The director of Full Monty, the (1997) Peter Cattaneo, brings together a great British cast to play a bunch of loveable prison inmates who stage an amateur musical as a smoke screen for an elaborate escape plan, the consequences of which are hilarious and unpredictable, particularly when a blossoming romance gets in the way.

An original idea by Peter Cattaneo, the script was written by novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett, and stars James Nesbitt, Olivia Williams, Lennie James, Timothy Spall and Christopher Plummer. Also on board are producer Barnaby Thompson, Stephen Fry, who provided the lyrics to the musical in the film, and composer Anne Dudley, who wrote the score.

Peter Cattaneo came up with the idea some years ago: "I was in the bath when the idea for Lucky Break struck me, and that was in the summer of 98. A casting director friend of mine had told me about a musical that had been put on in a prison, and that gave me the idea for the central premise of the film. Since that moment I've been obsessing about every detail of the script and film. "

Peter Cattaneo approached Elinor Day at FilmFour, and together they worked closely with writer Ronan Bennett, whose credits include Face, A Further Gesture and the recent BBC television series Rebel Heart. As Cattaneo explains: "Ronan and I discussed the basic idea of the film and he came up with some great characters. I was involved from the first draft and provided the script with the comedic element, structure and some plot twists.

Producer Barnaby Thompson joined Cattaneo during script development. They had made a short film together called 'Dear Rosie' which had been nominated for an Oscar.

Their collaboration proved to be immensely satisfying, creating a film that is, in the words of Elinor Day, "both exciting and characterful, funny and touching. " Thompson, whose most recent films include Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000), Ideal Husband, an (1999) and Spice world (1997), was "delighted to be working with Peter again now we are both a bit older and wiser.

When Peter asked if I'd be interested in producing the film, it absolutely flicked my switch. I loved the idea and thought it a great throwback to the 1950s and 1960s prison escape classics such as Colditz story, the (1955) and Great Escape, the (1963), which both included the theme of putting on a show as a cover for an escape. "

Their collaboration is firmly endorsed by FilmFour's Chief Executive Paul Webster: "Together they bring an audience-friendly sensibility that guarantees quality and commerciality in one bright, amusing and moving film. " FilmFour were involved from the start with the finance and development and Thompson remarks "were great all the way through. "

Lucky Break features a wealth of British acting talent and the casting process proved to be one of the least stressful elements of pre-production. As Thompson elaborates: "After three or four drafts of the script, we went out to cast it, and it couldn't have been easier. We had all these wonderful actors walking in the door and we knew these were the guys we wanted."

To ensure that Lucky Break was accurate in its portrayal of modern prison life, visits to Wandsworth prison for cast and crew members were organised prior to shooting. The visits proved invaluable to the development of the script. As Thompson states: "The prison visits helped tremendously with the reality of the piece."

It was the prison visits and the opportunity to talk with prison staff and inmates that enabled the cast to understand the authenticity of the relationship between the hapless criminal Jimmy Hands and the prison psychologist Annabel Sweep, played by James Nesbitt and Olivia Williams.

"I think romance in prison is a modern phenomenon", Nesbitt explains. "There are a lot of psychologists trying to rehabilitate rather than punish. My character is very against all that at first and he gets off on the wrong footing with Annabel who, in turn, can't bear his confidence and arrogance. But slowly something begins to happen between the pair of them, and yes, the journey of that relationship is great. "

Continuing on the theme, Williams recognises that the script is a "good and truthful comment on what it is like to be a prisoner", and emphasises "it's not just a boy meets girl movie because it's a really complex relationship. "

Whilst Thompson recognised "how lucky we were to get Christopher Plummer to take part in this ensemble piece", Plummer in turn was immediately attracted to the script because of Cattaneo's skilful blend of comedy and drama.

As Plummer explains: "I loved reading the character of the prison governor, Mortimer, and the whole film is enchanting and very touching. Full Monty, the (1997) in particular made me a big fan as Peter is a master of producing real comedy for the screen, which is a notoriously difficult thing to do. Lucky Break is certainly not the same story but it's the same structure, and the tag of 'comedy from a reality point of view' is the same. "

Plummer continues that one of the most attractive aspects of filming in the UK was the opportunity to work with such an excellent cast: "It was a joy to come back to the UK and to a film of this calibre with such a wonderful cast of real 'honest to God' actors. It's simply a very enjoyable and wonderful piece of entertainment. If there is a theme it is about escapism, everyone is escaping, including the governor himself, into his own world of amateur dramatics. "

It is his obsession with amateur dramatics that unwittingly allows Plummer's character to set the stage for Jimmy's route to freedom. The governor is immensely proud of the musical he has penned entitled Nelson - the Musical and, with gentle prompting from Jimmy, he decides it would be an excellent idea to allow the prisoners to stage his masterpiece as part of their drama therapy course in front of a public audience.

