Brian Clough's journey from his beloved Derby County to the team he hated the most, Leeds United, is told in The Damned United which is to be staged at Derby Theatre.
Written by Anders Lustgarten and adapted from the novel by David Peace, The Damned United is set in 1974 and follows Clough as he tries to restore his career by winning the European Cup with his new club—the team he hates and which hates him.
Andrew Lancel plays Clough. On television, Lancel was DI Manson in Thames TV’s The Bill and evil Frank Foster in Coronation Street. On the stage, he played Juror number three in Bill Kenwright’s tour of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men in 2015 and Brian Epstein in Epstein: The Man Who Made the Beatles at the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool in 2012.
Tony Bell takes the role of assistant manager Peter Taylor. Bell appeared in Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps in 2013. The cast also includes Tony Turner, John Graham Davis and Tom Lorcan.
A West Yorkshire Playhouse and Red Ladder Theatre Company co-production, The Damned United is directed by Rod Dixon who became artistic director of Red Ladder in 2006. Set and costume are by Signe Beckmann.
The Damned United runs at Derby Theatre from Thursday 7 until Saturday 16 April.