“Who goes back to the scene of one of their biggest ever gigs – effectively in the prime of their prior band’s career – and replicates it on their own terms as a solo artist well over a quarter of a century later?
“Obviously, the answer is that only Liam Gallagher would have the audacity and the swagger to do so.”
Image: Liam on stage at Knebworth in August 1996
It’s that very swagger that has inspired filmmaker Toby L, to document the 50-year-old rock star’s return to the site of his former glory in his new film, Liam Gallagher: Knebworth 22.
No stranger to working with stars, Toby has previously made documentaries about performers including Rihanna, Olivia Rodrigo, and band Bastille. But he’s not fazed by big egos.
The filmmaker tells Sky News: “There’s that whole notion of ‘don’t meet your idols’. I’d say, ‘No, meet your idols and try to make a documentary with them’.”
The filmmaking process had its challenges – hitting the headlines last month after Liam branded his brother Noel “an angry squirt” for reportedly refusing to allow the film to use any Oasis songs.
The director says he actually felt “relieved” the Oasis bangers were off the table, and instead of “looking back” will reveal the more “delicate” side of a star better known for his confrontational attitude, hard-partying ways and outspoken views.
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Some might say, it’s exactly those characteristics that compelled Liam to return to the site of his former glory in the first place, and then nail it. But first, some history.
Image: The band fool around in Knebworth Park ahead of their concerts
John Major was prime minister, Spice Girls were about to claim UK number one with their debut single Wannabe and Germany would soon beat England on penalties, going on to win Euro 1996.
‘Biblical’
Twenty-six years later, in June 2022, following the release of his third solo album, C’mon You Know, Liam performed to 170,000 fans at the Hertfordshire stately home, across two nights – which were again, completely sold-out.
At the time his 2022 gig was announced, Liam called it “beyond biblical,” adding, “let’s do it again in another 26 years”.
And his fans were up for it, as one says in the film: “It’s like destiny, it’s like travelling to Mecca. It’s a pilgrimage, we don’t have a choice, it’s something we have to do. We’ll be there with our parkas on and the stupid haircuts. We’ll be going for it, we’ll be ready.”
Speaking in the documentary, Liam says: “I didn’t think we’d ever get back to do Knebworth again, I didn’t think we’d ever do f****** arenas… [We] may have skirted about theatres.. up to some point when I’d have said this isn’t f****** good enough. I don’t know what I would have done. I’d have probably just knocked it on the head and vanished off. I don’t know man, when you’ve been big, you want to kind of stay biggish don’t you?”
Image: Liam and Paul Arthurs on a golf buggy in Knebworth in ’96
And there’s a brief moment of early concern in the film over whether Liam’s voice is up to it, and whether it will carry across the 250-acre site.
Of course, Liam – as one would expect from a man whose Twitter bio includes the words “Godlike”, “Celestial” and “Majestical” – feels no performance anxiety, saying in the run up to the shows: “Before anyone asks me am I nervous. No, not one f****** bit. I just want to get on, and get stuck into the tunes man”.
It’s no spoiler to say the sell-out gigs were a huge success. And that success has to be credited to the charismatic performer at the heart of the show.
The wild man of rock
So, what can we expect to learn about the younger of the Oasis siblings in this latest film about his life and work?
The director says we’re in for some surprises: “He’s the wild animal Liam, he’s the rock and roll Liam and he’s the very sweary Liam… But I feel like we see another side of his personality in this.
“I’d be loath to say softer, because that would be maybe a bit too sort of mild, but definitely a delicacy… and just a super sharp wit and articulate view on the world.”
Image: In his heyday Liam was the wild man of rock
A little later, Toby adds: “I think we see all of the razor-sharp rock and roll edge that you want. And also, I think we have a more philosophical side from him as well”.
He describes Liam as “constantly entertaining,” admitting that during filming, “I had to literally bend my head back to laugh into the ether, so the boom mike didn’t pick up my laughter”.
He goes on: “We all know he’s hilarious but being in the same room or field as him as he makes some of those comments is just definitely a real highlight of my work thus far.”
The elephant in the room
The film hooks up with Liam a week before the Knebworth gig over the Platinum Jubilee weekend, taking him back to the site of his former glory and watching him prepare, but this time without his brother Noel by his side.
