Fair do’s: Tom Hadaway and the regional voice in 1970s British television

This article considers the 1970s television career of the writer Tom Hadaway, drawing upon archival holdings, public and personal, to analyse and contextualise his dramas made for the BBC. Hadaway, who spent much of his professional life working in the fishing industry, has some reputation in his native north-east of England for his stage and television plays, mostly dealing with the people, customs and history of the coastal area of North Shields. Beyond his birthplace, however, Hadaway remains an obscure figure. Through an analysis of his work within the climate of its production, this article argues for the writer’s unique contribution to British television culture; it also offers a case study for the historical opportunities and limitations for the ‘regional’ voice in British broadcasting.