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Adapted from Helen Forrester’s million-selling autobiography, Twopence To Cross The Mersey is a stunning period drama set in the early 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression.
In 1931 Helen’s spendthrift father was declared bankrupt, forcing the family to leave behind the nannies, servants, and beautiful middle-class home in the gentler Southwest of England.
With nothing more than the clothes they stood up in, the family of nine took the train to Liverpool where they hoped to rebuild their shattered lives. It came as a terrible shock to find the thriving, wealthy port Helen’s father remembered as a boy, the place his own father made his fortune, had long since gone.
While 12-year-old Helen’s inept parents searched unsuccessfully to find work, she was taken out of school to look after her six younger siblings and the full burden of keeping house fell on Helen’s young shoulders.
Having never had to manage a family budget in their previous life, the Forrester’s found themselves relying on meagre handouts from the local parish, charity organisations and the kindness of strangers.
But, at the age of 14, Helen had finally had enough of her miserable existence, and so began a bitter fight with her mother and father to attend evening school in an effort to educate herself and make her own way in the world.
But Helen’s parents had no intention of releasing their unpaid slave. They had other plans for their selfish daughter.
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will plays Mr Ferris and is also part of the Ensemble. He is an award-winning actor, producer and director, and was most recently seen on stage in Blood Brothers. Daniel appeared at Liverpool Theatre Festival 2020 in his show The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper, and returned the following year in Something About George – The George Harrison Story.
will play Helen’s brother Alan. He is best known for playing Harry Thompson in Hollyoaks. He was born and raised in the Midlands, before moving to London to study for his BA Hons in Acting for Stage and Media at the University of West London. After five years, Parry made a dramatic exit from Hollyoaks in 2020 when he was murdered.
to will play John Forrester (Helen’s father). Mark previously played ‘Father’ in the 2007 and 2009 adaptations of Twopence To Cross The Mersey, and reprised the role in the follow-up stage drama of Helen’s book By The Waters Of Liverpool in 2018 and 2020. Mark is best known for his roles in Holby City, Coronation Street and Brookside.
plays Mrs Foster and (Ensemble), and Robert Hudson (Ensemble) complete the cast. Both are appearing for the first time in a Helen Forrester adaptation.
will plays Helen’s mother Celia Forrester, Roy Carruthers (Ensemble), and Chloe McDonald (Ensemble) – and all return having appeared in previous stage productions of Helen Forrester books presented by Pulse Records Limited.
