Our Friends in the North still depressingly relevant, says writer

‘Nothing has changed since then’ … Flannery, 70, wrote the show as a stage play when he was in his 20s and working as a writer-in-residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Photograph: BBC/PA

It’s regarded as one of the greatest British television dramas of all time, launching the early careers of its stars Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong.

But while it was set in the mid-60s to 90s, the storylines of politics, corruption and class prevalent in Our Friends in the North are just as relevant today, its writer has said as a new radio adaptation launched.