Meadows was born on 26 December 1972 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. 1982 His father Arty, a lorry driver, discovered the body of a child murder victim of Robert Black Susan Maxwell and was initially a suspect in the murder case, which led to Meadows being bullied at school. Meadows moved to Nottingham when he was 20.

The film has since had a series of sequels adapted into television serials. The first series, This is England 86 (set in 1986), aired on Channel 4 in September 2010). A second series, This is England 88 (set in 1988) was aired in December 2011. A third and final series, This Is England ’90 (set in 1990), was originally due to be broadcast in December 2012, but in July 2012, Shane Meadows announced that the production had been put on hold in order for him to complete his documentary about The Stone Roses, and the actors were still waiting for confirmation as to when filming would start. The series was finally broadcast in September 2015, and was met with critical acclaim. Phil Harrison of The Guardian stated: “Shane Meadows has once again elicited some remarkable performances from his actors and the result is emotionally draining for everyone who has taken these characters to our hearts.” Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy also wrote that “…all things considered, this series – this saga – remains an astounding accomplishment from Meadows and co-writer Jack Thorne.”