The Netflix special takes place in real time as the musician wanders across New York to interact with stunned fans and play classics from his song catalog
Ed Sheeran has teamed up with Adolescence director Philip Barantini for the Netflix special One Shot With Ed Sheeran. The short film shows the singer walking through New York City in real time, playing his songs on subway cars and various spots around the city, and leaving a trail of stunned fans in his wake. It premieres Nov. 21 on Netflix.
“From impromptu performances on bustling sidewalks and subway cars, to intimate interactions with fans and passersby,” reads a press release, “Ed Sheeran’s journey through New York will be captured in a series of unforgettable moments, highlighting the pandemonium and excitement that follows.”
Philip Barantini made a name for himself creating masterful one-shot TV shows and movies. His 2021 breakthrough film Boiling Point takes place in the kitchen of a posh London restaurant on one very hectic evening. It was adapted into a 2023 limited series of the same name.
Earlier this year, he joined up with Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham to create Adolescence. It’s the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate. Like Boiling Point, the four episodes are all directed in a single continuous take where the tension never ends. “The device here is never less than astonishing,” wrote Rolling Stone‘s Alan Sepinwall, “and, for that matter, essential to why the show works as powerfully as it does.”
It won eight Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Barantini won Best Directing For a Limited of Anthology Series or Movie. “To Netflix, thank you for trusting us with this mad idea,” he said in his speech. “Mom, I said I’d make you proud. And I’ll continue to make you do so.”
Barantini’s previous one-shot works have utilized professional actors and were tightly scripted endeavors. One Shot With Ed Sheeran is the complete opposite since it takes place in the wilds of New York City without any formal script.
But Sheeran does have some subway busking experience. Earlier this year, he went underground at the Rockefeller Center subway station with Jimmy Fallon to perform “Azizam” and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” He was disguised at first, but it didn’t take long for a crowd to form. We’ll see what happens when he heads back out into the city with Barantini’s camera team trailing along.
