The film humanised Russians at a time when Rambo was killing them': how we made Letter to Brezhnev

"The film's big romance is between Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) and the Russian sailor Peter (Peter Firth), but it is the relationship between Elaine and her friend Teresa, played by my sister Margi, that is the biggest journey for me. Elaine has the courage to follow her dream and go to Russia to find Peter, whereas Teresa who had paired up with Sergei (Alfred Molina) stays put, working in the Kirkby chicken factory."

A script written in 1981 in Liverpool imagines a working-class romance between two girls from Kirkby and Russian sailors on leave around the port. The story includes a subtle political message during the Thatcher era and the Cold War, countering anti-Russian propaganda and refusing to hate an entire nation. The script is sent to multiple TV companies, which express interest but decline funding, reflecting a form of censorship through lack of money. Production becomes possible through support from an heiress’s brother. The film’s central romance involves Elaine and Peter, while Elaine’s friend Teresa undergoes the biggest personal journey. Elaine follows her dream to Russia, while Teresa stays in Kirkby working in a chicken factory. Tight dialogue and emotional insight come from the writer’s seven sisters, whose arguments and forgiveness shaped the characters. The script is later adapted for theatre.

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