a new comedy about the battle that rocked the nation
written by
john niven
directed by
matthew dunster
WORLD PREMIERE – PRIOR TO WEST END
London, 1995. Two of the country’s biggest bands release singles on the same day, commencing the battle of Britpop.
On one side, clean-cut, art-school intellectuals from the South. On the other: raw and unapologetic lads from the North. Rivalries flare, friendships fracture and at the centre of it all a mania that would define an era – were you Blur or Oasis?
From the chaos of the Brit Awards to the infamous chart war, The Battle is a wickedly funny dive into one of the greatest rivalries in rock history. Featuring legendary personalities and unforgettable clashes, it was never just about the music, but power, pride, and uncontrollable competitiveness. Expect filthy language and razor-sharp dialogue in this cut-throat new comedy that puts you right at the heart of the feuding, the fame, and the fallout.
Get ready to roll with it.
Starring Mathew Horne as the music industry executive who kicked off the race to No 1. between the two bands
INTRODUCING THE CAST
Mathew is a British actor and writer. Best known for his portrayal of Gavin in the beloved Gavin and Stacey, he is a brilliant comedy performer with numerous credits to his name.
Theatre Credits Include: Jamie Lloyd’s The Tempest opposite Sigourney Weaver (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Endgame (Theatre Royal Bath), The Lover / The Collection (Theatre Royal Bath), Noises Off (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Homecoming (Theatre Royal Bath & UK Tour), Rain Man (UK Tour), The Miser (Garrick), The Pride (Trafalgar Studios & UK Tour) and Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Bath).
Film Credits Include: Bad Education (Cavebear Productions), Breaking the Bank (BTB Productions Ltd.), Horrid Henry (Vertigo Films) and Vanity Fair (VF Films).
Television Credits Include: Gavin and Stacey (BBC), Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes (UKTV), Agatha Raisin (Sky), Worried About the Boy (BBC Two), Chekhov: Comedy Shorts (Baby Cow / Sky Arts), Catherine Tate’s Nan (Tiger Aspect) and Bad Education (BBC Three).
INTRODUCING THE CAST
Mathew is a British actor and writer. Best known for his portrayal of Gavin in the beloved Gavin and Stacey, he is a brilliant comedy performer with numerous credits to his name.
Theatre Credits Include: Jamie Lloyd’s The Tempest opposite Sigourney Weaver (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Endgame (Theatre Royal Bath), The Lover / The Collection (Theatre Royal Bath), Noises Off (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Homecoming (Theatre Royal Bath & UK Tour), Rain Man (UK Tour), The Miser (Garrick), The Pride (Trafalgar Studios & UK Tour) and Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Bath).
Film Credits Include: Bad Education (Cavebear Productions), Breaking the Bank (BTB Productions Ltd.), Horrid Henry (Vertigo Films) and Vanity Fair (VF Films).
Television Credits Include: Gavin and Stacey (BBC), Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes (UKTV), Agatha Raisin (Sky), Worried About the Boy (BBC Two), Chekhov: Comedy Shorts (Baby Cow / Sky Arts), Catherine Tate’s Nan (Tiger Aspect) and Bad Education (BBC Three).
Brandon trained at Mountview (3 year BA Acting). The Battle marks his professional stage debut.
Film Credits Include: Silver Haze (dir Sacha Polak)
TV Credits Include: The Rings of Power (Amazon), My Lady Jane (Amazon), The Devil’s Hour (Amazon)
Harriet plays Theresa Keane in independent film Saipan alongside Eanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan which premieres at this year’s London Film Festival. Next up on her slate are leading roles in feature films Video Killed the Radio Star and Vows.
Harriet trained with the Nottingham Television Workshop and is most notable for playing the regular role of ‘Philipa Featherington’ in the Shondaland epic Bridgerton for Netflix. You can also check her out in Half Bad (also for Netflix), the latest series of Marcella for ITV, No Offence for AbbottVision/C4 and hit Jed Mercurio series The Line of Duty. Lead regular roles include ‘Louisa Blackwell’ in ITV crime thriller Safe House alongside Christopher Eccleston and ‘Jem Walker’ in hit BBC series In the Flesh.
Iona trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Theatre credits include: Showcase of Women’s Writing (Bomb Factory Theatre); Falling Falling Falling Falling, Earthquakes in London and Julius Caesar (Richard Burton Theatre Company), Dream School (Mrs C’s Collective), Drag and Cabaret Showcase (SOHO Theatre) and Flushed (Theatre Unlocked).
Television credits include: Casualty (BBC) and The Third Day: Autumn (HBO, Sky, Punchdrunk).