And of course, the fact that Noel is not part of the Knebworth re-do is something neither Liam, nor the director, can ignore.
Image: Liam and Noel at Knebworth in 1996. Pic: Times Newspapers/Shutterstock
Toby explains: “The elephant in the room is brought up straight away in the first five minutes of the film and you see the way in which Liam deals with it, in a really graceful fashion that’s non-defamatory but is also totally honest.”
In the opening scenes of the documentary, descending from the skies like a god – albeit in a helicopter rather than on a beam of light – Liam says: “I would have never of thought of doing it, because it’s f****** huge and all that. But the fans want it, they wanted it with Oasis, [Noel] obviously doesn’t want to do it, so, they’ll just have to do it with me, and I’ll f****** do it, it’s going to be amazing.”
And of course, there was the drama over the music rights for the film too.
I felt ‘relieved’
Just last month Liam branded Noel “an angry squirt” and a “horrible little man”, claiming he had “blocked” the documentary from using Oasis songs.
Image: 2019 documentary Liam Gallagher: As It Was
But far from being perturbed by the apparent snub, the director says that while he understands some fans were initially disappointed by the news, he actually felt “relieved” when he discovered he couldn’t use the band’s music and believes it’s a better film without the Oasis tracks (half of Liam’s Knebworth 22 set were Oasis numbers).
He explains: “I was struggling to find a way, while were building such personal stories around Liam, how we were going to put the Oasis music in, in a way that felt contextually sound and also in the context of the fact that there was another Oasis Netflix documentary only a year or two ago [Liam Gallagher: As It Was]…
“It’s a bold thing to say, but I didn’t miss those massive, amazing songs. It felt like this film works in its own complete form, and I was just really relieved because I felt like if we were looking back too much, it wouldn’t have been as contemporary a story as it needs to be in order to differentiate itself to the prior documentary.”
While not repeating the themes explored in Charlie Lightening and Gavin Fitzgerald’s 2019 film, Liam Gallagher: As It Was, Toby says his documentary goes on to “highlight again in a new up to date way that transition point between what do you do after peaking in the biggest band of the time and then try to find your own solo voice and growing up in public”.
Taking Liam from his wilderness years post Oasis’s 2009 split, the director says it describes the star as “he got healthy and he started looking after himself and he started treating himself in a sort of athlete capacity”.
Image: Liam at Knebworth 2022. Pic: James Merchant
For Liam, looking back in the documentary on his heyday in the nineties, he’s of the opinion: “The music was good, there were loads of bands in the 90s that were great, obviously there were s*** ones as well.”
As for the style of the time, Liam says: “The fashion I don’t think was amazing, but it was decent, I think it went with the music.”
Back to the ’90s
The director – who at 37 experienced the tail end of the Britpop years first hand – has a deeper analysis on a time which defined an era to people now in their late 30s early 40s, when Margaret Thatcher was out, Tony Blair’s Britain was ahead, and there was promise in the air.
“It’s hard to think of a time recently where music was so at the forefront of the cultural conversation or the political conversation. That mid-nineties period, which we also talk about in the film, that whole era and the power of music and how it interlaces with the social fiscal climate at the time that music occurs in. Oasis were just brilliantly unavoidable and everyone had an opinion.”
Image: Oasis members (L-R) Alan White, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher and Paul Guigsy McGuigan in 1996
He describes the band as “the underdogs,” going on, “they didn’t come from privilege. They didn’t come with industry connections. They just had some phenomenal songs and an amazing stage presence.
“And I think that that’s an aspirational story to this day, and I think anyone that aspires to do something great with their lives, just remember that story. Anything can happen if you put the time and the work into it.”
So why is Liam going back to play Knebworth such a big deal?
Toby says the answer to that is that it’s something the world needed, more than we could have possibly imagined.
“We’ve all needed it. You know, the last few years have been so tough in the world and the idea of a big single is concert where we all come together and celebrate as one being, that’s what the film explores, the power of live music against adversity.”
It’s something the fans seem to appreciate, without question. And in this documentary, they are front and centre, rather than a footnote to the event.
All about the fans
Toby says: “From the very outset, we explained to [Liam] how we wanted the film to be. We wanted it to be his story going back to Knebworth for the first time in 26 years. But we also wanted to reflect some of the 170,000 fans going across the two days.”
