The wild, untold legacy of Cliff Twemlow hampered by the BBFC!
Forget what you know about indie filmmaking. This July, Cliff Twemlow, Britain’s forgotten king of blood, sweat, and videotape, is storming back into your living room, fists flying and synths blazing.
Severin Films, the cult saviours behind some of the nastiest deep cuts on the planet, are blasting ten of Twemlow’s legendary low-budget brawlers onto UK digital platforms from 28 July 2025. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a bar fight at 3am in a Manchester pub — raw, relentless, and absolutely glorious.
Who the Hell Was Cliff Twemlow?
Bodybuilder. Nightclub bouncer. Novelist. Screenwriter. Composer. Total fucking legend.
In the lawless wild west of ‘80s Britain, Twemlow turned the backstreets of Manchester into his own Hollywood backlot — shooting gangster epics, sci-fi thrillers, and brutal crime dramas with more balls than budget. He was the DIY godfather of Brit flicks long before YouTube and GoPros made it cool.
Following the U.S. announcement of Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, a mammoth nine-disc box set celebrating the ultimate DIY action hero, ten of Twemlow’s most mind-blowing films, including the hotly anticipated documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow, will be storming UK digital platforms.
Coming to Your Screens:
- Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow (NEW documentary)
- Tuxedo Warrior (Original Director’s Cut)
- G.B.H. (Original Director’s Cut)
- Target: Eve Island
- The Ibiza Connection
- The African Run
- The Hitman (aka The Assassinator)
- G.B.H. 2 (aka Lethal Impact)
- The Eye of Satan
- Firestar: First Contact
The Backstory: Why You’re Streaming and Not Spinning Discs
Severin Films had every intention of giving Twemlow a full physical box set release in the UK but thanks to ancient, draconian censorship laws from the Thatcher era, the cost of BBFC certification made it impossible. David Gregory (Severin Films co-founder) didn’t mince words:
Although we at Severin are exceptionally proud to finally be able to release the full body of work from UK filmmaking legend Cliff Twemlow – all of which has been lovingly and painstakingly restored – we are extremely disappointed to have made the unfortunate decision to not release an official UK physical box set. This is due to extortionate costs involved in classifying the 11 feature films and supporting features, due to the BBFC’s statutory requirement to adhere to the draconian Video Recordings Act, made over 40 years ago in 1984. Whilst we do understand the need to protect younger people from potentially inappropriate material, we feel it is a shame that old films such as these can’t be treated with the supportive guidance of self-regulation, as is this case for releasing media in digital form which does not fall under the Act’s provisions. As one of the UK’s true low-budget maverick filmmakers, we will ensure that every Cliff Twemlow film, will be made available across all relevant UK digital platforms at the same time as the US physical release. We apologise to our UK physical fanbase that this celebration of a true British independent will not be released in Cliff Twemlow’s home country, and physical media collectors can still order the box set from the Severin Films webstore, and other participating online retailers who ship overseas.
Pre-orders for Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, along with The Bloody Legendary Bundle that also includes new paperbacks of Cliff’s memoir The Tuxedo Warrior and his novels The Pike and The Beast of Kane are available at the Severin Webstore ahead of the July 29 release date.
