Mike Leigh on Peterloo

The acclaimed writer and director talks about the creation of his major new historical epic

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Published: November 1, 2018 at 3:04 pm

The acclaimed writer and director talks about the creation of his major new historical epic, which explores the events of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819

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18th August 1819: 'The Massacre of Peterloo or Britons Strike Home', by George Cruikshank (Photo by Spencer Arnold/Getty Images)

The Peterloo Massacre

As many as 15 people may have been killed, and a further 500 badly injured, during the 1819 riot in Manchester that came to be known as the 'Peterloo' Massacre. (Rischgitz/Getty Images)

16 August 1819: Militia massacres protesters at ‘Peterloo’

Panic ensues in this depiction of the Peterloo Massacre, published in 1819. (The art archive/Getty Images)

Why were there so few casualties at Peterloo?

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