Thousands sent in video submissions to be part of the film, with just eight making it into the final cut.
Image: The Knebworth crowd 2022. Pic: James Merchant
They include seven-year-old Audrina from Derby – now in remission from neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that mostly affects babies and young children – who says of her hero: “I think he’s cool, he’s always stayed true to himself, he’s never been bothered what the other people think about him”.
And superfan Simon Heptinstall, 42, from Halifax, who has a garden shed bar called Champagne Supernobar and owns every Oasis CD and vinyl record, as well as every album, Liam has released as a solo artist. He’s of the opinion that: “It’s a way of life really, Oasis and Liam. It’s an attitude, it’s who you are as a person”.
Plus, celebrity fan, Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno, makes an appearance in the documentary too, calling Liam “the epitome of rock and roll,” adding, “and rock and roll never dies”.
The director says Liam was a driving force in putting his fans at the heart of the film: “He was just totally in, and he was so excited about the idea that we were going to be focusing on his audience as much as him in this film… More so than anything else in the industry, that’s all he cares about, the people.”
Rather entertainingly, when asked in the documentary where he would position himself in the crowd if he was a fan, Liam is characteristically honest, replying: “Oh, I’d be at the f****** bar getting w******”.
So what will Liam think?
But while there’ll be a legion of fans queuing to see their hero on the big screen as the documentary hits the cinemas, Liam himself is yet to see the film. Toby explains, “he’s got reasons for wanting the right moment to watch it”.
Although rock and roll stars can be notoriously protective of their public persona, it seems Liam has no desire to micromanage his own documentary.
The director goes on: “With Liam, it’s the other extreme, which I think is every documentary makers’ dream / biggest fear, [which] is you’re going to make it, and then they’ll watch at some point and then you’ll get your feedback down the line.” He pauses, “I’m excited for when he does watch it…”
Will Oasis ever get back together?
As for whether Oasis will ever get back together, the director is philosophical: “[Liam’s] made his case pretty open, which is he’s open minded. And I think it’s Noel who understandably is like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a great legacy’. Who knows what will happen?”
It’s the question every Oasis fan would love to know, and the one the Gallagher brother’s have become adept at batting away at every single interview since their split.
Image: Oasis parted ways in 2009, but will they ever reunite?
Things of course came to a head for the band 18 years ago, back in 2009, minutes before a headline show in Paris. There were rumours of a physical altercation involving a guitar.
Earlier this year, Liam said the band “should never have split up” and he would “love” Oasis to get back together.
And, just last month, Noel said in an interview there was “no point” in an Oasis reunion as the band sell “as many records now” as they did when they were together.
In the same interview, in a nod to the subject at the heart of this very documentary, Noel added: “If we got back together, it would be a circus and there’s no point. Just leave it as it is. I’m happy, [Liam’s] doing his thing, he’s f***ing selling out Knebworth, it’s like, ‘Mate, good luck to you’.”
So, the jury is still out, for now at least.
But fans still have some hope to cling on to, as Toby concludes: “I’ve learnt that life is a weird thing and sometimes the things that seem the least likely do sometimes happen… If they did decide to do it one day, I just can’t imagine how gargantuan that event would be.”
Sky News has contacted both Liam and Noel Gallagher’s representatives for comment.
Liam Gallagher: Knebworth 22 is in cinemas worldwide from Thursday 17 November.
A deal for a new Universal theme park in Bedfordshire has been confirmed, which Rachel Reeves says will bring “billions” to the economy and create thousands of jobs.
It will be the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in Europe and is set to open in 2031, when it is expected to become the UK’s most popular visitor attraction.
The government said it will bring an estimated £50bn into the British economy and will create about 28,000 jobs – nearly 20,000 during the construction phase, and 8,000 more in hospitality and the creative industries when it opens.
A 500-room hotel and a retail and entertainment complex is planned alongside the theme park, which will be built on a former brickworks.
Universal, which is owned by Sky News’ US parent company Comcast, expects the 476-acre site just south of Bedford to generate nearly £50bn for the economy by 2055, with 8.5m visitors in its first year.
The plan remains subject to a formal planning decision process from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Universal has committed to working with local colleges and universities to train students for hospitality jobs.
