It was written by Laurence Coriat and directed by Welsh director Marc Evans and stars Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, Kimberley Nixon and Robert Pugh.

Set in a Welsh comprehensive school during the summer of 1976, keen drama teacher Vivienne fights general teenage apathy to put on a glam rock musical version of Shakespeare's The Tempest of which David Bowie (whose album provides the name of the film) might be proud.

[4] To engage her totally lackadaisical students and get them to explore and express their emotions, Vivienne uses pop hits of the time performed by a fresh young cast led by Davey.

A side plot involves conflict between Vivienne's liberalism and the attitudes of her long-standing opponents on the staff, centering on discovering which "delinquent" student was responsible for the arson.

Deflated, but ultimately unwilling to chart this mishap or her role as "music teacher" as yet another thing she's failed at, Vivienne persuades the headmaster to allow the production to move to an outdoor setting.