The Bench

A CaroleW Productions and Gala Durham Co-Production

A Moving Tale of Love, Loss…and Football
Written by Jeff Brown
Directed by Olivia Millar

A touching and humorous tale of two young people, struggling to survive against the odds in their very different lives. This poignant, heartwarming and sensitive love story is set against the darker side of professional football and life on the economic edge.

Vicky is a single mum, overwhelmed by everyday pressures, while Adi – the local team’s new signing – is struggling to find his place, on and off the pitch. Seemingly worlds apart, the pair discover they have more in common than they might at first have imagined.

This highly-acclaimed play is written by former BBC TV Look North presenter Jeff Brown, an award-winning sports reporter who has covered football in the North East for almost 40 years.

The Bench is Jeff’s second play and is touring the North East and Cumbria in May and June 2025 with support from Show Racism the Red Card.

Age guidance: 14+

Running time: approximately two hours (including interval)

Trigger warnings: contains racism, occasional bad language, and brief references to violence and sexual assault.

Reviews

“An excellent performance of a superbly written play, which like much of the best art, manages to seamlessly weave the humour and tragedy of the real world.” British Theatre Guide (full review)

“Jeff Brown’s winning play gets the crowd on its side…director Olivia Millar-Ross and her cast have conjured a show that will be a couple of hours of anyone’s time well spent – and no football match guarantees that, as any fan will tell you.” Cultured. North East (full review)

“This was an excellent performance of a superbly written play, which like much of the best art, manages to seamlessly weave the humour and tragedy of the real world.” North East Bylines (full review)

“Powerful and compelling.” ★★★★ The Reviews Hub (full review)

“The script’s insightful, incisive, ingenious and often very amusing. The stalls are rammed, rapt, the standing ovation well earned…Bench marks? Ten out of ten, unreservedly.” Mike Amos (full review)

The Bench video transcript.pdf