Image: There are Universal theme parks in Florida (pictured), California, Japan, Beijing and Singapore. Pic: AP
Among some of the famous Universal films are Wicked, Minions, Oppenheimer, Bridget Jones, Fast and the Furious, and Jurassic World.
There are five Universal theme parks already: Orlando in Florida, Hollywood, Japan, Beijing, and Singapore.
Image: The new Universal theme park will be just south of Bedford
Speaking to Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the deal was “huge”.
“This is not just about numbers on the spreadsheet,” she said.
“This is about good jobs. It’s about growth. It’s about raising people’s living standards and putting money in people’s pockets. And it’s a massive vote of confidence in the United Kingdom.”
Welcoming the timing of the announcement, Ms Nandy added: “This deal comes off the back of one of the most tumultuous few weeks in global markets that I think anyone can remember within living memory.”
She said the fact that the government had been able to show it kept a “cool head” and “we don’t take knee-jerk decisions in response to global events” was one of the reasons it was able to announce the deal.
Image: The proposals to transform the site, a former brickworks, remain subject to a formal planning decision process
The government has said about 80% of employees at the theme park are expected to come from local areas, and it will support the “Oxford-Cambridge corridor” revived by the chancellor in January after the Conservatives scrapped plans for an Abingdon-Milton Keynes train link in 2021.
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It will also commit to a “major investment” in infrastructure around the Universal site to ensure it is well-connected and easily accessible.
The announcement comes days after the government approved an expansion of nearby Luton Airport.
Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation, said: “We could not be more excited to take this very important step in our plan to create and deliver an incredible Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom, which complements our growing US-based parks business by expanding our global footprint to Europe.
“We appreciate the leadership and support of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and their teams, as we work together to create and deliver a fantastic new landmark destination.”
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Image: Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Image: Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Image: Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
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Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Image: Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Image: Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Image: Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Image: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
The BAFTA Games Awards celebrate gaming excellence and creative achievement in the best games of the last year.
Hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running, the biggest names in gaming gathered at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
With 41 games nominated across 17 categories, here are all the winners – in bold – from the night.
Animation Astro Bot Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 LEGO Horizon Adventures Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Thank Goodness You’re Here! Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Artistic Achievement Astro Bot Black Myth: Wukong Harold Halibut Neva Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Still Wakes the Deep
Audio Achievement ANIMAL WELL Astro Bot Helldivers 2 Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Star Wars Outlaws Still Wakes the Deep
Best Game Astro Bot Balatro Black Myth: Wukong Helldivers 2 The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Thank Goodness You’re Here!
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British Game A Highland Song LEGO Horizon Adventures Paper Trail Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Still Wakes the Deep Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Debut Game ANIMAL WELL Balatro Pacific Drive The Plucky Squire Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Evolving Game Diablo IV FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE No Man’s Sky Sea of Thieves Vampire Survivors World of Warcraft
Family Astro Bot Cat Quest III LEGO Horizon Adventures Little Kitty, Big City The Plucky Squire Super Mario Party Jamboree
Game Beyond Entertainment Botany Manor Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Tetris Forever Vampire Therapist
Game Design ANIMAL WELL Astro Bot Balatro Helldivers 2 The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Tactical Breach Wizards
Multiplayer Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Helldivers 2 LEGO Horizon Adventures Super Mario Party Jamboree TEKKEN 8 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Music Astro Bot Black Myth: Wukong FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Helldivers 2 Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Star Wars Outlaws
Narrative Black Myth: Wukong Dragon Age: The Veilguard FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Metaphor: ReFantazio Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Still Wakes the Deep
New Intellectual Property ANIMAL WELL Balatro Black Myth: Wukong Metaphor: ReFantazio Still Wakes the Deep Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Technical Achievement Astro Bot Black Myth: Wukong Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Tiny Glade Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Performer in a Leading Role Alec Newman as Cameron ‘Caz’ McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep Humberly González as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws Isabella Inchbald as Indika in INDIKA Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in SILENT HILL 2 Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Y’lan Noel as Troy Marshall in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Performer in a Supporting Role Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Aldís Amah Hamilton as Ástríðr in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Jon Blyth as Big Ron in Thank Goodness You’re Here! Karen Dunbar as Finlay in Still Wakes the Deep Matt Berry as Herbert the Gardner in Thank Goodness You’re Here! Michael Abubakar as Brodie in Still Wakes the Deep