipwreck contains 50,000 cases of the booze.

The whisky enthusiasts meet their match, though, as it is a Sunday and the local teetotallers alongside the Customs and Excise men object to the salvage.

Whisky Galore! was shot on the island of Barra, where poor weather meant the shoot overran its 10 week stint by five weeks and filming went £20,000 over budget. Released in 1949, it came out the same year as Passport to Pimlico and Kind Hearts and Coronets, making it one of the best years for Ealing comedies. In 1999, the film was voted the 24th greatest British film of all time by the BFI.

A remake of the same name, starring Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, Sean Biggerstaff, and Naomi Battrick, was released in 2016.

Whisky Galore! is on BBC Two at 10:20am on Bank Holiday Monday, and its 2016 remake is streaming on BBC iPlayer