“Growing up in Madchester, ‘Sankey’s’ and ‘Academy’ flyers graced my walls and the Hacienda was at its peak of popularity, in many ways it was a rite of passage for my friends and me. But even as naive teenagers, we were always aware of a seedier side. As the 90s unfolded, there was a growing presence of ever angrier bouncers on doors. Clubs full of ravers, high on life and anything else they could their mitts on and corners always crowded by gangs of blokes in bomber jackets, sideways glancing, the runt sent on surveillance missions to monitor the presence of rivals gangs. This seemed the perfect parallel world to the 1950s Soho gangland Butterworth chose to set Mojo in. It’s certainly immediately relevant to my Northern cast and most definitely has something to say to my Mancunian audience.”

Jennie Fairclough