Our Friends in the North returns as a Newcastle stage play
Peter Flannery's acclaimed 1996 TV drama "Our Friends in the North" is being adapted for the stage at Newcastle's Live Theatre and Theatre Royal. The landmark nine-episode series charted 30 years in the lives of four working-class Geordies against a backdrop of Labour politics and police corruption, becoming a critical and popular success that launched the careers of Mark Strong, Daniel Craig, Gina McKee and Christopher Eccleston. The new theatrical version represents a significant moment for the historically underfunded region's cultural ambitions.
The writer Peter Flannery has reworked two episodes from 1979 and 1984 into a two-act play, introducing a chorus and restructuring elements for the stage. Director Jack McNamara has cast four north-east actors to play the four principal characters, explicitly avoiding impersonations of the original television performers. The cast acknowledge the considerable weight of expectation surrounding the project, with concerns about executing the beloved story well for both long-time fans and new audiences.
- 30-year-old TV drama Our Friends in the North gets its first stage adaptation.
- Peter Flannery reworked two TV episodes after initially resisting the project.
- New north-east cast brings their own take rather than copying the original stars.
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"Our Friends in the North" was a landmark British television drama that aired in 1996, following the lives of four working-class people from Newcastle over three decades. The series wove together their personal stories with the backdrop of Labour politics and police corruption, creating a portrait that resonated widely with audiences and critics alike.
The original television series became a critical and popular success that helped launch the acting careers of now-celebrated performers including Mark Strong, Daniel Craig, Gina McKee and Christopher Eccleston. Its influence meant that for many viewers, "Our Friends in the North" represented something culturally significant about British storytelling and the lives of working people in that era.
Writer Peter Flannery has now adapted the work for the stage, reworking two episodes into a two-act theatrical production that will premiere at Newcastle's Live Theatre and Theatre Royal. Director Jack McNamara has cast four north-east actors in the principal roles, bringing the story back to the region where it is set and creating a fresh theatrical interpretation of the original drama.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘Corruption has only got worse’: can a new version of Our Friends in the North still shock audiences 30 years on?”.