Jim Broadbent voices Briggs's father, milkman Ernest, while Brenda Blethyn plays his mother Ethel, who worked as a lady's maid before meeting her future husband in 1928. The film tells the story of the couple, from their marriage to the birth of their son (Briggs, played by Luke Treadaway), to their experiences during the Second World War and post-war years.

McCartney's new song, titled In the Blink of An Eye, plays over the end credits of the movie.

Getting one of the most famous names in pop music to write a track for your film might sound like a bit of a daunting challenge but Ethel and Ernest director Roger Mainwood says he had an advantage: McCartney was already a fan of Briggs's work.