Nick Love

English film director (b. 1969)

Nick Love

Born|

Nick Love

(1969-12-24) 24 December 1969 (age 55)

London, England

Occupation(s)| Film director, writer
Years active| 1995–present
Spouse|

Patsy Palmer

(m. 1998; div. 2000)​

Nick Love (born 24 December 1969) is an English film director and writer. His credits include the films The Football Factory, The Business, Goodbye Charlie Bright, Outlaw, The Sweeney, a 2009 remake of football hooliganism drama The Firm and the comedy-drama Marching Powder (2025).

His parents divorced when he was five years of age, and he was brought up on a large council estate in south London.[1]

## Career

[edit]

Love attended the Bournemouth Film School at the age of 24.[2]

In 2001, Nick Love made Goodbye Charlie Bright, focusing on working class life on council estates.[3][better source needed]

Love wrote and directed The Football Factory in 2004. The film was based on a book by John King.[4]

In 2005, Love directed the film The Business, which reflects the 1980s Costa Del Crime era. It was all taken from what he had read and heard from others about that particular time.[5] In 2007, Love produced the vigilante movie Outlaw.[6]

In 2009, Love directed The Firm.[7] The film focused on male friendship, football hooliganism and the football casual movement.

On 1 August 2012, Love's film The Sweeney made its world premiere at the opening of the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.[8] The film is based on the British television police drama of the same name. Love said that he had interest in making the movie for several years, but had difficult negotiations with studio executives, who wanted him to make the film with an Americanised style.[9]

Speaking at the UK premiere of The Sweeney in London, Alan Ford, who played Harry, explained that Nick Love "works very fast" and "does not mess about" as a director.[10]

In 2015, Love directed American Hero, an American-British superhero comedy.[11]

In August 2021, it was announced that Love would direct a new crime based series, which he has written, called A Town Called Malice. Love has said: "I'm over excited and hugely grateful to Sky for supporting my vision once again – I have lived and breathed Malice for the past few years, and for it finally to come to fruition, is a dream come true".[12] In April 2023, a month after the series premiered, it was cancelled due to low viewership.

In 2023, it was announced that Love was working on a film called Marching Powder and that Danny Dyer would star in the film.[13]

The film was released to cinemas on Friday 7th March 2025.[14]

Love was a follower of the "casual" culture present in the 1980s, naming Fila and Sergio Tacchini as brands he wore as a youth, something which is present in many of his films.[2]

## Personal life

[edit]

Love was married to EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer from 1998 to 2000.[6]

Love is an avid Millwall fan, having followed the team from a young age. His hobbies include walking and clay pigeon shooting. He lives in Gloucestershire.[6]

On 4 September 2021, Love wrote in The Times Luxx magazine that he had been struggling with long COVID-19 symptoms and had attended a clinic in Spain, which had successfully treated his condition.[15]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

1999  | The Escort | No  | Yes  | No  |
Love Story | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2001  | Goodbye Charlie Bright | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2004  | The Football Factory | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2005  | The Business | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2007  | Outlaw | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2009  | The Firm | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2012  | The Sweeney | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2015  | American Hero | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2025  | Marching Powder | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
TBA  | Animol | No  | Yes  | No  |

Producer only

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

2011  | A Night in the Woods | Richard Parry |

Executive producer only

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

2006  | Dirty Sanchez: The Movie | Jim Hickey  |
2007  | WΔZ | Tom Shankland |
2008  | Faintheart | Vito Rocco  |
Bronson | Nicolas Winding Refn |
The Children | Tom Shankland  |
2010  | Monsters | Gareth Edwards |
2013  | All Stars | Ben Gregor  |
2014  | Monsters: Dark Continent | Tom Green  |
2016  | Kill Command | Steven Gomez  |

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Creator  | Executive
producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

2018–2021  | Bulletproof | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2023  | A Town Called Malice | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Caden, Sarah (4 March 2007). "The lost outlaw who made peace with his inner rebel". independent.ie.
2. ^ a b "Love actually". Bournemouth Echo.
3. ^ "Goodbye Charlie Bright". IMDb. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
4. ^ Hall, Sandra (14 October 2004). "The Football Factory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
5. ^ "We Love it". Bournemouth Echo.
6. ^ a b c Pool, Hannah (1 March 2007). "Question Time: Nick Love". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
7. ^ Patterson, John (11 September 2009). "John Patterson on Nick Love, director of The Firm". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
8. ^ Brooks, Brian (11 July 2012), Locarno Film Festival Unveils World and International Premieres for Competition, retrieved 14 July 2012
9. ^ "Nick Love to make The Sweeney film?". Belfast Telegraph. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
10. ^ "INTERVIEW: Alan Ford on Nick Love, comparing the film wit" - via YouTube.
11. ^ "American Hero (2015) – IMDb". IMDb.
12. ^ "Sky announces riotous, neon-soaked '80s crime thriller, A Town Called Malice, a Sky Original drama coming to Sky Max and Streaming service NOW in 2022".
13. ^ Heritage, Stuart. "Pyramids of geezer: a new zenith of Danny Dyer movies looms". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
14. ^ "Marching Powder (2024) – IMDb". IMDb.
15. ^ The Times Luxx Magazine, 4 September 2021, page 22https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-a-spa-visit-eased-one-mans-long-covid-symptoms-3vwx2qjlb

## External links

[edit]

* Nick Love at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Nick Love

* Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001)
* The Football Factory (2004)
* The Business (2005)
* Outlaw (2007)
* The Firm (2009)
* The Sweeney (2012)
* American Hero (2015)
* Marching Powder (2025)

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*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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