Episode 9: 1995

Available for over a year

Peter Flannery once famously said of Our Friends in the North, "... it's just a posh soap opera - but it's a posh soap opera with something to say." And now he has rewritten his multi-award winning and highly acclaimed television series as an audio drama for BBC Radio 4. Ambitious in scale and scope, the drama chronicles the lives of four friends over three decades beginning in the 1964. The series tackles corporate, political and police corruption in the 1960s, the rise and fall of the Soho porn empires in the 1970s, the Miners’ Strike of the 1980s and the rise of New Labour in the 1990s. Some of the stories are directly based on the real-life controversies involving T. Dan Smith and John Poulson in Newcastle during the 60s and 70s. The adapted series now ends with a new, tenth episode by writer Adam Usden, bringing the story up to the present day. In episode 9, it's now 1995. Nicky has returned from Italy to Newcastle, Mary is now a Labour MP, and Tosker and Elaine are about to launch their new business - a floating nightclub on the Tyne. Cast Florrie / Mrs Wilkinson: Tracey Wilkinson Priest: Andrew Byron Nicky: James Baxter Sean Collins: Alfie Williams Geordie / Anthony: Luke MacGregor Tosker: Philip Correia Elaine: Eve Shotton Felix: Trevor Fox Mary: Norah Lopez Holden Christopher Collins: Tom Goodman-Hill Writer: Peter Flannery Studio Engineer: Paul Clark Sound Design: Jon Nicholls Trainee Production Co-ordinator: Emma O'Mahoney Producer: Melanie Harris Executive Producer: Jeremy Mortimer A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4