Simon Beaufoy added a new phrase to the vernacular with the title of his charmingly comic character study about unemployed steelworkers who turn to stripping as a means to raise quick cash. The low-budget "The Full Monty" (1997), in this case meaning to completely undress, proved to be a sleeper hit and became, among other things, the highest grossing British-made film in history, earning $185 million worldwide. Its British-born screenwriter had an eclectic background, studying film at the Bournemouth Film School where he produced the TV documentary "Release Me", which had a cast of actors with learning disabilities. "Release Me", a documentary profile of mountaineer Edwin Drummond followed. All the while, Beaufoy was honing his craft as a writer. His first completed screenplay, "Cello", in which the titular instrument is stolen by a football fan, earned its author the 1991 Euston Films Best Script Award in a contest sponsored by Fuji Film. In addition, his play "Saddam's Arms", focusing on a boy's attempt to climb Mount Victory in Baghdad while never leaving his home in England, was a 1993 finalist for several radio play awards. Beaufoy's second script, "Among Giants" (1999), was another low-budget film which depicted a romantic love triangle in Yorkshire. Beaufoy formed Footprint Films and was developing what would be his feature directorial debut, "The Darkest Light" (1999), about two Yorkshire girls who claim to have a visitation from the Blessed Mother.