Ashley Walters narrates love letter to Britain’s nightlife with Samsung

Award-winning actor Ashley Walters stars in a new short film that pays homage to the vibrant and often overlooked world that comes alive after sunset.

‘The Night Is Ours’ features a host of characters and their respective journeys or activities during after-dark hours – from shift workers and bar staff to parents comforting their child and people enjoying a night out.

Commissioned by Samsung to mark the launch of its new Galaxy S26 Ultra, the film is an emotive exploration of the diverse activity in Britain that takes place after dark and was shot on the Galaxy S26 Ultra to celebrate its enhanced Nightography video capabilities.

An original poem, ‘The Night is Ours’, which is voiced by Ashley, underpins the narrative as it explores the idea that with the night comes both unexpected freedom and self-expression, ‘a space between one day / And the next’ where ‘the day loosens its grip’ and ‘cities breathe’, but also a humble working life as while ‘some rest’ as ‘others rise’ and for them ‘the night is too long’.

Paired with evocative visuals filmed on the S26 Ultra, ‘The Night is Ours” translates the poem’s sentiments by showcasing the night as a blank canvas where ‘truth slips out’ and connections deepen allowing viewers to ‘see night different’ and discover that “the night is ours”.

The film features a host of characters during their individual evenings, following a nurse leaving her son to go to work, a blossoming romance and one that has stood the test of time. We also see glimpses of a dad rocking his newborn, a taxi driver and maintenance worker starting their shifts under the cover of night.

Ashley Walters said: “I flew back from Budapest to work on this short film for Samsung, and it was an amazing shift. I’ve always felt most creative at night; something about those quiet hours helps you really focus and get the ideas flowing. But what blew me away was the incredible detail that the camera on the device could pull out of the shadows. The way it captures the world, even in low light, exactly as we see it, is impressive to say the least.”

The film arrives as new research of 2,000 Brits reveals a significant cultural shift as millions of Brits increasingly embrace life after dark, staying up later, with more than three-quarters of adults saying they use late-night hours to focus, plan ahead or work creatively.

For many people, the evening has become a time to focus without distractions. Gen Z are particularly likely to use hours after 9pm for productivity, with 54% saying they use the time for creative work, tasks or life admin, compared with 34% of Millennials and just 7% of those aged 62+.

The research also found 44% of Brits feel most relaxed after 6pm, rising to 49% among Gen Z and 48% among Millennials. However, Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (59%) are also the ones who work or have worked the most during the night in comparison to Gen X (40%) and Boomers (39%).

When it comes to staying up later for leisure, bedtimes are delayed to binge watch their favourite TV show for the millionth time (61%), or get in a bit of bedtime reading (38%) or to simply enjoy a scroll on social media (31%). Whilst 15% use the time to chat to someone in person or connect with family and friends through a late-night phone call (15%).

Credits

Director: Duncan Lewis
Lead Creative: Peter Mountstevens (Chief Creative Officer @ Taylor Herring)
Samsung Project Lead: Róisín O’Sullivan (MX PR Lead @ Samsung Electronics UK)
Lead Talent: Ashley Walters
Producer: Kirsty Dougall
Director of Photography: Stephen Dunn
Gaffer: Sam Crooks
1st Assistant Director: Josh Jacobs
2nd Assistant Director: James Farrell
1st Assistant Camera: Matt Choules
2nd Assistant Camera: Luca Parasiliti-Holt
Field PD (2nd Unit): Ben Golding
Camera Operator (2nd Unit): Harry Blackley
Sound Op: AJ Johnson
Playback: Liam Coles
Spark: Cieran Nash
Spark: Orlando De Silva
Spark: Tom Williams
DIT: Ben Mills
Samsung Product Specialist: Kadesh Beckford
BTS Camera: Martin Roach
BTS Sound Op: Eduardo Puhl
Stylist (Talent): Leah Abbot
Hair Stylist (Talent): Franklyn Nnamdi-Okwedy
Make Up Artist (Talent): Alexis Day
Stylist (Cast): Sian O’Donnell
Stylist Assistant (Cast): Elliot Jones
HMU (Cast): Eliza Wasiak
HMU (Cast): Jessie Owen
Production Design: Ali Al Akel
Art Assistant: Anna Abdullleva
Art Assistant: Jim Walker
Runner: Jemima Rees
Runner: Phoo Pyae
Runner: Mea Fricker
Cast:
Sam: Jed Gharbi
Clara: Ghada Alkhaznadar
Friend 1: ​Jason Daryl Hall
Friend 2: Ashley Sin Mei-Wong
Son: O’Shae Martins
Nurse: Rachel-Sophia Anthony
Baby: Daphne McRae
Dad: Duncan McRae
Elderly Husband: Christopher Hardcastle
Elderly Wife: Claire Vousden
Street Sweeper: Bryn Hodgen
Taxi Driver: Tony "the Taxi” Hones
Van Driver: Elle Prudence
Location Scout: Scout Locations
Production c/o St Mark’s Studios:
Managing Partner: Liam Simpson
Exec Producer: Dai Williams
Production Manager: Laura Carter
Senior Producer: Elly Craig
Producer: Tom Pollard
Producer: Gav Mukerji
Post-Production:
Editor: Amanda
Post-Producer: Tomas
Colourist:
Sound Design: AJ Johnson @ AJ Audio Works
Taylor Herring:
Chief Creative Officer: Peter Mountstevens
Associate Director: Rosie Cope
Senior Account Manager: Hannah Priestley
Account Director: Emily McKay
Account Executive: Tawa Kazembe
Creative: Emma Leahy
Production Account Executive: Hannah Disley