Matt takes an inside look at Billy Elliot

Jan 14 2009 by David Whetstone, The Journal

BILLY Elliot got out of Easington and so did Matt Baker, the former Blue Peter presenter – but tonight you’ll see the pair of them reunited in the Big Apple.

And you will find that while you can take the boy out of the North East, the North East will forever remain part of the boy.

Matt travelled to New York for an Inside Out documentary to see how this tale set in his old home town has been faring since it opened on the Broadway stage in November.

He met the stars of the show and asked New Yorkers what they thought about it.

And his own verdict?

“It was better than I dared imagine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up the minute the Easington miners’ banner was raised at the very start of the show. It was brilliant. I felt so proud. The American cast occasionally struggled to nail the North East accents but, frankly, it didn’t matter at all.

“The show was a real tribute to the people of County Durham.

“The sets and the dialogue were really authentic –just how I remember life 25 years ago in Easington Colliery.”

Matt, who is 31, spent the first 11 years of his life in Easington Colliery and was seven when the miners’ strike, which forms the backdrop to Billy Elliot, began.

He even attended dance classes there, just like the fictional Billy in Lee Hall’s story.

Billy Elliot – The Musical, with music by Elton John, made $15m in advance ticket sales at a time when Broadway is struggling, 15 of its shows having closed this month alone.

See Matt’s report on Inside Out on BBC One tonight at 7.30pm.