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Our Friends in the North

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Our Friends in the North

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• 1996

• Drama
• History

• 18

Summary

Drama examining the politics and change across Britain from the Sixties to the Nineties seen through the varying fortunes of four friends.

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Review

Gabriel Tate

A regular entry on any list of the greatest television dramas, Peter Flannery’s state-of-the-nation nine-parter, first broadcast in 1996, had ambition, humanity and ideas to burn.

Following four friends (future stars Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Gina McKee, Mark Strong) from Newcastle between 1964 to 1995 as youthful dreams curdle and lives diverge and overlap, it weaved in real characters and events from corruption in local councils and the Flying Squad to the miner’s strike and decline in social housing, all filtered through the warp and weft of left-wing politics.

The series’ acuity and impact is undiminished after decades of history repeating – and Oasis have surely never sounded better than in the famous final, elegiac sequence.

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8.6/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• BBC iPlayer

Credits

Cast

rolenameNicky HutchinsonChristopher EcclestonTosker `Terry" CoxMark StrongGeordie `George" PeacockDaniel CraigMary CoxGina McKeeFelix HutchinsonPeter Vaughan

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Crew

rolenameDirectorSimon Cellan Jones

Seasons

Latest season

Season 1

Special episodes

News & features about Our Friends in the North

• 
  
  Simon Cellan Jones on reuniting with Mark Wahlberg, Our Friends in the North legacy
  
  The British director lifts the lid on an impressive career.

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  BBC Four to broadcast Our Friends in the North to mark centenary
  
  The 1996 drama will air alongside a host of other classic shows to mark 100 years of the BBC.

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• 
  
  Our Friends in the North writer revives series for BBC Radio 4
  
  The classic 1996 drama will return as a 10-part audio production.

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  Christopher Eccleston: "Masculinity shouldn't be contingent on other people's oppression"
  
  The actor on the cult of television, working with Jimmy McGovern – and the ultimate interview question.

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  After 100 years, the BBC still aspires to be the best of us – if we take it for granted, we’re fools
  
  It's time we stopped complaining about the BBC and started to appreciate how lucky we are to have it.

• 
  
  This Life at 30: Producer Jane Fallon remembers beloved drama and reveals why she doubts it would happen today
  
  "It felt more like the Wild West in TV back then, a brief period of bravery for commissioners."

• 
  
  We asked 1,000 TV fans to name the best BBC drama of all time – the result was so close
  
  From Line of Duty to Sherlock, which BBC drama came out on top with Radio Times followers?

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• 
  
  Doctor Who icon Christopher Eccleston criticises current lack of regional and working class actors such as himself and Jodie Whittaker
  
  "Class is the last area that we can’t talk about in this country."

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  Good Grief cast: Who stars alongside Dan Levy in Netflix romcom?
  
  Luke Evans, Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel are among the familiar faces in the new film.

See more about Our Friends in the North

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