Starring Lauren Waine and directed by Russell Floyd, the play will be touring the North East in 2022 from March 24th until April 2nd. You can find all the tour dates and book tickets here

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Jimmy Mullen, the PTSD-suffering protagonist of The Man on the Street and One Way Street, is approached by his friend Gadge, who wants to confront the people behind it but Jimmy has finally got his life back on track – he’s working at a hostel for 18-25-year-olds – so is reluctant to get involved in anything dodgy.

Gadge decides to go it alone but is attacked by two of the vigilantes. The police find him unconscious in an alley, covered in blood. Problem is, there’s a dead body in the alley too and it’s his blood that Gadge is covered in. He’s also got the murder weapon in his hand.

Convinced that Gadge has been set up, and feeling guilty that he didn’t back him up in the first place, Jimmy returns to the streets to try and find out who’s behind his friend’s difficulties.

Unfortunately, he’s about to discover that Gadge has a lot of enemies to choose from.

Dead End Street is available in hardback, audiobook and ebook here. And from all good bookshops including Forum Books in Corbridge, Drake the Bookshop in Stockton,  Cogito Books in Hexham and Waterstones in Newcastle

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One Way Street sees the welcome return of Jimmy Mullen, the homeless, PTSD-suffering, veteran as he attempts to rebuild his life following the events in the award-winning The Man on the Street.

As his probation officer constantly reminds him: all he needs to do is keep out of trouble. Sadly for him, trouble seems to have a habit of tracking Jimmy down.

One Way Street is published in hardback on June 10, 2021. It’s already available in e-book and audio here

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The play will be touring the North East in 2022 from March 24th until April 2nd. You can find all the tour dates here

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Following the huge successes of Mr Corvan’s Music Hall, The Great Joe Wilson (both @ Sage Gateshead), Hadaway Harry  (London and Newcastle Theatre Royal),  three fantastic Great Joe Wilson Nights (Tyneside Irish Centre) and Carrying David, Wisecrack Productions present this brilliant new show featuring classic North East songs and comedy.

A tremendous celebration of our brilliant North East songwriters including Alan Hull, Joe Wilson, Ned Corvan, Geordie Ridley, Billy Mitchell, Judy Dinning, Tommy Armstrong, Alex Glasgow,  Johnny Handle and Pete Scott.

Starring some of the region’s biggest theatre stars: Micky Cochrane, Sarah Boulter and Jamie Brown (all The Great Joe Wilson) with top musicians Rachael McShane (Mr Corvan’s Music Hall and Bellowhead) and Jordan Miller (The Great Joe Wilson,  Vandebilt  & The Lake Poets). Featuring brilliant musical comedy from Gavin Webster and Josh Daniels.

Tickets are only £20 from the Sage  or via Wisecrack Productions.

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Already being described as ‘a blast of fresh air in the genre’ the novel is set in Newcastle and features the ‘most unforgettable investigator of 2020.’  The investigator in question is Jimmy, a homeless veteran, suffering from PTSD, who sees a murder but nobody believes him. He tries to forget what he’s seen but when a young girl, whose father has gone missing, asks for his help he has no choice but to get involved, putting himself at risk from enemies old and new. But Jimmy has one big advantage: when you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.

As well as the print version there will be digital and audio versions of The Man on the Street available at the same time. Delightfully, the audio version will be narrated by Dave Nellist, who played Mr Barron in the original production of Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather.

There will also be a series of book signings in the North East in March, the dates of which will be announced nearer the time though one that has been firmed up is at Waterstone’s in Durham on March 21st at 10am.

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Dirty Dusting and Waiting For Gateaux have both already enjoyed world-wide acclaim with productions in Australia, New Zealand and Spain coming on top of their widespread UK successes but new productions are now set to take both shows to new territories.

Belgium is the newest happy-hunting ground for WFG, with a brand new professional production planned for 2017 – not only is this new ground for the play but the script is currently being translated into Flemish!

Meanwhile, Dirty Dusting is set to make its long-awaited debut in the USA next year. Contracts have been signed with the Irish Theatre of Florida for amateur productions in both Florida and Rochester, New York.

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Putney will play host to Ed’s hit play about the Victorian Geordie who invented the sport of rowing we know so well today.

Harry “Hadaway” Clasper, who was from Tyneside, was the Sir Steve Redgrave of his day having led seven teams to win the Championship of the World on the Thames at Putney. In addition Harry, in the 1840s, invented and built the slim, light boats and outriggers used by modern scullers.

At the time Clasper’s revolutionary new initiatives were ridiculed because rowers were still using the old clinker-built boats that had been a feature on rivers for centuries.

Harry also went on to train future world champions and umpired world championships.

Hadaway Harry is being performed at the prestigious London Rowing Club on the banks of the Thames in Putney on Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18 before it returns to the North East where it is making its debut on the fabulous Theatre Royal stage.

The play itself, which was performed to sell-out crowds and received standing ovations on Tyneside in June 2015, focuses on the very first time the Geordie oarsmen – led by Clasper and comprising his brothers – defeated the “unbeatable” Thamesmen in 1845.

