Robert Carlyle on TV return of The Full Monty

Like many, the star, who played dreamer Gaz in the Bafta-winning movie some 25 years ago, had fond memories of its triumphant ending - a history-making finale which saw him, and his working-class friends, pull off their own Chippendales-style show to rapturous applause.

It's a hard scene to top, the 62-year-old reasons. "How do you follow that? You can't really," he says, when pushed on the idea of a sequel.

But it transpired the promise of good scripts from original creator, executive producer and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (and a few bars of Hot Chocolate's You Sexy Thing for good measure) would prove enough to convince him of a unique follow-up for Disney+.

The eight-part revival will follow the same band of brothers as they navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield, tackling issues surrounding society's crumbling healthcare, education and employment sectors.

READ MORE: Beethoven’s Assassins, by Andrew Crumey. Review

Clothes firmly in place, the comedy-drama series is an ode to the 1997 original, whilst checking in on how the world of these everyday heroes has changed in the intervening decades.

"I didn't think there was a chance this was ever gonna happen," says Carlyle. "But Simon got in touch, and said, 'What if it's nothing to do with stripping, nothing to do with that moment? It's 25 years later, that was then, this is now. It's about how these characters have developed'.

"He was about halfway through the sentence, and I said, 'I'll do it'," he recalls. "I was fortunate enough to have a similar experience with Trainspotting, and that was wonderful. So I thought, 'If that's the template, I'll have a good time'."

The series also reunites Carlyle with returning fan favourites Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, Hugo Speer, Paul Barber, Steve Huison, Wim Snape and Tom Wilkinson, as well as introducing newbies Talitha Wing (who plays Gaz's teenage daughter, Destiny), Paul Clayton and Miles Jupp, among others.

"It was really lovely [to get together], as I hadn't seen any of these guys since the end of the film," Carlyle notes.

"I've been in Vancouver for the best part of 15 years and, before that, I was working in and around Europe. So we're looking at each other like, 'Who has aged the best?'" he says, laughing.

The Full Monty. Pictured: Mark Addy as Dave (Image: free)

"Then you see them on set playing the characters and, for me, it's like the audience, 'Oh God, there's Dave, there's Lumper...'"

"It was surreal," agrees Addy, 58, who revives his role as Dave, a former steelworker and Gaz's right-hand man-turned-caretaker. "But we kind of picked up where we left off, as actors, at the readthrough.

"The characters are so clearly defined, and they're still there with all their quirks and traits..." he follows. "But it's interesting finding out what has happened to them and how their lives have changed, how relationships have changed, and how families have grown or not grown up."

"That's what's fantastic about doing an eight-hour TV series, that you get the opportunity to go to places and investigate the characters," adds Sharp, 63, who returns as Dave's wife, and now local headmistress, Jean.

"Plus, there's this really fantastic input of new energy, new perspective, new story. So it's like, 'Here's some of what made the film so wonderful, plus'."

But while the characters' lives have moved on, the extent to which the political landscape has shifted is questionable, with societal uncertainty and desire for change still palpable among the tight-knit community.

"It's one of these things, isn't it, the more things change, the more they stay the same?" Carlyle muses, referencing the seven prime ministers and many broken political promises we have faced since the film's release.

"The very first shot is beautifully done; the image of the (same) working men's club. You see the decay that has happened, a skip beside it, you see Gaz inside hunting for a mattress. And you go, 'Oh, my God, things have actually gotten worse'. And things have got worse for a lot of people, sadly," he empathises.

"That's the wonderful thing about Simon's writing, that he's able to weave these things in. You wonder if he starts in the political sphere, and weaves the characters through that, or is it the other way around?"

"But it's beautiful," he concludes. "It's political with a small 'p', as it makes the point, without hammering it on the head. And that's exactly what the film did."

He follows: "But I think it would be wrong to talk too much about the harshness in the political landscape. Of course, that's there. It's the backdrop and The Full Monty wouldn't be The Full Monty unless it dealt with some of these subjects," he recognises.

"But ultimately, hopefully, this is a celebration of these characters."

"What's great about a show like The Full Monty is that whilst it's not shirking any of the realities of what we're living in - Simon has written something which takes all of those issues really seriously - it's in a community that is full of love, support, laughter and a desire to have a good time," says Scott & Bailey actor Sharp.

"There's a real appetite and a need for positivity and creativity in our lives, and Simon has come up trumps with eight hours, now, to enjoy, of a community which doesn't have it perfectly laid out, but everybody is trying to find their way through. And we can all identify with that."

"I think there's a feeling in a lot of the country that we need some improvement, things need to get better, we can't carry on the way we are," Game Of Thrones star Addy mirrors.

"The series is coming out at a time when maybe there's going to be change, maybe things are hopefully going to improve. Let's hope that that happens."

Is there a heaped-on pressure that comes with following such a cult hit?

"Of course, because it's such a well-loved film. It's incredible how long that love has lasted," Carlyle offers, admitting he sat down to rewatch the original prior to shooting this project.

"I thought 'This really works - this is not just a nostalgia trip, this is something which is important'," he remembers. "It sums up what was happening to people at that time."

As for expectations, "I just hope that people take it for what it is: a celebration," he finishes.

"We're not trying to remake the film. But it hopefully puts people in a wonderful place and makes people feel warm when they watch this at home."

The Full Monty is available to stream on Disney+ from Wednesday, June 14.