 Our Friends in the North is a British television drama serial , produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996 . Written by Peter Flannery , it tells the story of four friends from the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England over 31 years from 1964 to 1995 . The story references many real-life events and people from the North East of England, and the serial was praised by critics and audiences alike. Unterscheidung zwischen dem Nord- und dem Süd-Deutschland. The series is set in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. Our Friends in the North