Rehearsals Begin for Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years

Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years A Live Theatre, Eastlake Productions & Newcastle Theatre Royal Co-Production Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 October at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Rehearsals are under way for Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years, a major new North East production receiving its world premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal this October.

The full company gathered this week for the first day of rehearsals, signalling the next stage in an ambitious new co-production from Live Theatre, Eastlake Productions and Newcastle Theatre Royal that brings Peter Flannery’s acclaimed drama back to the city that inspired it.

Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 October 2026. Written by Flannery himself and directed by Live Theatre Artistic Director Jack McNamara, the production focuses on two decisive years in the lives of four friends as politics, loyalty and ambition collide around them.

At the heart of the story are Nicky, Geordie, Tosker and Mary: friends whose shared beginnings pull in very different directions as the late 1970s give way to the turbulence of the 1980s. Ryan Nolan will play Nicky, an ambitious idealist drawn into the realities of political power; Scott Turnbull takes on Geordie, whose path becomes entangled with Newcastle’s criminal underworld; Jack Robertson plays Tosker, a self-made entrepreneur navigating a shifting economic landscape; and Sam Neale plays Mary, whose loyalty and resilience are tested as the years reshape the lives around her.

The start of rehearsals brings the North East story one step closer to the stage, three decades after the original BBC television series became one of the defining British dramas of the 1990s. For audiences who remember the series – with a cast that included Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and Gina McKee – the title carries instant weight. But this new version is not simply an exercise in nostalgia. Rather than retelling the full nine-part drama, the stage adaptation concentrates on 1979 and 1984, using those years as a lens through which to explore friendship, betrayal, ambition, class, community and the far-reaching consequences of political change.

In 1979, Britain stands on the threshold of a new political era; by 1984, the miners’ strike has become a defining national moment, reshaping communities and relationships across the country.

The production places North East talent firmly in the spotlight. Alongside Ryan Nolan, Scott Turnbull, Jack Robertson and Sam Neale, the ensemble brings together performers fromacross the region, including Meena Al-Nawrasy, Chris Connel, Trevor Fox, Jane Holman, Leo James, Cooper McDonough, Jude Nelson and Robert Punchard.

Trevor Fox, who appeared in the original BBC series and later in the BBC Radio 4 revival, said:

“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.” Robert Punchard, who makes his Newcastle Theatre Royal debut in the production, added:

“To be making my Newcastle Theatre Royal debut with Our Friends in the North is a really special opportunity. I’ve previously worked with Live Theatre on Fine Lines as part of Live Writes, and with Eastlake Productions on Big Ange, so to now be bringing those connections together in a production of this scale feels like a significant moment for me. The story is rooted in Newcastle and the North East, and there’s something really powerful about seeing local actors telling a story about the people and places we know. I’m really excited to be part of it and to see how audiences respond.”

Our Friends in the North: The Thatcher Years is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Thursday 15 to Saturday 24 October 2026. Tickets are available from www.theatreroyal.co.uk or via the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.