Ric Renton arrives for our interview slot having just taken a tumble, slipping in wet autumn leaves, hitting his face and also cutting his hand.
But he brushes it off and doesn't take a moment to tend to his injury. He's had worse problems to deal with, he points out. And, as audiences at Live Theatre are soon to find out, Ric's life experiences to date, including decades of abusing drink and drugs, are far beyond what most people endure or could even imagine.
The 40-year-old, originally from Denton Burn in Newcastle, is currently starting rehearsals at the quayside theatre on his new play One Off - his second - which will open its debut run there on November 10. It is based on his real-life experience at HMP Durham as a 21-year-old inmate and he'll be one of a cast of four telling the story.
