Our Friend in the North

Head down, develop, produce… and repeat. It’s the rhythm of life for most indies in the North of England. And somehow, somewhere, the next commission will arrive. 

But the industry in Manches­ter, Leeds and elsewhere in the UK needs to lift its head. The year began with confidence, with a fading pandemic, healthy order books, larger London companies putting boots on the ground, and the freelance community awash with offers of work. 

Few TV dramas deserve the epithet “Shakespearean” or “Tolstoyan” more than Peter Flannery’s Our Friends in the North, which turns 25 this year. 

The BBC Two series was epic in scale, using more than 160 actors and 3,000 extras to tell the story of post-war Britain, its people and its dirty politics. It is also the tale of four Newcastle friends, who grow up and grow old over three decades. And it is both moving and magnificent.