‘EastEnders’, ‘Skins’ actors to star in ‘Beautiful Thing’ UK tour
By Josh Haggis
Former EastEnders stars Charlie Brooks and Thomas Law, and Skins actor Sam Jackson, have been cast in the forthcoming UK touring production of Beautiful Thing.
Law, who played Peter Beale on the BBC soap before Ben Hardy took over the role, will star as Ste, while Jackson, best known as Alex Henley on Skins, will co-star as Jamie.
In Jonathan Harvey’s much-loved play, the two teenage boys fall in love with one another on a south London council estate, watched by Ste’s fierce mother Sandra, who will be played by Janine Butcher actress Brooks.
The forthcoming touring production is directed by Nikolai Foster, who also helmed the West End revival of the groundbreaking play last year (2013).
“Beautiful Thing empowers everybody who sees it,” Foster said in a press release. “I’m honoured to be revisiting Jonathan’s exceptional play once again, this time bringing it to towns and cities across the UK, where I know it will make a positive difference to many lives.”
The production will tour the UK for 18 weeks beginning next March, with performances set to take place in Canterbury, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester. Further dates will be announced shortly.
The critically-acclaimed film adaptation of Beautiful Thing, which starred Scott Neal, Glenn Berry and future EastEnders actors Linda Henry and Tameka Empson, was released in 1996 and has since been acknowledged as a gay classic.
Earlier this year, Attitude caught up with Jonathan Harvey, and the Beautiful Thing and Coronation Street writer shared his views on gay representation on TV – find out what Harvey had to say here.