Mike Leigh gets London standing ovation for Tender Loving Care
Mike Leigh was greeted with a standing ovation before a single frame of his new film had played in London.
Almost the entire room at the Royal Festival Hall rose to welcome him on stage for the London Film Festival premiere of Tender Loving Care, as reported by Variety on 15 October. He laughed it off. “You haven’t even seen it yet,” he said.
Leigh told that audience the film will likely be his last. The reason is myositis, a medical condition that affects muscular movement.
Tender Loving Care stars Kate O’Flynn, Marion Bailey and Paul Jesson. Leigh is credited as director-screenwriter, and the story was set and shot in London. It centres on ageing, grief and relationships. O’Flynn plays a social worker who moves in with her best friend after a break-up, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film arrived in London with festival history behind it. It premiered at Telluride, the autumn festival in the United States that often launches awards-season contenders. It then won the top prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, where O’Flynn took the best leading actor award.
It was also part of the 64th New York Film Festival, which ran from 25 September to 12 October 2026. In London, it is screening at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on 15, 17 and 18 October, according to the BFI.
That London run includes a 13:05 screening on Sunday 18 October at Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3, listed by the BFI. Tickets for the festival screenings started from £10. The 70th edition’s full programme, announced on 2 September, is being presented in cinemas, online and across the United Kingdom.
What makes this stand out is the timing. A home crowd in a large hall, a possible farewell from a long career, and a film still fresh from stops in the US, Spain and New York.
