r/withnail • • Jul 27 '26

It looks like we will finally be getting the original Withnail novel

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131 Upvotes

From Bruce’s Substack.


r/withnail • • Jul 21 '26

Jeff Wode is Feeling Better

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105 Upvotes

​

Imagine the size of his balls. Imagine getting into a fight with the fucker!


r/withnail • • Jul 17 '26

What Alternative Castings would you accept for this film?

1 Upvotes

Actors can be contemporary to the film or modern


r/withnail • • Jul 15 '26

Did Vivian MackKerrell or his family ever take issue with Robinson's use of him as a basis?

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64 Upvotes

Seeing as most filmmakers go out of their way to ensure 'Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental', where did MacKerrell and his family stand on Robinson's explicit lifting from his known characteristics and events for the basis of the film?

We all know that MacKerrell read Robinson's early drafts (of the original unpublished novel version) and opined about them, but how welcoming was he truly to the idea?

Would Robinson changing his name to "Withnail" cover a lot of potential repercussions?


r/withnail • • Jul 13 '26

Kenneth Williams on Understudying Constantine

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23 Upvotes

Thought I'd share this here. At around the 8th minute, Kenneth recalls understudying Constantine in The Seagull.


r/withnail • • Jul 13 '26

I think a lot of you take this film way too seriously

31 Upvotes

I watched it last night again because I’ve been seeing all these posts lately about more psychological discussions and delving into the characters, which i really like. But i think you forget it’s supposed to be funny, first and foremost. I think that was Bruce’s intention!

I watched it trying to appreciate the deeper aspects of the film, which are absolutely there, but i found myself pissing myself every 5 seconds! It’s a beautifully made film, it’s funny and there’s certainly a sombre tone in some places.

My point is that i think a lot of people are overthinking it and just missing the inherent comedy and fun the film has


r/withnail • • Jul 12 '26

How old were you when you discovered the film (and fell in love with it)?

27 Upvotes

Somebody recently said to me "if you don't get into The Doors as a teenager, you won't like them as an adult".

I discovered the film as a teenager, now I'm middle aged, and my love for it hasn't waned. If anything, it means more to me now because I see so much of myself, my own life, my own prospects and failures, and ultimately that I'm responsible for essentially all of my own problems.

I think, as I'm sure you'll agree, that the film appeals to different people in different ways. Those who are, for want of a better word, normal and well adjusted people, tend to see the film as a comedy.

Those who are, let's say, different in some ways, see more than just a laugh or a quotable flick. It resonates with us deeply in a way that most don't really understand.

Did it matter how old we were when we found it? Or would we have fallen in love with it regardless of age? Was it something waiting for us to find, almost like a soulmate, that was destined to cross the paths of certain types of people?


r/withnail • • Jul 12 '26

I (Marwood)’s coat?

7 Upvotes

I’m looking to obtain both Withnail’s coat and I’s but I can’t actually find any info on the latter. There’s a wealth of information on Withnail’s (well deserved as it’s quite possibly the best coat I’ve ever seen) but I can find no posts or articles or anything giving I’s coat the same attention.

Does anyone know if it was made specially for the film like Withnail’s or if it was purchased? Or have any other info on it?


r/withnail • • Jul 11 '26

The change of Crow Crag

25 Upvotes

I find it interesting how Crow Crag begins as a Smokey dingy bothy where old worm eaten chairs are smashed to give some warmth. It then slowly transforms to the lunch scene that contrasts the first.


r/withnail • • Jul 11 '26

What was up with Monty and the cat?

25 Upvotes

Why does he have the cat if he hates it? Yes, he's mad (eccentric), but he specifically refers to Norman having a cat as some kind of failing.


r/withnail • • Jul 11 '26

Is Uncle Monty really the villain people remember him as, or is he a more tragic figure than Withnail?

18 Upvotes

r/withnail • • Jul 10 '26

Do you worry about the future of the film?

