Back in 2007, Tom Basden of Plebs fame and comedian Tim Key wrote and starred in a short film by the name of The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island. Basden and Key at the time were living together and were constantly coming up with ideas for skits and this was one of the love children of that affair. They took their idea forward to directors and landed on James Griffiths and the short was released, running at 25 minutes long. Fast forward all the way to 2025, this short film has found its way to become a brand new feature length film after years of development on its depth, going beyond just being a silly comedy skit. There has been a great deal of work from Basden, Key and Griffiths to try and get this to work as a feature length film and usually, that strenuous and long process can end up being ill-fated. With plans being deferred for years, the COVID-19 pandemic being a massive culprit, The Ballad of Wallis Island has finally released in the UK and it is a lovely little film that was certainly worth making.

Like the short film, The Ballad of Wallis Island stars Tom Basden as folk musician, Herb McGwyer, who travels to the titular Wallis Island upon request of an eccentric millionaire named Charles (Tim Key). Herb quickly finds out that Charles is a superfan, with an abundance of merch and memorabilia from his old folk duo band ‘McGwyer Mortimer’. Additionally, the gig of ‘less than a hundred’ he had been told he was performing is for no more than just Charles himself. To make matters even more awkward, Charles had also reached out to Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan): the other half of McGwyer Mortimer and former girlfriend of Herb. Tensions rise as the two meet again and the meaning of their music is explored through Charles’ enthusiatic responses and how Herb and Nell use it to reflect on their pasts.

With Basden and Key’s script, the heart in this film is simply infectious. You can tell that this script has been tried and tested for a lengthy time because its dialogue is incredibly sharp and witty, with very little attempt at comedy failing to make you smile. There is no belly laughs per se, but a decent chuckle from time to time and a good smile is exactly what this film is going for. This is particularly the case because of the tonal balance it has to strike. Though sometimes there are ill timed jokes that play down the severity of the scene, it gets it right for the most part. There is a very heartfelt story here about how music can transport us through time and we are always trying to claw back some of those feelings whenever we hear the music we love. This feeling is explored as both a melancholic heartache that reminds us of what we once had, yet also a beautiful reminder to cherish those things for as long as we can with a smile on our face. This is the core of the film and all the characters’ arcs centre around this sentiment. Herb is very interesting, for example, because he is clinging to his career by releasing a solo album with some pop infusions that divert him from his folk roots. He acts like he is a big time star and is above Charles’ eccentricities but only when he brushes with Nell and his older work, he can see how much his music, and thus his life, has changed. Other characters have the same amount of care given to their stories but it is best to leave some for you to discover.

Of course, these characters and their great writing would be nothing without the performances to bring them to life. Luckily, it is in good hands across the board. Tim Key probably the one with the most to do and he does not shrink from the task. He uses his typical awkward delivery and it is a great strength in relation to his character. He really sells this man that is clearly suffering but plays everything off with comedy and that acts as a coping mechanism. It is a wonderfully subtle performance that is an exceptional undertaking from a man that has never really had a massive opportunity to show off his acting chops. Basden is a similar story and whilst he is not quite as glowing as Key, he certainly does enough and then some. Carey Mulligan is obviously the heavyweight actress here and she is great as always, even if she does not get as many moments to shine as the others.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a simple film in its construction but its ideas are so well thought out that it has to be commended. To bring to fruition an idea that has been in the oven for so long, and it turn out to be great, is equally as impressive. Its small scale intimacy is one of its core strengths because it is fully aware of its mission. It is nothing groundbreaking by any means, but it was never going to be, nor was that ever the intention. The follow-through of a passion project is the important thing and thankfully, the end result is pretty great. This seems to only be showing at smaller independent cinemas so be sure to go and see this and give them some love, as well as this lovely film.