Story of manic schoolgirls who are more interested in racing form than books as they try to get-rich-quick, aided by the head-mistress’ brother, played by Alastair Sim, who also plays the head-mistress.

Depressing and realistic family drama about the struggles of unemployment and poverty in 1930s Lancashire. The 20-year-old Kerr gives an emotionally charged performance as Hardcastle, one of the cotton workers trying to make life better. Interlaced with humour that brings a ray of sunshine to the pervasive bleakness, this remains a powerful social study of life between the wars, and was a rare problem picture to come out of Britain at the time.