We went to the Theatre to see Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall, starring the fantastical Trevor Fox as Oliver. This was always going to be a hit with me - Geordies, Newcastle, Art and History. Throw in The Spice Girls and I think i would have blacked out.

It is well worth a visit. On at The Duchess in the West End now, it’s a slight understatement to say that I was moved, i was moved that the events had even happened, and I was just as moved that they had been acknowledged and written down.

The play is consuming from start to finish, and i don’t think it’s just because i’m a Geordie art geek, the whole audience was captivated. It is the true story of the Ashington Group, miners who want to expand their knowledge of the world beyond the pit, where they have worked 11 hours a day since they were as many years old. It’s about the human need for art, and has the familiar Lee Hall theme (writer of Billy Elliot) of culture and art being all-consuming and available to all, not exclusive to the upper classes. I’m going back with a note pad!

x