Our Friends In The North

By Peter Flannery

Click here for a photo gallery of this production.

Our Friends in the North opened the Royal Shakespeare’s Company Pit Theatre at the Barbican on 5th May 1982 and played in repertoire there until the 23rd November.

The play was later adapted for television by Peter Flannery and was screened by BBC2 as a nine episode series in early 1996.  For further details of the TV series click here.

The original creative team and cast are as follows:

CREATIVE TEAM

Director - John Caird
Design - Ultz
Lighting - Leo Leibovici
Sound - John Leonard
Fights - Nels Henum
Company Voice Work - Cicely Berry
Stage Manager – Titus Grant
Deputy Stage Manager – Vikki Heywood
Assistant Stage Manager – Anne Milner

CAST

Newcastle
Roy Johnson – George Raistrick
Bede Connor – Bert Parnaby
Austin Donohue – Jim Broadbent
John Edwards – Andrew Jarvis
Eddie Wells – Fred Pearson
Billy Hutchinson – James Garbutt
Florrie – Gillian Webb
Nickie – Peter Chelsom
Geordie Hurst – David Whitaker
Tosker Cox – Anthony O’Donnell
Mary – Jane Carr

London
Sir Edward Jones - Bert Parnaby
Alan Whitaker – Fred Pearson
Harold Chapple – Andrew Jarvis
Ronald Conrad – Roger Allam
Weir – Jim Broadbent
Black – Peter Chelsom
Dennis Cockburn – Peter Ellis
Sir William Sampson – James Garbutt
Benny Barratt – Anthony O’Donnell
Charlie – George Raistrick
Jimmy Roadhouse – Joseph Marcell
Waster – Christopher Hurst
Rusty – Julia Hills
Debbie – Jane Carr
Mrs Kelly – Gillian Webb
Claude Seabrook – Bert Parnaby
Walter Sykes – Peter Ellis
John Bourne – Roger Allam

Rhodesia
The Minister – James Garbutt
Henny – Gillian Webb
Lance – Christopher Hurst
Joseph – Joseph Marcell
Kruger – Roger Allam

Other parts played by members of the company.

In the second part of the run, the parts played by Peter Chelsom were played by Philip Walsh.