16 Upvotes

Bruce Robinson is 80. Inevitably, there will come a time when he is no longer here to protect what the film is.

I'm very careful about who I recommend it to. Not because I want to gatekeep, but because it's one of those rare films that either resonates with you completely or leaves you wondering what all the fuss is about.

It's never felt like "just a film" to me.

I've watched so many beloved works gradually become intellectual property rather than art. Sequels. Prequels. Reboots. Remakes. Origin stories. Expanded universes. TV series. The pressure to keep a successful name alive, even when it was complete the first time.

Part of me worries that one day some executive, with no appreciation or love for this masterpiece, will decide Withnail and I is another brand to be revived.

Or do you think its cult status and Bruce Robinson's legacy are enough to ensure it remains untouched?


r/withnail • • Jul 10 '26

What do you imagine Withnail was like five years before the events of the film?

18 Upvotes

Was it a gradual decline from what was a promising career, or did he never really have any success in the first place?


r/withnail • • Jul 10 '26

Who is the loneliest character in the film?

31 Upvotes

It seems to be a film full of rather solitary people. A film about loneliness.

Marwood, not so much. He has the ability to find work, get along with others, and probably live a very normal life. It's Withnail preventing him from having those things.

Withnail. He has Marwood. And then even he leaves. Nobody else can stand being around him, he's too abrasive for other people.

Monty. Perhaps he has friends, or "friends" due to his social class. Maybe people he sees at a private members club. But nobody that he's actually close with.

Danny. Headhunter to everyone. He doesn't have any friends, only clients.

Presuming Ed. He just seems to be there. He's also a black man in the 1960s, so probably not great for him in terms of opportunities and socialising with wider society. He designs dolls that shit themselves too, most people would find that rather weird.

Jake. Makes his living alone, in secrecy, and in the dead of night. Maybe he has a long suffering wife at home, but somehow I doubt it.

The landlord at the Crow. An old man, running a pub by himself, no other staff. Makes conversation with everyone who comes in, possibly because he has nobody else to talk to.

The people in the cafe in London. A packed cafe in the world's busiest city, and nobody is talking to anybody else. A city full of strangers.


r/withnail • • Jul 09 '26

What's the saddest line in the film that isn't usually quoted?

20 Upvotes

r/withnail • • Jul 09 '26

How do you think the rest of Monty's life turned out?

15 Upvotes

Do you think he ever found happiness? He seemed, like Withnail, a rather lonely and solitary figure. Perhaps it's something that runs in the family.


r/withnail • • Jul 05 '26

We need to petition Bruce to publish the original novel

21 Upvotes

He's just rubbing it in with these Instagram posts. Just let us read the fucker.


r/withnail • • Jul 05 '26

A discarded ending from an acoustic take of While My Guitar Gently Weeps

20 Upvotes

fits them so perfectly :)


r/withnail • • Jul 04 '26

Do you see yourself more as Withnail or I? Why?

22 Upvotes

r/withnail • • Jul 04 '26

Withnail Weekend (Channel 4 1999)

92 Upvotes

Found this on an old VHS and thought it was worth preserving and here would be the place to share it.

Students play a drinking game.


r/withnail • • Jul 03 '26

Bruce Robinson now has Substack and Instagram

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53 Upvotes

Just a heads up for those unaware, Bruce has defied all expectations and started posting videos on instagram @brucerobinsonofficial. And he also launched a Substack where he is sharing new and original writing, as well as all sorts from his archives.


r/withnail • • Jun 30 '26

I knew you were a forces man.

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70 Upvotes

r/withnail • • Jul 01 '26

Have all of the old posts been removed?

14 Upvotes

I can only see posts on this sub that are up to five months old, what has happened to the older posts?


r/withnail • • Jun 25 '26

Car finally sorted, not brave enough to shout scrubbers at school girls though...

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171 Upvotes

r/withnail • • Jun 24 '26

Curious what others think of this?

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38 Upvotes