Boys from the Blackstuff – A Stage Adaptation that Hits Hard and True

Alan Bleasdale’s Boys from the Blackstuff remains one of Britain’s most powerful pieces of television drama, and the move to stage was always going to be a bold undertaking. But under the careful and inspired pen of James Graham, the adaptation not only succeeds—it excels.

A Powerful Revival of Working-Class Struggles

The play captures themes still very much alive in the UK today—unemployment, mental health, and institutional failure—wrapped in the story of five working-class Liverpudlians navigating the wreckage of Thatcherite policies. Despite its 1980s setting, the production feels frighteningly contemporary. During a post-show chat with another couple, the man shared that he had lived through those same experiences in Liverpool when the original series aired. To him, it felt more like a documentary than a piece of theatre.

James Graham’s additions to Bleasdale’s original narrative sharpen the emotional through-lines and connect the five central characters more fluidly than the television series. It doesn’t mimic the original—it reinvents it, while remaining faithful to the source.

Stellar Performances All Round

Barry Sloane as the tormented Yosser Hughes is simply magnificent. His portrayal of a man unravelled by poverty, abandonment, and a collapsing support system straddles the line between menace and heartbreaking vulnerability. Yosser’s now-iconic plea—”Gizza job!”—landed with renewed urgency and rawness.

Nathan McMullen’s Chrissie is another highlight, portraying a fundamentally decent man buckling under economic and emotional strain. His scenes with Lauren O’Neill, who plays his anguished wife Angie, were among the most emotionally wrenching I’ve seen in recent memory—so honest, they bordered on painful.

Philip Whitchurch as George, the elder statesman of the group, brought quiet dignity and a haunted edge to his role, while Mark Womack’s performance as the aggressive Dixie was chillingly believable.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t just a nostalgic revisit of a television classic. It was two and a half hours of unflinching, passionate, and deeply human theatre that speaks to the heart of what it means to be failed by the system. Boys from the Blackstuff should be required viewing—it’s that important.

Verdict: 10/10. A raw, relevant, and flawlessly acted drama that lingers long after the curtain call.