Our Friends in the North (1996)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Our Friends in the North is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel, Britbox Apple TV Channel
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Christopher Eccleston
Nicky Hutchinson
Mark Strong
Tosker Cox
Gina McKee
Mary Cox
Daniel Craig
Geordie Peacock
Peter Vaughan
Felix Hutchinson
David Bradley
Eddie Wells
Freda Dowie
Florrie Hutchinson
Alun Armstrong
Austin Donohue
Peter Flannery
Creator / Writer
Malcolm McDowell
Benny Barratt
Stuart Urban
Director
Danny Webb
Detective Inspector Ron Conrad
Pedr James
Director
Melanie Howard
Producer
Charles Pattinson
Producer
Michael Wearing
Executive Producer
Simon Cellan Jones
Director
Charlie Hardwick
Paula Bennett
Douglas McFerran
Detective Sergeant Croxley
Pearce Quigley
Detective
Steven Hillman
PC
Nicholas Palliser
Stockbroker
Stephen Marcus
Cyril Hellyer
Gavin Muir
Father Kyle
Shaun Prendergast
Frankie
George Sweeney
DS Leonard Morris
Nicholas Selby
Sir Edward Jones
Elspeth Charlton
Mrs Soulsby
Bobby Knutt
Les
Heather Tobias
Vagrant
Malcolm Terris
Mr Knox
Peter Jeffrey
Commissioner Colin Blamire / Colin Blamire
Media.
Details.
Release DateJanuary 15, 1996
StatusEnded
Seasons1
Episodes9
Running Time1h 10m
Genres
Last updated:
This TV Show Is About.
Wiki.
Our Friends in the North is a British television drama serial produced by the BBC. It was originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC2 in early 1996. Written by Peter Flannery, it tells the story of four friends from Newcastle upon Tyne over a period of 31 years, from 1964 to 1995. The story makes reference to certain political and social events which occurred during the era portrayed, some specific to Newcastle and others which affected Britain as a whole. These include general elections, police and local government corruption, the UK miners' strike (1984–85), and the Great Storm of 1987.
The serial is commonly regarded as one of the most successful BBC television dramas of the 1990s, described by The Daily Telegraph as "a production where all ... worked to serve a writer's vision. We are not likely to look upon its like again". It has been named by the British Film Institute as one of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century, by The Guardian as the third greatest television drama of all time and by Radio Times as one of the 40 greatest television programmes. It was awarded three British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), two Royal Television Society Awards, four Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, and a Certificate of Merit from the San Francisco International Film Festival.Our Friends in the North helped to establish the careers of its four lead actors, Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong. Daniel Craig's part in particular has been referred to as his breakthrough role. It was also a controversial production, as its stories were partly based on real people and events. Several years passed before it was adapted from a play, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, to a television drama, owing in part to the BBC's fear of legal action.
In February 2022, it was announced that Flannery had rewritten Our Friends in the North for BBC Radio 4 and that it would feature a new, tenth episode written by Adam Usden that was set in Newcastle in 2020. It features James Baxter, Norah Lopez Holden, Philip Correia and Luke MacGregor in the respective roles of Nicky, Mary, Tosker and Geordie, and began 17 March 2022.