THE forgotten works of one of the North-East's favourite playwrights will be published this week.

Tom Hadaway's The Prison Plays, two full-length and two short plays, were inspired by his time as the first writer in residence at Durham Prison in 1986.

He is perhaps best known for his work on the 1970s' TV series, When the Boat Comes In, but he has also received critical acclaim for his stage plays, such as The Filleting Machine, God Bless Thee Jacky Maddison and Seafarers.

Although widely performed, the four plays -Yesterday's Children, Long Shadows, The Vicious Circle and Postcard from God - have never before been published.

They have been brought to print due to the passion for the work of a lifelong fan and friend of Mr Hadaway - actress and University of Sunderland lecturer Val McLane.

She said: "Tom's prison plays are important contemporary works about the prison system which were inspired by his experiences as a prison tutor. Tom felt compelled to write them, and they are compulsive and compelling reading."

The Prison Plays is published by the University of Sunderland Press, in association with Business Education Publishers Limited and costs £12.95.

It is available at www. amazon.co.uk, Waterstones, Ottakars, Hills in Sunderland, the SPCK Bookshop in Durham, John Smith & Son Bookshops and on the web at www.bepl.com.

Published: 30/11/2004