Simon Callow Stars in The Man With the Plan: A Film Celebrating William Beveridge
- Actor Simon Callow stars as historical British political figure William Beveridge in a new touring film titled The Man With the Plan, according to reporting from The Guardian.
- William Beveridge was a Liberal peer tasked with drawing up a blueprint for Britain's future social insurance and national health system following the second world war.
- The film was shot at Sands Films Studio in Rotherhithe, London, a creative hub run by Edzard and producer Olivier Stockman, according to The Guardian.
Actor Simon Callow stars as historical British political figure William Beveridge in a new touring film titled The Man With the Plan, according to reporting from The Guardian. Written and directed by Christine Edzard, the project celebrates the radical co-founder of Britain’s welfare state, examining how Beveridge’s 1942 proposals for social reform went far beyond what Winston Churchill initially anticipated.
The Origins and Impact of the 1942 Beveridge Report
William Beveridge was a Liberal peer tasked with drawing up a blueprint for Britain’s future social insurance and national health system following the second world war. Published in 1942, his official report carried the dry title Social Insurance and Allied Services. Despite that designation, the document caused an immediate public sensation. On its release day, a mile-long queue formed outside the government stationery office located in Kingsway, central London, ultimately pushing sales past 650,000 copies.
Production Details and Touring Plans for The Man With the Plan
The film was shot at Sands Films Studio in Rotherhithe, London, a creative hub run by Edzard and producer Olivier Stockman, according to The Guardian. The studio serves as a home for a cinema club, a music room, and a celebrated period costume collection. Following its production, The Man With the Plan is launching a national tour of small community venues, libraries, and independent spaces. Screenings begin on September 20 at Otley Courthouse in Leeds before moving to other towns and cities.
Cast Members and the Five Giants of Society
In the film, a young student named Flea embarks on a journey where she encounters Beveridge’s conceptual obstacles known as the five giants: want, disease, squalor, idleness, and ignorance. Newcomer Sophie Jenkin plays Flea, while Miriam Margolyes provides the voice for squalor and Alan Cox plays the devil. The cast also features appearances from campaigner and standup comedian Mark Thomas alongside Sir Michael Marmot, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London. Throughout the production, Simon Callow delivers Beveridge’s historical words verbatim.
Not just possible today, but necessary, vital, today. We have to address the causes of the causes – and they reside in those five giants of Beveridge. So we need social action, we need to rediscover the public good.
Sir Michael Marmot