Timothy Spall's "feel-bad" comedy with The Crown star is now streaming for free

Northern Comfort, starring Timothy Spall, is now available to watch for free on Channel 4's streaming service after airing on TV on Friday night. Starring Spall and The Crown’s Lydia Leonard, the film has been described as an "absurdist feel-bad comedy".

The film’s synopsis continues: "A face-your-fears plane flight for aerophobics ends in air turbulence, engine failure, and a week stranded in Iceland. The Fearless Flyers support group already had sky-high anxiety, and it's only going to get worse…"

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Released in 2023, the film was directed by Icelandic director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson in what was his English language debut. Sigurðsson also co-wrote the script alongside Halldór Laxness Halldórsson and Tobias Munthe.

Alongside Spall and Leonard, Northern Comfort also stars Ella Rumpf and Catastrophe's Rob Delaney.

Over on IMDB, the film has a 5.4 rating out of 10 from viewers. One review reads: “I've no idea why this has such a low rating. I thought it was really funny and just the right side of bonkers!

“It's definitely worth an evening's watch on the sofa, especially if you fancy something light and a bit silly.”

Another viewer was less impressed writing: “Normally love any thing Timothy Spall is in but this was disappointing.

“Started out with great premise then was just silly and predictable. It couldn't work out if was to be a comedy or more serious drama.”

Critics also weren’t too kind to the film, with Screen International writing: “Rather like the ill-fated plane, the comedy struggles to land,” and RogerEbert.com calling it: “A sequence of bad filmmaking decisions, amplifying characters who never once felt like they exist in the real world.”

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a more acclaimed Timothy Spall film to watch, The Damned United is available to stream on Netflix.

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Also starring Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Martin Compston and Stephen Graham, the film is based on David Peace's 2006 novel of the same name. Set in the 1970s, it follows football manager Brian Clough (Sheen) as he comes under pressure after taking over Leeds United.

Released in 2009, The Damned United currently holds an impressive 92% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Northern Comfort is available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service as well as Netflix.

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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.

After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.

Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.