Film about Keighley man tells the story of heroin addiction

Craig O’Sullivan, affectionately known as Sully, died in 1998 at the age of just 25 – a victim of the “heroin epidemic of the 1990s” as Mickey puts it.

Sully experimented with drugs during the early part of the decade – “you’d go out with your mates and do a couple of E’s, a bit of coke,” Mickey said – before a loss of control led to his untimely death.

A quarter of a century on, Mickey – now a self-confessed “53-year-old, middle-aged git” – has made a film based on Sully’s last day.

Sully Lad – which is a follow-up from a poem he wrote – stars a host of local actors, and Mickey is hopeful that it can be screened as early as March.

“Many people have suffered due to addiction, and that’s what drove me to make the film,” he said.

Sully's grave (Image: Mickey Thompson)

Sully’s death was Mickey’s first taste of grief – and it left a sour taste.

“His funeral was the worst day of my life. I hadn’t really experienced tragedy, so a close friend dying so young really affected me,” he said.

“He was only 25, now it’s 25 years since he passed. It absolutely killed his mum. She passed away last year, I’m so sad that she isn’t able to see the film we’ve made.”

Mickey Thompson in a picture he humorously captioned 53, fat and knackered (Image: Mickey Thompson)

Although Sully Lad is a personal tale, Mickey also wants the film to open people’s eyes to wider social issues.

“There’s a lack of services for people going through addictions,” he argued.

“People get turned away from chemists, from doctors. This is reflected in the film – Sully gets turned away from a pub, because they think he’s a low life.

“Everyone shuts their doors and closes their minds to people with addictions.

“Sully’s lasts words to me were ‘so, what are you doing with your life that’s so f***ing good?’

“I kind of want people to watch the film and think ‘actually, what am I doing in my life that’s so good?’ and maybe make a change.”

Sully pictured in 1985, aged 12 (Image: Mickey Thompson)

Sully is played by Simon Pickles – a Keighley poet who himself was, many years ago, addicted to drugs.

“I truly admire and respect Simon, he’s great,” said Mickey.

“Around the time Sully died, Simon was in the middle of a full-blown addiction.

“It was important that people who knew the life that Sully lived were involved in the film. I wouldn’t have made it if we couldn’t get real people to speak with authenticity.”

Mickey and Sully’s connection goes back further than Ingrow, the suburb of Keighley they grew up in.

“He was from an Irish family, like me. His grandfather was the postman for my mother’s family in the village of Lyracrumpane, in County Kerry,” Mickey explained.

“Being of Irish heritage, everything revolves around family get-togethers in the pub. Sully was a sociable and likeable lad.”

Mickey (far right) with cast members Emmanuel Ale (left) and Simi Carver (centre) (Image: Mickey Thompson)

Mickey describes himself as the “black sheep” of his family, in the sense that he is the first to try a career in the arts.

He ran pubs and businesses before going bankrupt in 2000, leading him to try something “completely different” by spending six months at drama school in London.

“That’s how I got into writing. The first thing you write will be sad, despondent and miserable, that’s how it starts,” he said.

In the years since, he has played the role of a delivery driver in Coronation Street, modelled jeans on This Morning and even been Phil Mitchell’s body double.

Last year, he spent time with Bradford and Keighley-based The Unit.

“The Unit supports people who have stories to tell. Sully’s life needed respect and needed to be told – I don’t want people to forget who he was,” he said.

Mickey, Emmanuel and Simi at The Unit (Image: Mickey Thompson)

Mickey, who has a daughter who is engaged, moved to Skipton in 2020 and started a removals business.

“It was the best thing I ever did, I love living here,” he said.

“I’m very happy. I love writing, and I hope this is something I’ll pursue.

“A lot of my friends who died could never make that final change in their lives. Sometimes, even one small change can change your life for the better.”