Episode 5: 1974

Peter Flannery once famously said of Our Friends in the North, "it's just a posh soap opera - but it's a posh soap opera with something to say."

Ambitious in scale and scope, the drama chronicles the lives of four friends over three decades beginning in the 1964. The series tackles corporate, political and police corruption in the 1960s, the rise and fall of the Soho porn empires in the 1970s, the Miners’ Strike of the 1980s and the rise of New Labour in the 1990s.

In episode five, it’s 1974, the start of the 3-day week introduced by Edward Heath’s government to conserve electricity. Nicky is back in Newcastle offering to campaign for the Labour Party, Geordie is determined to exact revenge on Benny Barratt, Mary is a local councillor and Tosker’s business interests continue to grow. Under the new leadership of Commissioner Jellicoe, the Met are finally beginning to crack down on the Soho porn industry, as well as their own internal corruption.

Cast
Nicky: James Baxter
Felix: Trevor Fox
Florrie: Tracey Wilkinson
Austin Donohue / Claud Seabrook: Tom Goodman-Hill
D.I. Conrad: Andrew Byron
Commissioner Jellicoe: Darren Kuppan
Commander Fieldson: Des Yankson
Tosker / DI John Salway: Philip Correia
Harold Chapple / Eddie Wells: James Gaddas
Geordie / Ray: Luke MacGregor
Paula / Lucille: Eve Shotton
Mary: Norah Lopez Holden
Benny Barratt: Tony Hirst
John Edwards: Maanuv Thiara

Writer: Peter Flannery
Studio Engineer: Paul Clark
Sound Design: Paul Cargill
Trainee Production Co-ordinator: Emma O'Mahoney
Producer: Melanie Harris
Executive Producer: Jeremy Mortimer

A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4