Pipski

You know what it's like when you get a film / TV programme that you saw once, years ago, really and truly stuck in your head and just can't dislodge it? Yeah. But, I'm supremely confident that some of you will know this and can help me exorcise this one, it's been driving me bats since Friday.

I saw this, let me see, must have been between ~1989 and 1993, probably on Tyne Tees if that makes a difference. It came on unexpectedly, fairly late, and I started watching it because I immediately realised that I'd recently read the book it was based on - so if you don't recall the film, you might recall the book!

I remember it as a heavily allegorical story with a lot of similarities to Kes. It's about a lad growing up in a `green & grey' West Yorkshire town. His father works at the mill (or factory, or equivalent local manufacturing concern), which is being closed down. He lives with his dad and his grandad - mother either dead or run off with the milkman, can't remember. He's in frequent trouble at school (one scene, where he gets sent home and his grandfather wants to know why he isn't in lessons he just uses the excuse "teachers' strike").

Meantime, there's a `Beast of Bodmin' variant on the prowl locally, a jaguar, leopard or cheetah - some kind of spotty cat, in the hills, preying on the livestock. As his education, employment prospects and home life circle the drain he decides that he is going to hunt down the beast, assisted - I think - by his friend. I know he heads off at night to face the animal, armed with a carbine or air rifle; and I think he kills it, but the film ends with him running off into the hills to live as a modern day savage, running away from all the various pressures at home. (In fact, I think that maybe he accidentally kills his friend and that's what he's running away from. I might have just confabulated that though.)

I'm almost ashamed that I can remember that much about it and still not work out what the hell it's called. Somebody help!

LocalHero

I got severely over-excited when I saw this post as I know the answer - and that almost never happens! Sorry for the delay, I had to register to Britmovie which took a little time.

The film you're looking for is called The Nature of the Beast from 1988. Here's some information on it from Film4 - Nature of the Beast.

Now that I've actually answered something on this site I feel I have not lived in vain.