Sex, Chips & Poetry: 50 Years of the Mersey Sound(2017)

Sex, Chips & Poetry: 50 Years of the Mersey Sound is a documentary celebrating the landmark 1967 Penguin anthology that introduced Roger McGough, Brian Patten, and Adrian Henri to mass audiences. The book transformed Liverpool into Britain's cultural hub and proved poetry could reach pop listeners. Fifty years on, McGough and Patten reflect on the Mersey Sound's creation and legacy, joined by fellow writers and famous admirers who witnessed how three young poets made verse cool. The film traces the movement's impact on British culture and the enduring influence of a collection that broke poetry free from academic confines and into the hands of ordinary readers.