Wakefield theatre group visit Andrea Dunbar’s former estate ahead of upcoming national tour of Rita, Sue and Bob Too

Dale Vaughan (Bob), Emma Hooker (Rita) and Polly Lovegrove (Sue) will lead the cast in this touring production of the play, which will visit venues across England, including Ossett Town Hall and Leicester Square Theatre - in the heart of the West End.

Based on the hugely popular 80s film, Rita, Sue and Bob Too tells the story of Rita and Sue, two working class girls from a rundown council estate who are about to finish their final year at school who both begin an affair with Bob.

The cast visited the estate which was not only home to playwright Dunbar but was also the setting of the film adaptation.

They visited outside the former residence of the writer, as well as the former site of the Beacon Pub, now demolished, which not only was featured in key scenes in the film, but was where Dunbar sadly collapsed suffering a brain haemorrhage in 1990 and would later die.

Andrew Ashley, Artistic Director of Diva Productions says: “Dunbar’s striking play continues to resonate with today’s audiences. The challenge for us as producers is getting the balance between a nostalgic comic snapshot of the 1980s and a brutal reflection of these extraordinary characters.

"Many of the play’s themes such as unemployment, poverty, adultery, and not least, child exploitation, still echo contemporary society which makes this play a stark reminder that we didn’t totally leave these things behind in Thatcher’s Britain.”