Red Ellen, The Mighty Atom, The Fiery Particle ... all these were names given to the sparky Labour MP who led the Jarrow Crusade in 1936.
There were probably a few other names too, given Ellen Wilkinson's habit of making a nuisance of herself in a man's world, fighting like a terrier in her politics and enjoying passionate affairs with married men during a colourful life that included a dalliance with a communist spy and meeting Einstein.
Who knew. Certainly not me as I took my seat at Northern Stage on Tuesday night expecting this new play by Caroline Bird - which is making its debut in Newcastle ahead of a tour - to pretty much focus upon her role in the famous Jarrow march to London, protesting against mass unemployment and poverty in the region.