Ed explained: “Rowing was the sport of the working class prior to football. Every major river had its champion so there was huge interest in matches because civic pride was at stake.

“When Harry led his team of brothers to Putney in 1845 to win the World Championship for the first time it caused a sensation nationally; was akin to Fulham beating Barcelona in the final of the European Cup!

“Even Charles Dickens wrote about the wonderful spectacle of the Geordies versus the Thamesmen.”

“The National Rowing Museum in Henley features the modern greats but at the very start of the rowing timeline there you’ll see writ large the name of an illiterate, former Durham miner called Harry Clasper.”

“After 1845, Harry went on to dominate national rowing for the next 25 years and when he died in 1870, aged 58, more than 130,000 people crammed the streets of Newcastle and Gateshead to pay tribute.”

Harry Clasper was a regular visitor to Putney. He often lodged in The Feathers pub at the mouth of the River Wandle when preparing for races.

Harry Clasper’s son, John Hawks Clasper, himself a top rower, went on to live in Putney; Lower Richmond Road and Stainbridge Road, both within a few hundred yards of the London Rowing Club.

John, who also lived in and ran The Feathers pub, was a master boater builder; his workshop, on the banks of the Thames in Putney, is now the Westminster School boathouse, which still bears his name, JH Clasper.

Hadaway  Harry will be performed at London Rowing Club, Putney (SW15 1LB) on Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18. The show starts at 7.30pm on both evenings with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday.  Tickets, limited to 80 per show, cost only £16 from (0191) 424 7788.

For further details visit: www.hadawayharry.co.uk

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There will be more hilarious frolics and comedy sketches involving panto legend Bob Stott as the irrepressible Widow Twanky with Laffalang regulars Paul Dunn, Craig Richardson, Stephen Sullivan, Vanessa Karon and newcomer Sisley Henning.

The compere will be Andy Ford, who was described by The Stage and Television Today as one of the top ten comedians in Britain.

This Christmas Andy will break records when he performs for the seventh successive year at the 1900-seat capacity Bristol Hippodrome in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs alongside TV and film star Warwick Davis.

The Sunday for Sammy Laffalang attracted more than 250 people in August at The Stand and has led to some of the Laffalang sketches being included in next year’s eagerly-awaited Sunday for Sammy event at Newcastle’s City Hall, which will be attended by 5,000 people and has already sold out.

Laffalang producer Gareth Hunter said “It is an honour to work with Sunday for Sammy and shows the prestige in which the Laffalang is held.  Getting Andy Ford along is another massive coup for us and reflects the high standard of comedian the show attracts.”

Rather than playing on a Friday and Saturday evening, the Halloween Laffalang will be held on the Saturday of Halloween (31st) at 7.30pm and Sunday, November 1 at 2pm.

Gareth explained: “We did the Sunday for Sammy Laffalang on a Sunday afternoon and it was very popular, so we wanted to try something different at Halloween.

He added: “It will be a cracking show, full of guaranteed laughs and mayhem. We’d encourage people to come along in Halloween outfits to add to the party mood.”

Tickets cost £11 from the Visitor Information Centre at Haven Point sports centre (opposite the Westovian Theatre). Or telephone the box office on (0191) 424 7788.

The show is suitable for ages 14+.

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The Summer 2015 Laffalang will be the sixth show of original sketch and stand-up material in the last 18 months and Bob Stott, as Widow Twanky, the star of every previous Laffalang, will be joined by regulars Paul Dunn, Viktoria Kay, Craig Richardson, Kylie Ann Ford and newcomer David Hopper.

The six will be involved in 12 sketches written by Ed  that range from a telethon for Widow Twanky’s pension to the ugly bug ball, a hippy soap opera and unwanted holiday guests.

Gareth Hunter of Ion Productions and Laffalang producer, said: “Rehearsals have been an absolute hoot. We are having great fun and know the audience will love the show.”

In a massive comedy coup, top North East stand-up Alfie Joey and his comedy partner Cal Halbert will join the Laffalang team as comperes.

Alfie, who also hosts the BBC Newcastle morning radio show with Charlie Charlton and has starred in TV sitcoms Ideal and Hebburn, will host the Friday Laffalang with Cal while Cal will host the Saturday show doing his own stand-up routine.

Gareth Hunter said: “Alfie and Cal are brilliant. They perform as the tremendous Mimic Men and are in high demand on the comedy circuit. They are sure to have the Laffalang crowd rolling in the aisles with laughter.

“I’ve seen them several times and they are a perfect fit for the Laffalang shows: zany and very, very funny.”

He continued: “Anyone coming to the show will experience some of the best comedy in the North East this summer.”

The Summer Laffalang will be held at the Westovian Theatre in Ocean Road, South Shields (NE33 2JS), on Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25. Both shows start at 7.30pm.

Gareth added: “We keep the ticket price to only £10 so that people feel they have had a great night for less than they would normally pay and we ask them to contribute at the end to Breast Cancer Campaign, who have collecting buckets.”

Tickets cost £10 from the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) in Haven Point sports centre, Ocean Road, South Shields. Telephone the VIC on (0191) 4247788.

Suitable for ages 14+

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