The Bangers and Chips Explosion, written by teacher turned writer, Brough Girling, is the Torch Youth Theatre’s rip-roaring comedy adventure that’s bound to make your evening go with a bang this July!

Anwen from our Marketing Team caught up with Brough and this is what he had to say ...

Where did you get the idea from to write The Bangers and Chips Explosion?

When I had lots of kids’ books in print (1980s) I used to do author visits to lots of junior schools. The first person I’d meet would be the school secretary – and I noticed that jolly, welcoming, cheerful school secretaries usually worked in jolly, welcoming and cheerful schools, and the opposite was also the case!

I had the idea that maybe school secretaries run schools, not the head teachers! This is not quite true, but I thought I could exaggerate it a bit to comic effect: I liked the idea of a rather straightlaced, bespectacled woman becoming an action hero and saving the day! (In contrast the men – the Head and the policeman are, of course, totally hopeless..)

I don’t remember how I arrived at the CROOKS not COOKS idea – but the story then was pretty easy to write.

Tell us a bit about the characters ... and your favourite!

Mrs Perkins is obviously the hero of the story – see above. But the crooks and Mrs Gunge and Inspector Bollard were all fun to invent too. It will be fascinating to see how the characters emerge in your production. (I’m planning to come and see the show)

Are the dinner ladies in the show similar to the dinner ladies you had when you were in school?

I do believe it’s absolutely true that dinner ladies (who should really be called ‘Lunch Women’) are either very nice or very nasty – and school kids see them like that.

As the author, what’s your favourite chapter in the novel and why?

I don’t really think I have a favourite chapter, but I do rather like Hans Zupp sitting on the exploding lavatory and saying ‘I can see my house from up here’!

Who do you think the show will appeal to?

The show will appeal to anyone who read, or reads, or wishes they still read The Beano! (Afterall, it takes the micky out of teachers, dinner ladies, policemen – in fact all adults; and the heroes – apart from Mrs Perkins – are the school kids, like in the comic).

We love a good belly laugh here at the Torch – will we laugh lots if we come and see the show?

‘It’s Clinically Proven to make you laugh!’ – there’s a slogan for you!

What do you prefer, bangers or chips?

Easy: bangers, with chips, and at least one fried egg on top.

The Bangers and Chips Explosion will be performed on the Theatre Stage on Monday 21 July, Tuesday 22 July and Wednesday 23 July at 6.30pm. Tickets are adult £10 and £8 concessions. Visit the website for further details www.torchtheatre.co.uk / phone the Box Office on (01646) 695267 or click here.