John Godber and Jane Thornton to perform together for first time in 23 years

Shafted! depicts the relationship of a married couple during the 1984 miners’ strike, the media circus that unfolded and the trials and tribulations of married life 30 years on.

Suddenly they were thrown together, with new battles to fight, and new jobs to hold down; from window cleaning in Wakefield to running a boarding house in Bridlington, life would never be the same again.

Fuelled with eye-watering honesty and true Yorkshire grit, Shafted! is an hilarious account of those whose jobs had been taken, and communities destroyed, and how they fought back. The pits may have gone but the shifts are still seismic.

John Godber and Jane Thornton’s previous work together includes the Olivier Award nominated April in Paris, BBC Radio 4 Classic Theatre, September in the Rain, Happy Jack, and the Laurence Olivier Award winning comedy, Up N Under!

Godber’s career began as Head of Drama at Minsthorpe High School in Pontefract and went on to see him writing for TV series such as Channel 4’s Brookside and the BBC’s Grange Hill. His play, Bouncers, has gained international recognition and earned two BAFTA awards for the BBC programme Odd Squad.

Well known in Yorkshire for his position as artistic director at Hull Truck Theatre, Godber is now also an ambassador of East Riding Theatre in Beverley, where he offered support during its initial inception, continuing to develop and grow.

As an audience member of the inaugural adaptation of A Christmas Carol in December, he was eager to write a new play to perform alongside Jane on the intimate stage of the renovated chapel in Beverley.

Sue Kirkman, theatre director at East Riding Theatre, said: “This is a major coup for the theatre and a huge honour to have one of its ambassadors playing to our audience. Shafted! is another example of the quality we are showing at ERT. We wanted to set the bar high to ensure the theatre’s supporting audience would witness the best live performances in East Yorkshire.”

Shafted! runs from 25 April to 10 May at 7.30pm (Sundays 2pm). Tickets are £14. To book, visit eastridingtheatre.co.uk or call 01482 874050.