Beautiful in the Morning

Beautiful Thing is a 1996 British coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Hettie MacDonald from a screenplay by Jonathan Harvey, based on Harvey's 1993 play. The film stars Linda Henry, Glen Berry, Scott Neal, Tameka Empson and Ben Daniels. The film marked the cinema debuts of Harvey, MacDonald, and actors Berry, Neal and Empson. The film was originally intended for television broadcast only, but it was so well-received that it was subsequently released in UK cinemas on 14 June 1996 by Channel 4 Films. The atmosphere of the film is heavily influenced by a soundtrack consisting almost entirely of the music of the Mamas & the Papas and Cass Elliot. Beautiful Thing received generally positive reviews, and is often ranked as one of the best LGBTQ films. In 2016, British playwright Fin Kennedy said that twenty years later, the story told is still held in "near-universal affection among audiences".