"Our Friends in the North" (1996) (mini)TV mini-series

Directors:

Simon Cellan Jones
Pedr James

Writer:

Peter Flannery (writer)

Release Date:

30 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A nine part series depicting the varying fortunes of four friends - Nicky, Geordie, Mary and Tosker...

Plot Keywords:

Newcastle | Political | Human Relationship

Awards:

7 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christopher Eccleston	...	Nicky Hutchinson
Daniel Craig	...	Geordie (George) Peacock
Gina McKee	...	Mary Soulsby / Cox
Mark Strong	...	Tosker (Terry) Cox
David Bradley	...	Eddie Wells
Peter Vaughan	...	Felix Hutchinson
Freda Dowie	...	Florrie Hutchinson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alun Armstrong	...	Austin Donohue
Neil Armstrong	...	Ben
Phil Atkinson	...	Councillor
Roger Avon	...	Mr. Braniff
Joanna Bacon	...	Female transvestite
Angeline Ball	...	Daphne
Melvin Barnes	...	Sean Collins
Matthew Baron	...	Anthony Cox - Toddler
Julia Barrie	...	Barrister (as Julia Lloyd Barrie)
Tony Barton	...	Herbert Sidebottom
David Begg	...	Billy Shaughnessy
Margery Bone	...	Barbara Cox
Steph Bramwell	...	Beattie
Steven Bronowski	...	PC Rose
Colette Brown	...	Alice MacDonald
Angela Bruce	...	Nursing Sister
Denise Bryson	...	Pat West
Siobhan Burke	...	Lucille
Doyne Byrd	...	Chairman
Johnny Caesar	...	Eric Burdon Lookalike
Daniel Casey	...	Anthony Cox
Gez Casey	...	Frank
Peter Cellier	...	Judge
Elspeth Charlton	...	Doris Soulsby
Craig Conway	...	Christopher Collins (child)
Trevor Cooper	...	DCS Dennis Cockburn
Frank Couchman	...	Patrick Soulsby
Simon Coury	...	Journalist
Rod Culbertson	...	Bede Connor
John Dair	...	Charlie Dawson
Eileen Daly	...	Dancer
Ron Davies	...	Police Superintendent John Harrop
Libby Davison	...	Sarah
Sophia Diaz	...	Mercedes
Anna Maria Donofrio	...	Frances
Gwen Doran	...	Cynthia
Mark Drewry	...	Michael Frisch
Miles Edwards	...	Jason
Julian Fellowes	...	Claud Seabrook MP
Denny Ferguson	...	Cooper (as Danny Ferguson)
Harry Fielder	...	Background artist / extra
Nick Figgis	...	Anthony Cox (teenager)
Trevor Fox	...	Harry
McKenzie Fraser	...	Returning officer
Evie Garratt	...	Ticket lady
Rory Gibson	...	Terry (Tosker's assistant)
Alan Gilchrist	...	Christopher Collins (teenager)
Sean Gilder	...	PC Lukoschek
Andrew Grainger	...	DC Fred Black
Paul Greenwood	...	Roy Bennett
Michael Gunn	...	John Clark
David Haddow	...	DI Martin Oldfield
Peter Halliday	...	Speaker of House of Commons
Julia Hampson	...	Olive
Charlie Hardwick	...	Paula Bennett
Stephen Hawksby	...	Stan (as Steven Hawksby)
Tony Haygarth	...	Deputy Chief Constable Roy Johnson
Harry Herring	...	Arthur Watson
Jean Heywood	...	Woman in market
Steve Hillman	...	Police constable
Tony Hodge	...	Brian Cox
Brian Hogg	...	Scab miner
William Hoyland	...	Commander Arthur Fieldson
Keith Hutcheon	...	Journalist
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	John Edwards
Peter Jeffrey	...	Commissioner Sir Colin Blamire
Tracy Keating	...	Nurse
Harriet Keevil	...	Helen Windsor
Toby Kensett	...	Andrew
Gavin Kitchen	...	Police inspector
Bobby Knutt	...	Les
Daniel J. Lake	...	Youth
Larry Lamb	...	Alan Roe
John Larsen	...	Fire Safety officer
Sam Latham	...	Bouncer in restaurant (as Sam Lathem)
Frank Lazarus	...	Psychiatrist
Pete Lee-Wilson	...	Colin Butler
Emma Lightfoot	...	Bernadette Cox (child)
Leon Lissek	...	Walensky
David Lyon	...	Commander
David MacCreedy	...	Man with dog
Joanne MacInnes	...	Francine Volker
Colin MacLachlan	...	Superintendent Ottey
Richard Makepeace	...	TV interviewer
Doreen Mantle	...	Mrs. Wilson
Stephen Marcus	...	Cyril Hellyer
David Marriner	...	Police constable
Jack McBride	...	James Soulsby
Glenn McCrory	...	Bouncer