Film credits include: Gobbl (Somesuch), Love Me, Hold Me, Always (Black Lab Films), Misper (Fresh Orange Productions), Sitter (Brother Film Ltd), Goldfish (Padula Productions), Ian After Beer (Rax Films), Gates (Pickup Films) and To the Sea (Rax Films).
Theatre includes: Apocalypse Laow (Artshole Productions); London With A Perfect Skyline, Romeo and Juliet (Exploding Whale).
Film and Television includes: Surface (Series 2), Waterloo Road, Star Wars: Andor, Hustler (Short).
Tommy trained at The Manchester School of Theatre.
Television credits include: Falling (Channel 4); Sexy Beat (Paramount+); Bodies (Netflix/Moonage Pictures); Casualty (BBC); Father Brown (BBC); The Rising (Sky Studios).
Stage credits include: A Quiet Room (Tales of Other Mind); The Monster (New National Theatre Tokyo); The Duchess of Malfi (The Manchester School of Theatre); The Beau Defeated (The Manchester School of Theatre).
George trained at Mountview and has since gone on to work across TV, Film, Theatre and Audio.
His credits include Generation Z (Channel 4), Everything Now (Netflix), Empire of Light (Neal Street), The Strays (Netflix), Eastenders (BBC), Call The Midwife (BBC), Tell Me Straight (King’s Head Theatre & Chiswick Playhouse).
Theatre Credits Include: Billy in House of Games (Hampstead Theatre); James Hopper Jr in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, (Pheonix Theatre); Donald Trump Jnr in The 47th (The Old Vic)
Television Credits Include: Hotel Portofino, (ITV); Doctors, The Coroner, Blandings, One Night, Doctor Who, Hancock and Joan and, Larkrise to Candleford (BBC); 4 O’Clock Club (CBBC)
Film Credits Include: A Friend Of Dorothy, (His Filthy Gorgeous Productions)
Louisa is perhaps best known for playing the role of Ruby Allen for over two decades in BBC’s EastEnders.
Her TV work also includes Murdoch Mysteries for Amazon Prime and Edge of Heaven for ITV.
On stage she recently starred as Jenny in 2:22 A Ghost Story for the number 1 UK tour and the lead role of Rachel in The Girl on the Train which just finished touring major UK theatres.
Television Credits Include: Phil in Suspect (ITV, Disney+); Louis in Odd Squad (BBC); Noah Robinson in Waterloo Road (Channel 4); Liam in The Other One (BBC); Sound Engineer in Ten Percent (Amazon Prime); Greg Birkett in Emmerdale (ITV); Dom in Lagging (BBC); Sam Bryce in Coronation Street (ITV); Damien in Paranoid (ITV); Duncan Goodwin in Doctors (BBC).
Film credits Include: Handy Man in The Roots Manoeuvre (Amazon).
Theatre Credits Include: Alun in Classic! (Hope Mill Theatre); Wishee-Washee in Aladdin (New Theatre Royal); Ernest in The Elf in the Room (Oldham Coliseum); Bobbie in North of Providence (Hope Mill Theatre); Himmel in Finding Alice (The Lowry); Treat in Orphans (Hope Mill Theatre); Tybalt in Before Juliet (Manchester Shakespeare Company); Curley in Of Mice and Men (Blackburn Empire); Charlie in Borstal Boy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).
Training: Manchester School of Theatre
Theatre includes: Mojo (Redbrick); Too Much World All At Once (Box of Tricks); A Christmas Fair (Not Too Tame).
Television includes: Unforgivable, Doctor Who.
Film includes: Ultra, Kiddo, Fairview Park, Anon.
Theatre: The Play That Goes Wrong (UK Tour); Seal Boy (Riverside Studios); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stafford Gatehouse); Two Tribes (Leeds Playhouse); Poor Shirley Must Make Her Escape (The Nest – Chichester Festival Theatre); The New Musketeers (Trinity Theatre); Private Peaceful (Frinton Summer Theatre); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Torch Theatre); The 56 (Battersea Arts Centre); E15 (UK Tour); The Iconoclasts (New Diorama); You and I (York Theatre Royal); Wonder Girl (Ovalhouse); Alphabet (Camden People’s Theatre); Departures: A Song Cycle (Pleasance Theatre).
Feature Film: Digger (Tom Cruise Productions/Warner Bros./Legendary Entertainment); The Running Man (Paramount Pictures); Deadbeat (Inside 75 Films).
Television: Mrs Davis (Warner Bros.); Holby City (BBC).
Radio: White Nights; Grief is the Thing with Feathers; Renaissance Man; Escape Kit; Body Tourists (all for BBC Radio 4).
George is a recent graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The Battle is his professional theatre debut.
Theatre whilst training include: This is Living, The Watsons, Treasure Island, Twelfth Night (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School)
TV Credits Include: Casualty (BBC One)
