An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the north-east. Now in it’s seventh year those involved in the West End production of ‘Billy Elliot The Musical’ talk about its importance and how many of its messages still resonates with audiences today. They also discuss the challenges in finding the right young boys to play the lead part. In the second part of the programme a look at the continuing stigma that persists in the north-east about young...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the north-east. Now in it’s seventh year those involved in the West End production of ‘Billy Elliot The Musical’ talk about its importance and how many of its messages still resonates with audiences today. They also discuss the challenges in finding the right young boys to play the lead part. In the second part of the programme a look at the continuing stigma that persists in the north-east about young men dancing speaking with those who have overcome these prejudices to pursue their dreams of becoming dancers and a course at Newcastle College that are helping them achieve their goals. A montage featuring archive news footage of the 1984-85 Miners Strike with police clashing with protestors, Arthur Scargill making a speech and a young boy ballet dancing on stage alongside clips from the 2000 feature film ‘Billy Elliot’. Title: Northern Eye. Wor Billy In a dance studio 13-year-old Sam Angell practices a tap dance routine changes to the Victoria Palace theatre in London where the stage version of Billy Elliot is being staged. As Sam continues to train, he explains that he loves to dance. Writer Lee Hall is admiring of Sam for carrying the play while Newcastle born Dance Master as well as member of the cast Lee Proud say all the kids in the cast, including the ones playing Billy Elliot, have got to be fantastic and the challenges of keeping the momentum of high standards. The film and musical producer of Billy Elliot John Finn provide details on the five month process the boys hired to play Billy Elliot go through to be able to carry the show for six months to a year. In another studio Sam and another actor rehearse a scene. On stage a clips of Sam performing various scenes from the musical. James Gaddas who plays Jackie Elliot, Billy’s dad, says he has worked with seven Billy’s so far, each one has a passion to dance that incapsulates Billy. They are like Billy in that they are also living their dream. In a studio Sam Angell rehearses another scene from the musical, he talks about getting the part. On stage a musical number from the production intercut with Sam in the dance studio rehearsing a routine. Lee Proud talks about the popularity of the story of Billy Elliot as it represents a lot of people who are struggling, a universal story of success coming out of an oppressed upbringing. On stage another musical number featuring performers dressed as miners. He believes some who come to see the musical performance do so as it brings back memories of themselves during the miner’s strike. At Easington in County Durham the Easington Lodge Memorial gate and rows of terraced houses, two children walk down an alleyway behind a row of terraces. Lee Hall talks about growing up in the north-east and going to see the films of Amber and realising that he would be writing about the region and the miners strike which was very important growing up. More archive news footage of police and miners during the strike. John Finn talks about being moved the first time reading the script and about the positivity of being an individual and stand out from the crowd. More clips from the feature film followed by Lee Hall saying how it resonates with people as it is about something and is sympathetic with working class people. Although less productions like Billy Elliot are made, Lee believes people still want to see more production based on people like them. John Finn was surprised by the film’s success and was more surprised to learn people would be interested in producing a stage version. Another clip from the film featuring Jamie Bell and Julie Walters dancing to T-Rex’s ‘I Love to Boogie’. A photograph featuring Lee Hall with Stephen Daldry, the films director, and Elton John beside a large banner for ‘Billy Elliot The Musical’. Lee Hall provides details about Elton John’s interest in and involvement in the musical. More clips from the stage version and Lee talking about working with Elton John and finding a replacement for Jamie Bell for the stage version. Title Wor Billy The Easington Lodge Memorial gate again and terraced street in the town with voiceover from Lee Hall talking growing up in Newcastle and linking the physical skills necessary to become a dancer being similar to those needed to work down a mine. As he talks dancers from the Billy Elliot musical rehearsing filmed in slow-motion and miners travelling to the pit face on a train. John Finn talks about the challenges of finding a replacement for Jamie Bell who could as well as actor and dance could also sing. Another clip from Billy Elliot the film. Lee Proud believes there is still a stigma in the north-east about boys dancing, Lee Hall agrees. Inside a studio at the Valarie Shepherd Dance Academy in South Shields a group of young women dancing, amongst the group two teenage boys: Kristopher Spencer and Mal Hall. They talk about how they first got into dance and how they can relate to the story on Billy Elliot. Lee Proud talks about the fears he held learning to dance as a youngster, but he loved it so much. One of the girls in Kristopher and Mal class says that people think ballet is easy but it’s not, they don’t understand the strength that goes into it. If they did understand, then maybe they would think its for hard rather than soft boys. James Gaddas explains that because of his own dad it was quite easy for him to relate to Jackie Elliot. He goes onto say that its endemic to the show that dancing encompasses a lot of misconceptions of ballet that it is full of ‘less than masculine men’. Back in the dance studio the group including Kristopher and Mal continues to dance, another girl in the group believes that there should be more boys doing it. Both Kristopher and Mal now sitting with the girls talk about the importance of both male and female dancers together, it helps them all relate to each other better. Kristopher describes auditioning for the part of Billy Elliot. He and Mal talk about the additional work he put in and the shock they both felt when eventually he learned he didn’t get the part. Lee Proud explains that everyone in the show really wants someone from Newcastle or the region to play Billy Elliot. In a dance studio at Newcastle College five young men on the BA Hons Contemporary Dance practice a routine. Their course leader Amanda McGarvie explains that the course is there to give boys experience working with other boys rather than only with girls. As part of the course, they have to create a piece which they will take out to local schools and groups to show boys aged fifteen and sixteen that dance is masculine. One of the students, Chris Woodhall, says that it doesn’t matter what background you come from or where you live that if dance is within you then the course will give you the opportunity to be unleashed. The programme comes to an end with a montage of comments from many of the contributors over a mixture of footage also featured in the programme of dancers, archive news footage from the miner’s strike, and of the musical being performed on stage. At Easington both Kristopher Spencer and Mal Hall re-create a scene from Billy Elliot the film of him dancing along a street. Title: Footage from ‘Billy Elliot’ courtesy of Universal Studio Licencing LLLP. All rights reserved. Title: Footage from ‘Billy Elliot The Musical’ courtesy of Billy London Limited. All rights reserved. Credit: Narrator Chris Ford Camera Alistair McKenzie, Simon Glass, Paul Ream, Iam Williams Sound Andy Bennett, Paul Gunn, Steve Brown, Arie Kotzee Graphics Dave Richardson Sound Post-production The Edge On-line Editor Kerry Plummer Unit Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Series Producer Mary Wimpress Executive Producer Graeme Thompson Producer/Director/Editor Emma McKinney © ITV Tyne Tees 2007 End credit: Production for ITV