Malcolm McDowell	...	Benny Barratt
Douglas McFerran	...	DS Croxley
Peter McGowan	...	DS Conway
Val McLane	...	Rita Cox
Kate McLoughlin	...	Moira
Paul McNeilly	...	Ernie
Norman Mills	...	Nottingham miner
Valerie Minifie	...	Solicitor
Roger Monk	...	Drunk
John Morton	...	Archie
Richard Morton	...	Singer in club
Gavin Muir	...	Father Kyle
Nicholas Nancarrow	...	Roy Cox
Tony Neilson	...	Waiter
Christopher Northey	...	MP in sex shop
Anne Orwin	...	Sandra Weightman
Nicholas Palliser	...	Stockbroker
Judith Parker	...	Mrs. Noble
Adam Pearson	...	Anthony Cox (child)
Mark Pegg	...	DC Tony Weir
Barbera Peirson	...	Brenda Friel
Shaun Prendergast	...	Frankie
Sion Probert	...	Journalist
Stephanie Putson	...	Bernadette Cox (teenager)
Robert Putt	...	Taylor
Pearce Quigley	...	Detective
Paul Rainbow	...	Inspector
Jill Riddiford	...	Mrs. Collins
Terence Rigby	...	Berger
Dirk Robertson	...	Vagrant
Willie Ross	...	Gordon Peacock
Louise Salter	...	Julia Allen
Granville Saxton	...	Commissioner Michael Jellicoe
David Schaal	...	Prison officer
David Schofield	...	DS / DI / DCS John Salway
Nicholas Selby	...	Commissioner Sir Edward Jones
Peggy Shields	...	Old lady
Jean Southern	...	Mrs. Rashleigh
Miriam Stockley	...	Singer
Amber Styles	...	Rita Roddy
Donald Sumpter	...	Commander Harold Chapple
George Sweeney	...	DS Leonard Morris
Andrew Tansey	...	Sergeant
Tony Tarrats	...	Nigel
Catherine Terris	...	Mrs. Merriman
Malcolm Terris	...	Mr. Knox
Stephen Thirkeld	...	Journalist (as Stephen D. Thirkeld)
Ian Thompson	...	Political correspondent
Heather Tobias	...	Female vagrant
Sarah Turnbull	...	Christopher's girlfriend
Alan Turner	...	Dr. Russell
Simon Tyrrell	...	Dave
Arturo Venegas	...	Restaurant manager
Chris Walker	...	DCI Paul Boyd
Derek Walmsley	...	Barry Roddy
Danny Webb	...	DS / DI Ron Conrad (as Daniel Webb)
Clare Welch	...	Magistrate
David Whitaker	...	Toby Roddy
Saskia Wickham	...	Claudia Seabrook MP
Tracey Wilkinson	...	Elaine Craig / Cox
Mary Woodvine	...	Alison

Runtime:

623 min (9 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Because of earlier production problems the scenes of the polling station and most of the whole episode had to be shot again, originally this was shot in the winter months, but had to be re-shot in the summer months and made to look convincingly like it was cold.

Quotes:

Nicky Hutchinson: [to the driver how dropped him off, first lines] Cheers mate
Nicky Hutchinson: [In narration] Our story began, one summer night in 1964, as I cam back to see me friends. I could see now, 31 years later, we were all going to make decisions that would change our lives forever.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Becoming Bond (2006) (TV)

excellent drama from the Beeb

When this drama first hit our screens in '96, there was a certain cynicism about lengthy serials set in contemporary times, and whether it could hold a nation's attention. Casting was wide and varied - the four leads, who grow up together, grow apart, and grow together again - were played with class by Gina MacKee, Chris Eccleston, Daniel Craig and Mark Strong. Others in support included David Bradley, Peter Vaughan, Malcolm McDowell, David Schofield, Daniel Casey, and many more. Each episode moved the story along through its thirty-year span, while we watched each character reach their highs and lows until the last episode which left them all reunited.

Two things in particular stand out - the episode about the miners' strike, which was brilliantly done; and the closing credits over which Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' was played. I can't think of a better tune to close this excellent serial. One of the BBC's best.