After a career in the film and TV industry, Tom Littledyke returned to his home town of Lyme Regis, in Dorset, with his partner, Georgia Wellman. They acquired The Shave Cross Inn, in the hamlet of Shave Cross, near Bridport, in January 2020. A long-time movie buff, but faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, Tom set up a temporary drive-in cinema in the pub’s car park. They could accommodate a maximum of 10 cars, and opened with Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” (appropriately enough, as the area is known as the Jurassic Coast) on 9th July 2020.

They subsequently expanded the ‘Shave Cross’ branding to include craft beer pub the Shave Cross Cellar and the Italian-themed Shave Cross Taverna, both in Lyme Regis. (‘Shave Cross’ refers to an order of monks who would take a pilgrimage from Shave Cross to nearby Abbotsbury.)

In May 2023 Tom realised a long-held dream, and opened the Under the Stars Cinema. Very mindful that the iconic Regent (see separate Cinema Treasures entry) had closed following a catastrophic fire in March 2016, he wanted to bring some form of ‘big-screen’ experience back to the town.

Based in a former butcher’s shop, the Under the Stars Cinema is situated in the basement, beneath a foyer/takeaway food and drink outlet. The 20 seats are a mixture of very comfortable two and three-seat sofas, with the cinema’s name being derived from the lights in the ceiling. Films are screened from DVD/Blu-ray and from streaming services onto a large-format TV screen.

There are scheduled film shows every day, repertory-style. The cinema can also be hired for private screenings.