South on the Great North Road

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Drama: South on the Great North Road

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Peggy Charlton’s twice-weekly trips to London raise a few eyebrows in her native Newcastle

HGV truck driver Peggy Charlton’s twice-weekly trips to London lead her husband to suspect she has other interests in her life.

"Many have gone before us now Many have tried and failed somehow Many souls on the Queen's highway Where many a tail light glowed With the promise of a better life Heading South on the Great North Road South on the Great North Road."

The drama is inspired by the song Going South On The Great North Road from Sting's 2016 album 57th and 9th. Sting says both the road and the journey to London have resonances for him: 'It's about my journey from Newcastle in to make my fortune. In my young life I covered enough road miles to recall that relentless gravitational pull, the promise of a different kind of life down that road'. 

Down the centuries, countless young people from the North and other points of the compass have made similar journeys. The central character in this play is one of them, and the drama reveals how that journey threatens to tear Peggy Charlton apart. In her 30s, Peggy (a long-standing name for the Charlton family girls) has the Great North Road in her blood and bones. 

Sting's haunting song, which he has performed acapella for the production, is the counterpoint to this drama written by Michael Chaplin. 

Cast:
PEGGY ..... Jessica Johnson
STEVE ..... Stephen Tompkinson   
KELLY ..... Laura Jane Matthewson
JOE ..... Tom Glenister	
JEAN ..... Judi Earl	
The Singer ..... Sting

Directed by Eoin O’Callaghan
Produced by Marilyn Imrie
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4

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