Needless to say, Jimmy's fellow prisoners are less than enthusiastic when it comes to the auditions, but for some of the inmates, the smell of greasepaint soon draws them in. Lennie James, who plays Rudy, Jimmy's one time partner in crime, elaborates further: "Rudy goes from one extreme to another. At the beginning of the film he is the least likely actor you could come across, but by the end of the film he doesn't want to come off stage. He goes full circle and turns into a real 'luvvie' actor. He's not particularly good, but he thinks he is fantastic. "

To act as if you can't act was something the cast found surprisingly difficult to achieve. James continues: "We had guidance from Peter who knew exactly what he was looking for. He also had a very solid and supportive way of working and a very dry, comic sense of timing. There are quite serious things that happen in the film, but the comedy is balanced with them. Ostensibly it is a comedy about reality. "

A more serious aspect of the film revolves around the character of Cliff Gumball, played with great sensitivity by Timothy Spall. "There are some very dramatic moments in the film", Cattaneo explains. "I thought a lot about Timothy Spall's character and whether it would work, but I think it gives the last third of the film a certain kick. In fact, Timothy came up a lot of ideas for his character that we incorporated into the script. "

Spall's ability to get 'under the skin' of his character was helped by his visit to Wandsworth, which also highlighted Lucky Break's acutely observed character portrayals and relationships: "There is a whole sub-culture that goes on in prison, and it's obviously a microcosm of life. I wouldn't like to spend any time there at anybody else's pleasure than my own!"

The much put-upon Cliff has a hard time of it with the head of security Mr Perry. Spall continues: "He is trying to keep his head down in the prison system. He wants to do his time and get out, but Perry bullies him. He's not stupid, but an innocent, and circumstances conspire against him. "

Ron Cook, who plays the loathsome Perry, describes his characteristics: "He wears short-sleeved shirts no matter how cold it is, and they have perfect creases down the arms, as do his trousers. His shirt pocket displays a small but perfect array of pens, and you could almost see your face in his shoes. These are used as indicators of his need for power and the kind of psychological bully he is. "

The theme of unlikely relationships runs throughout the film, as it does in prison life, and Cattaneo is keen to stress that "the film is not a reflection or criticism of prison life, but more what it does to people and the way human beings survive and form relationships, even under the most oppressive circumstances. "

This is perfectly displayed in the relationship between the characters of Roger, played by Bill Nighy, and Darren, played by newcomer Raymond Waring. Roger is an "extremely nice chap who came a cropper", explains Nighy.

Elaborating on the father/son relationship that develops between his character and that of arsonist Darren: "It's a rather nice and unusual relationship you don't often see in films. It is very close and friendly, which is touching in the circumstances they find themselves in. "

Indeed, the relationship between Nighy and Waring seems to have spilled over into real life. As Waring, who landed the role of Darren when he had just completed his drama course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama explains: "It was a completely new language being on a film set so I needed to get used to it and adapt quickly. Everyone was great and Billy Nighy looked after me, giving me advice. "

Another newcomer to feature films, although already firmly established as one half of acclaimed double act Boosh with Noel Fielding, is Julian Barratt, perfectly cast as the enthusiastic but gawky drama tutor Paul.

Recognising the great difference between performing comedy on stage to performing on screen, Barratt was 'tutored' by Cattaneo in order to enable him to work without the instant response he is used to on stage, whilst also allowing him to improvise wherever he felt it appropriate: "The comedy is far more subtle and I spent a lot of time observing the great actors in the film. Peter knows how to handle them so they give their best, and I found the whole filming process a great learning curve. "

Cattaneo applied a different skill when shooting the musical, as he explains: "The great advantage is that, in the film, the musical is written by an amateur and it is played by amateur actors. They all did their best, but the worse it was, the better. "

The musical provides a fitting metaphor for the sort of escapism and comedy that Pete recognised to be a lifeline for those inside: "Lucky Break is not intended to be so much a realist illustration of prison life, more an illustration or reflection of the way people react to such adversity. Humour is a great escape. "

The flow of continuity between the musical and the real storyline was a challenge for the editor, David Gamble, but having known Peter Cattaneo for years, he understood what he wanted to do. "Balancing the on-going story with the musical was a challenge", Gamble explains, "but the piece flows nicely and the two elements work in parallel. The prison seems like a real place with real people and Peter, Max and Alwin created a cohesive whole where the comedy has heart and is not just played for laughs. "

As Cattaneo's first major film since the phenomenally successful Full Monty, the (1997) the director is keen to distinguish between the two films: "I hope people will see Lucky Break as a separate entity and not as a follow up to full Monty, the (1997). It has given me a chance to make a real 'movie' and to create a whole world with strictly controllable visuals and proper 'movie' moments. "