BRADFORD actress Natalie Gavin will appear with former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh in a new play set against the Yorkshire Ripper killings.

Natalie Gavin, who has this year been in TV’s Line of Duty, Gentleman Jack and Ackley Bridge, stars in There Are No Beginnings, the first production in the Bramall Rock Void, an intimate new theatre space created as part of Leeds Playhouse’s re-development.

The play, by Charley Miles, follows four women across the five years when Peter Sutcliffe dominated headlines. It highlights the fear, strength, survival, solidarity and activism born from the time, particularly the Reclaim the Night movement. The cast also includes newcomer Jesse Jones from Bradford.

Leeds Playhouse Associate Director Amy Leach said: “Charley Miles’ relationship began with us a number of years ago through our Furnace programme, including being our Channel 4 Writer in Residence in 2017, during which she was inspired to write about what it was like to be a woman in Leeds at the time of so-called Yorkshire Ripper.

"She interviewed participants from our Older People’s programme and many of their stories have fed in to the narrative, creating an important and empowering story. It’s amazing to be starting the season with a production that is so rooted in the city, highlighting incredible female resilience and solidarity. The production lends itself beautifully to the Bramall Rock Void."

There Are No Beginnings runs from October 11 to November 2.