Fisherman’s Friends: One And All – Behind The Scenes On The Surprise Sequel

It’s the hardest moment in the lifespan of any band: recording that difficult second album.

After the success of their debut album, a surprise UK top ten hit, Fisherman’s Friends were unsure with how to cope with their newfound success.

For writer/director duo Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft, there was a similar struggle – taking on directorial duties after scripting the first film in 2019, they were also left wondering whether lightning could possibly strike twice.

“The second album syndrome is real”, Moorcroft told Zavvi. “Following up anything that’s had any level of success is intimidating, especially when the hook isn’t quite as immediate as the first.

“But we quickly realised, if the first film was about their rise, this is about everything going wrong. Also, seeing these men singing sea shanties open for Beyoncé at Glastonbury, well, that’s an even better story than getting a million-pound record deal.”

“We actually went to Glastonbury with them in 2011”, Leonard added, “and the thrill of seeing them play that stage was worthy of dramatising.”

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“But we never wanted to make this a classic rock and roll story – they’re ordinary people and we want to navigate how they would deal with this success.

“It’s more of a fish out of water story, or a fishermen out of water story, than it is a classic rock biopic: there are definitely more HR departments managing talent now, it’s not like when you read an autobiography of a rock icon and see how completely out of control they were!”

As with the first film, the real group were there every step of the way – although, because of COVID restrictions, they weren’t “looking at a monitor through shooting” this time. Both Fisherman’s Friends films take plenty of creative licence with their rise to fame, introducing new characters and storylines whilst staying true to the central hook of their story, something which the band encourages.

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“We’ve been collaborating with them since 2010 and they are by far our most valuable resource as storytellers”, Leonard continued. “They gave us everything from the intimate details of their journey, such as telling Beyoncé she could share their dressing room, to highly specific Cornish knowledge that we wouldn’t have a clue about!

“Our main aim with the film was, ‘how do we make it funnier than the first, while also showing their struggles with fame?’ And what better way to do that then show them being forced into making a fish finger advert, wearing really embarrassing orange lycra bodysuits!? As filmmakers, all we wanted to do was elevate what was good about the first – visually, dramatically, comedically, and emotionally.”

“The big thing for us is that we always refer back to the big true story hook”, Moorcroft continued, “which means we can change parts of the story elsewhere. These characters are amalgamations of the real people, because we wouldn’t be able to do justice to all ten of the Fishermen if we had to devote time to ten separate subplots for each of them on-screen.”

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Jim (James Purefoy), the leader of the group, has the most impactful storyline this time around, with the film diving into his mental health struggles – how these have increased due to the pressures of fame and the band losing a member at the end of the first film. The movie may be set in the early 2010s, but this storyline was included to reflect on the past couple of years we’ve been through.

“Everybody has gone through an unprecedented challenging time during COVID”, Leonard continued. “People can now relate to someone struggling in a way that’s resonant, and we thought it would be an interesting journey to see this through someone as capable and dependable as the lead alpha male fisherman.

“It was never going to be something that we’d just shoehorn in – this is a man dealing with grief in a very personal way and that’s a universal thing we’ll all go through.”

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“The films we want to make capture the ups and downs of life for a wide audience”, Moorcroft added.

“People want to see their lives reflected on screen, but they also want a cinematic escape. We make films for people to come together to laugh and cry, so it was natural to explore heavier topics next to the lighter comic antics.

“So, on the one hand, you have the escape of these people living out their rock and roll fantasies – and on the other, the realisation that the people singing in front of 80,000 people are normal, deeply flawed human beings. And that’s where the comedy lies!”

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The Fisherman’s Friends aren’t the only rock stars who appear in One And All, with chart-topping artist Imelda May introduced as Aubrey Flynn, a singer who has left London to hide out in Cornwall, where she crosses paths with the fishermen. It’s the star’s acting debut, but there was no question she was right for the role when the director duo received her audition tape.

“We were looking for a feisty, empowered, and funny performer”, Leonard said. “We auditioned a lot of actresses, but then we got to Imelda – we’ve been fans of her as a poet and a musician for a long time.

“She put herself on tape, which is something she’d never done before, and you know she’s the real deal – so naturally engaging and emotionally fluent, with buckets of charisma and charm.”

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“It was the first time that we’d been sent a tape and everybody who saw it unanimously said that this was the person for the role. When she came to film, she just fitted in immediately – which is perfect, the movie is called One And All and that was very much our motto on set. We were filming during COVID with strict precautions, so to get through it we said at the outset that every single member of the cast and crew had to approach this like we were family.”

During lockdown, sea shanties had an unexpected resurgence amongst Gen Z thanks to a viral TikTok trend. And while the filmmakers hope this will inspire younger audiences to see the film (they promise there are “some real bangers on the soundtrack”), they didn’t find this trend surprising in any way.

As Leonard put it: “These songs are all in our DNA, even though we might not remember where we first heard them. And at the end of that lockdown, we were all looking to reconnect, and one of the easiest ways to do that is via the songs that we can all sing – even if you have no vocal talent, you can sing a shanty.”

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So, with the Fisherman’s Friends setting sail, the pair have already got to work on their next project, another biopic of an unlikely British success story: Levi Roots, who you may remember as the creator of Reggae Reggae Sauce.

The pair promise a “truly remarkable story, that’s not just a film about a guy who went on Dragon’s Den”. As big fans of his music and his condiments, we can’t wait.

Until then, we’ll go on another journey to Cornwall, for the next chapter in the Fisherman’s Friends life story.

This interview originally featured in the August 2022 edition of The Lowdown.