Viv Hardwick talks to writer-director Paul Hodgson about the new wave of writing paying tribute to punk heroes like Joe Strummmer and Radio 1 Dj John Peel.

THE name John Mellor doesn't carry much weight in punk rock circles, but the man who became Joe Strummer, co-founder, lyricist, guitarist and lead singer of The Clash, is responsible for altering lives. Playwright and director with Middle Ground Theatre Company, Paul Hodgson, admits he wasn't fully aware of Strummer's status when he started writing his play, Meeting Joe Strummer, but felt the cult hero was crying out to be represented on a theatre stage.

He says it was just an instinct which set him off in search of Joe Strummer and "it came to the stage when Joe had been dead a while (the performer died unexpectedly in 2002) and you just thought 'we must do something' but, not for the first time in my life, you kind of run away with that instant 'you've gotta do it' and then you realise 'it has to be absolutely right because there are so many people who know him, respect him and love him. If you put a foot wrong it is a very, very daunting thing."

The end result, an award-winner at last year's Edinburgh Festival, is touring for the first time and plays at Durham's Gala Theatre and Darlington Arts Centre.

Familiar TV faces Steve North, from London's Burning, and Huw Higginson take on the role of two friends who have lives transformed by listening to The Clash.

"We say that there's only two blokes on stage but the third character is the music, that's as important as any of the other characters," Hodgson says. "Our show is inspired by him and about him but he doesn't appear himself, only in impressions, because the story is of these two lads who came together in 1978 at the Victoria Park gig where The Clash were playing against racism. It's the story of their lives in relation to their hero worship and admiration for Strummer. "

London Calling and Rock The Casbah, The Clash's best-known songs, both feature as the action moves backwards and forwards in time to reveal the changing beliefs and lifestyles of two Clash fans.

"Where the play really starts is the gig that Strummer did with the Mescaleros (the band which Strummer formed after The Clash) in November, 2002, at Acton Town Hall, as a benefit for the firefighters who were on strike. This has become the legendary gig because Mick Jones - The Clash member previously sacked by Strummer - was in the audience and for reasons he says he doesn't understand he got up on stage and performed."

Hodgson's play followed soon after a biography, Redemption Song, by Chris Salewicz and this year has seen the film Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten also on release. He spoke to Salewicz about the impact of the author's friend.

"Chris said Joe couldn't be anywhere in the world without at least one person a day coming up and saying 'you changed my life' which is quite an amazing thing and quite a responsibility. It's not like some twat off a soap opera being recognised," he explains.

Hodgson agrees that Strummer's music still has a big impact on today's youngsters and is far bigger than many people realise.

"I think he was one of the biggest players when it came to punk because he gave a conscience to punk. There was a lot of early punk that was just saying 'bollocks to you, we hate everybody'. Which was fair enough when you had to listen to some of the music before that but he was the only one who said 'let's use this for something'. He was never aligned with any particular party, just a positive spirit. I had a fantastic time researching and writing the play because you met all this brilliant people."

He was told that Strummer's philosophy was "get on with it... get out there and be creative". "I suppose that's not a great way to summarise him but there was that positive spirit which transcended all the negative stuff for punk. For me and lots of people who came of age with punk it was unbelievably influential and changed the way I think about things."

The first outing for the play was last year's Edinburgh Festival and Middle Ground quickly found that Strummer's face sold a lot of tickets for a play that hadn't gone beyond rehearsals.

"But you couldn't slip away afterwards because everyone has got Joe Strummer stories about how they met him and how they might be a banker these days but they still look back on those days."

One of the biggest rewards for Middle Ground is that the work attracts people who don't normally go to the theatre. "There's all this fuss in the Arts Council about attracting new audiences, well let's do plays that people want to see. It's not rocket science. There's an audience for older plays, that's terrific, but a young audience doesn't fancy the theatre very often because it's not about their lives, so why should they go? You can have comfy seats and good technical equipment but, for me, you have to make something that connects with people's lives."

Hodgson has moved on to a play based on the life of the late DJ and radio presenter John Peel at this year's Edinburgh Festival.

"Funnily enough you can't seem to write these things while they're alive. I don't know why... maybe I should have a go. John Peel is a better-known figure than Joe Strummer and it was fascinating to see people in their 60s and 70s queuing alongside those in their 20s, who only knew his Radio 1 side," he says.

For the play, Teenage Kicks, which is touring next spring, the author decided against a biog-approach and based it on the 1968 period when Peel changed from being an effete, middle-class hippie to working-class-sounding Liverpudlian. "I tried to find out why he reinvented himself and it was about meeting his producer John Walters and the woman who became his wife, Sheila, who told him 'shut up, you daft bugger'."

* Meeting Joe Strummer runs at Durham's Gala Theatre, on September 20-22, 0191-332-4041 and Darlington Arts Centre on October 5. 0132-48655.