Rehearsals are under way for a new stage adaptation of Our Friends in the North, which will receive its world premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal next month.
The production, Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years brings Peter Flannery’s acclaimed story back to the city which inspired it, 30 years after the BBC series starring Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and Gina McKee first aired.
Rather than retelling the entire nine-part television drama, Flannery’s new adaptation concentrates on 1979 and 1984, following friends Nicky, Geordie, Tosker and Mary as their lives are shaped by friendship, politics, class and ambition during a period of major social and political change.
Ryan Nolan plays Nicky, with Scott Turnbull as Geordie, Jack Robertson as Tosker and Sam Neale as Mary. The wider North East cast includes Meera Al-Nawrasy, Chris Connel, Trevor Fox, Jane Holman, Leo James, Cooper McDonough, Jude Nelson and Robert Punchard.
Trevor Fox has a particularly long association with Our Friends in the North, having appeared in the original television series before returning as Felix in BBC Radio 4’s 2022 adaptation.
“Coming back to Our Friends in the North feels like coming home. I was lucky enough to be part of the original television series, and then to return to Peter Flannery’s world years later for the Radio 4 revival as Felix.
“To now see the story being brought back to the stage in Newcastle, with a new generation of actors and creatives, is a real privilege. The world has changed since the original series, but the questions at the heart of it - about friendship, politics, class, ambition and the place we call home - still feel incredibly relevant.”
Directed by Live Theatre artistic director Jack McNamara, the production is a co-production between Live Theatre, Eastlake Productions and Newcastle Theatre Royal.
Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal from October 15-24.