HUSBAND and wife Tim Healy and Denise Welch have taken on one of the most daunting roles in their acting careers - portraying the legendary Sir Bobby Robson and Lady Elsie.

The actors play the popular couple in a one-off radio drama to be aired next week to mark the 25th anniversary of the infamous World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina, scene of Diego Maradona's Hand Of God goal.

Don't Cry For Me Maradona will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday, June 21, at 9.30pm and repeated the following Sunday at 6pm.

The fictional drama revolves around Sir Bobby and Elsie chatting in the aftermath of the match as they sit at Hilltop, the hill which overlooks the County Durham village of Langley Park, where they both grew up.

The moving story looks at how some of Sir Bobby's experiences as a boy prepared him to cope with the disappointment of a match controversially marred by what he always called 'The hand of a rascal'.

Interspersed with flashbacks to the game itself, the play examines how one of the real gentlemen of football coped with the agonies and ecstasies of the 'beautiful game'.

Written by Aelish Michael in consultation with Sir Bobby's family, the play is billed as an affectionate portrait and stars actors who counted themselves friends of the couple they are portraying.

Former Coronation Street and Loose Women star Denise Welch said: "It was an honour for Tim and I to be asked to play Sir Bobby and Lady Robson.

"We were both massive fans of Sir Bobby's professional work and it was really lovely for our family to get to know him and Elise personally.

"Our son Louis met Sir Bobby for the first time three days before he passed away and we hold those memories very close to our hearts.

"I hope the audience enjoys the play as it is wonderfully written and offers a little insight into the love shared between two special people."

Radio 5 Live will also broadcast a second programme dedicated to the memory of Sir Bobby on Saturday, June 25 at 11am.

The Day I Met Sir Bobby Robson features a range of people whose lives were touched in some way by the football legend.