EXCLUSIVE Is this Britain's worst estate? Neighborhood which was setting for 1980s cult film Rita, Sue and Bob Too now so violent families fear going out at night Depiction of life on Bradford's notorious Buttershaw estate made waves in 80s But crime-hit spot still languishes in the ten most deprived areas in the country By Mark Branagan Published: 09:44, 26 June 2024 | Updated: 09:51, 26 June 2024 e-mail View comments It has been nearly forty years since Rita, Sue and Bob Too shocked Margaret Thatcher's Britain with its sordid depiction of life on Bradford's notorious Buttershaw estate. Decades later, little has changed with new figures showing it is not only one of the most deprived residential areas in the UK but one of Yorkshire's most violent neighbourhoods. Rita, Sue and Bob Too - written by the gifted but troubled local playwright Andrea Dunbar - was a no-holds-barred comedy drama directed by Alan Clarke about two 15-year-old girls.
Seduced jointly and effortlessly by an older married man Bob (George Costigan) as he drives them home from babysitting his kids in the suburbs, both embark on an affair with him. Billed as 'Thatcher's Britain with her knickers down', it also starred Siobhan Finneran as Rita, and Michelle Holmes as Sue. Buttershaw languishes in the bottom ten of most deprived areas in the UK according to data Figures show it is one of Yorkshire's most violent areas, although police say it is improving The area was the setting for well-regarded film Rita, Sue.