IN THE REHEARSAL ROOM FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH

There’s something different about hearing a familiar story spoken aloud in a rehearsal room. For Our Friends in the North, that feeling is heightened by the fact that so many people know the story already. Peter Flannery’s acclaimed drama has become part of the cultural fabric of the North East, thanks in no small part to the much-loved BBC television series. Now, almost 30 years after it first appeared on screen, a new generation of artists is bringing the story back to its home region – this time, on stage at Newcastle Theatre Royal, in co-production with Live Theatre and Eastlake Productions.

For the company gathering around the rehearsal table at the production’s first read through at Live Theatre, that comes with both excitement and responsibility. The production brings together Newcastle Theatre Royal, Live Theatre and Eastlake Productions, with a cast and creative team determined to bring new life to a story told before.

At the centre of it are the four characters: Geordie, Mary, Nicky and Tosker, whose lives we follow as their friendships, relationships and ambitions are tested as the world around them changes, with the personal and political constantly colliding. But putting all of that on stage presents its own challenges. How do you tell a story that moves across years, multiple locations and huge social change without losing the intimacy at its heart? How do you take a story audiences may already know and make it feel immediate and alive in the theatre?

For director Jack McNamara, the answer lies in embracing the possibilities of the stage while allowing the original story to evolve. “The task with adaptation is always to make the piece of work belong entirely to its new medium. That means finding a different heartbeat and a look, feel and rhythm that is innately theatrical. As much as fans of the series will want to feel the warmth of the familiar, the real way to honour the original is to allow the adaptation to become truly its own thing. It’s great seeing those iconic roles played by new actors in entirely different ways. It gives the piece a whole new life and stops it being preserved in memory.”

The process in the rehearsal room is one of constant discovery. As scenes are read, they’re explored and questioned, with the actors working together to understand who these people are, where they have come from and how three decades of change affect the choices they make.

For Trevor Fox, who appeared in the original BBC series and later returned to Peter Flannery’s world for the BBC Radio 4 revival as Felix, seeing the story come back to Newcastle carries a particular significance. “Coming back to Our Friends in the North feels like coming home. To 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.”

There is also a particular connection between the company and the place in which the story is set. All of the cast have strong links to the North East, whether through where they grew up, trained or began their careers. For some, this production represents a return to the Theatre Royal; for others, it is a first appearance on its stage. Among the company are several cast members who trained at Newcastle Theatre Royal (Ryan Nolan, Meena Al-Nawrasy and Jude Nelson) and Live Theatre (Robert Punchard current member and Sam Neale and Leo James former members).

Alongside the actors, the design team is creating the world in which their story unfolds. Amy Watts has the challenge of taking audiences through locations while capturing the feeling of a region changing around its people. Costume, sound, lighting and movement all become part of the storytelling, helping the audience understand not only when and where a scene is taking place, but how the world around the characters is shifting.

^{Photos Credit: Chris Bishop}

As rehearsals progress, the production begins to move beyond the page. Blocking replaces table reads. Scenes start to connect. Characters become relationships, relationships become stories, and eventually those stories begin to form the world audiences will encounter on stage.

For Newcastle Theatre Royal, Live Theatre and Eastlake Productions, that is a big part of why this production matters. It is a chance to revisit a story that has meant so much to the region, while putting new artists, new creative voices and a new generation of audiences at its heart.

Our Friends in the North plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Thu 15 – Sat 24 Oct 2026. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.