Billy Liar Certificate: 
- Duration:
- 98 mins
- Year produced:
- 1963
- Director:
- John Schlesinger
- Cast:
- Tom Courtenay
- Wilfred Pickles
- Mona Washbourne
In a small northern town in the early 1960s, Billy Fisher escapes his humdrum life as an undertaker's clerk via Walter Mitty-esque flights of fantasy, mostly set in his imaginary kingdom of “Ambrosia.” However, when a beautiful, free-spirited old flame comes back to town, Billy is given a chance to escape for real - but will he take it? Director John Schlesinger's film of Keith Waterhouse's novel has “kitchen sink” elements to it, but is much funnier than other examples of the genre and, ultimately, more tenderly effective.
- Average rating:
(2 votes)
Fascinating facts
Singer Morrissey made his love of the film apparent with the title of The Smiths’ final album, Strangeways Here We Come - a play on the Billy Liar line, "borstal, here we come!"