Run time: 95 mins

Old fashioned charm fills the screen in this nostalgic wartime sequel to the 1970 British classic.

40 years have passed since earlier events. Bobbie has raised her family and lost her husband. Still living in the same Yorkshire house, now with her headmistress daughter and bright-spark grandson Thomas, she takes in siblings evacuated from German bombing raids near Manchester: Lily, tomboy Pattie and cheeky Ted. The four kids get up to various adventures around the railroad line and when they stumble across African-American teen soldier Abe, an underage military deserter, they decide to help him.

Jenny Agutter reprises her iconic teenage role, now the gracious family matriarch, while at the film’s centre, the five hugely likeable teen actors are able to bring their characters to life with strong flashes of personality. Tom Courtenay, Hugh Quarshie and Sheridan Smith round off an impressive ensemble cast.

While warmly comforting, the film is balanced by an exploration of racism, highlighting brutal treatment of Black soldiers by bigoted US military police. Reflecting contemporary attitudes to the past, it’s a tonal shift not often seen in an escapist family movie which is otherwise a fitting tribute to the innocent, good-natured spirit of the original.