At times The Gallows Pole is more modern social commentary than period drama. Watching 18th-century weavers struggling with their own cost of living crisis strikes a chord in the economically unstable 2020s. For any viewer struggling in today's cost of living crisis, it will feel like history repeating itself. Element Pictures adds: “Working with the BBC and A24 on Shane Meadows’ first period drama is incredibly exciting for all of us at Element. Shane’s unique take on the story combined with the stunning cast he has assembled will make for an intoxicating and unforgettable series.” For a few years, Normanton and Thomas escaped justice, in part thanks to the gang's rule of terror. While drinking in the Union Cross Inn, Heptonstall, a couple of Coiners overheard farmhand and Dighton's informer Abraham Ingham saying he knew who Dighton's killers were. For his trouble, the Coiners murdered Ingham by throwing him in the fire and pouring burning coal down his breaches. These coins were made from valuable metals, more or less worth their weight in silver and gold. The Coiners, led by Hartley, clipped edges from these coins, shillings and moidores usually bought from local traders who would get a cut of the profits, and melted the clippings with metal scraps to forge counterfeit coins. Portuguese moidores were commonly forged because they were the most valuable, worth around 27 shillings a piece, roughly a week's wages.

When news of Dighton’s murder reached Parliament, pursuit of the Yorkshire coiners gathered pace. Led by Halifax solicitor Robert Parker, a public proclamation of the names and descriptions of the wanted men confirmed that, at a meeting held in Bradford on November 22 1769, “the gentlemen present agreed that all means necessary should be used to bring the Coiners to justice.” Dodgy Yorkshire accents are at a minimum. The Gallows Pole's first-time actors were selected for their accents. The usual method of counterfeiting used by other Coiners around the country was to produce fake coins using a cheap base metal, which was then plated or treated to give it the appearance of a gold coin. The Cragg Vale Coiners were distinct from this usual method as they collected gold fragments and forged new coins using real gold. I think I connected to the story itself. So when we found out what the project was and where it was based (I live 20 mins from here), the passion and determination of this group of people hasn’t left Yorkshire in my family and other people’s families who are from here, and many moons have passed since the time of the coiners, but that’s not changed and that is very much what Yorkshire people are. Bending the law slightly, not so much anymore, but the determination to do the best they can with what they’ve got, is absolutely what drew me to it. Dave Perkins The story of David Hartley and the Coiners is the subject of a researched novel entitled The Gallows Pole by author Ben Myers, published in 2017. It received a Roger Deakin award for writing concerned with "natural history, landscape and environment" and won the Walter Scott Prize 2018. [4] The novel has been translated into several languages. Director Shane Meadows adapted the novel as a BBC television drama, co-produced by Element Pictures and A24, [5] first broadcast on BBC Two on 31 May 2023. [6] The popularity of the series led to a large surge in visitors to the nearby large village of Mytholmroyd, and the smaller Heptonstall where most of the Shane Meadows series was filmed. [7]

Soraya Jane Nabipour

Folklore has this ability to bring people in, to embrace people without them really knowing it," he said. "It's a search for origin, and a validation of one's own place. There's a strong element of that in the community here today. People who are looking for meaning and connection."

It was during the workshopping process with the actors I realised there was also a story to tell leading up to Ben’s incredible book. A prequel that not only allowed us to understand ‘why’ the Cragg Vale Coiners did what they did, but maybe fall in love with them a smidge while they did it. It may have turned into one of the biggest crimes in British history, but it was pulled off by a bunch of destitute farmers and weavers doing what they had to to survive, and I think people will resonate with that. Coins scattered on the grave of 'King' David Hartley, leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror) Understaffed, underpaid, undervalued, underequipped,” is how one patient describes the lovable lineup of Welsh nurses. But they give it their all, with Mikey dealing with a man whose wife ran him over, Leah trying to comfort a patient who just wants to die, and Angelo keeping patients’ spirits up with spot-on flirting and good old-fashioned banter. Hannah Verdier David Fuller: Monster in the Morgue 9pm, Sky DocumentariesIn 2023 a stage play, The Coiner's Wife, about the Cragg Vale Coiners was written by Maurice Claypole as part of the 37 Plays project instigated by the Royal Shakespeare Company and published in February 2023. [8] [9] It focuses on the story of Grace Hartley, wife of "King" David Hartley. According to a synopsis, [9] the play presents the events from a woman's point of view.