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One could almost feel sorry for London audiences.

Well, for the moment at least it's unlikely that they'll get to see We are Three Sisters - Blake Morrison's superb drama about the Brontës using the Chekhov classic as a template.

It is simply that rare evening at the theatre from which you leave having learnt much and which lingers with you.  Produced by Northern Broadsides and directed by the company's founder and artistic chief Barrie Rutter, the play highlights the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë living in the famous Haworth parsonage with their brother Bramwell and father Patrick. All three girls are of marriageable age and the discussion is of their worth in this world - whether to marry or work and if so what work, while unsuitable suitors come and go.

In order to have their own writing published the girls need to adopt male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.  For those of us who have not made a study of their lives, we're reminded that women in the 19th century had few choices and ever fewer rights.    The sisters' genuine love for each other comes across warmly.  Catherine Kinsella as the wise Charlotte, Rebecca Hutchinson as the youngest, most beautiful Anne and although it seems slightly unfair to single out one sister, Sophie di Martino's  performance of the dark and surly Emily was particularly convincing. Perhaps Morrison just had more fun with her character. Oh and we loved Becky Hindley as Bramwell's married amour Mrs. Robinson (yes, really, the scarlet lady dressed in green).

As suggested in the title We are Three Sisters has many direct parallels with the Chekhov, perhaps not surprisingly since Chekhov was known to have read the Brontës and many experts have made the connection.

Chebutykin - the army doctor becomes the local medic in love with Anne -  the youngest Bronte, as Irene is the youngest Prozorov.

Koolyghin becomes the teacher (played by Rutter) and Vershinin translates into a curator who enjoys flirting with whichever sister happens to be in the room at the time. Yet although there are strong parallels, Morrison needs to abandon the template when history takes over and the girls do eventually travel to their capital city.

When Blake Morrison's latest book The Last Weekend was published  I was fortunate enough to interview on camera him for this site. Oh, how I wished I'd pressed him when I asked what he was working on at the time. When he mentioned the Brontë  project, I listened politely (must remember to have another listen to the outtakes)  I felt that perhaps I'd taken up enough of his day and it was time to leave him in peace.

Blake Marrison Image © Nicola Barranger

A big regret when I read about the back story.

The idea came from The Observer's theatre critic Susannah Clapp who suggested it to her friend Blake Morrison, who thought about it for years, she then mentioned it to my dear BBC colleague Beaty Rubens who happened to bring it up in conversation with Barrie Rutter who then (one presumes) went back to Morrison to say "great idea, do it". So ten years after it was first conceived, Northern Broadsides has a hit.

If you live in the Kingston area - grab it at the Rose Theatre before the end of the week. Sadly the show is coming to the end of the tour so you need to get to York Theatre Royal if you want to catch it next week. After that, who knows? Perhaps some enlightened theatre producer might just bring it to London.

"Thank you for taking the trouble to edit so expertly: I seem almost articulate - no mean feat"

Well that's what the good man Mr. Morrison wrote in an email after we had sent him the link to his interview (and he granted permission to print)

Personally I think he was being über-gracious, since he could not have made the interview more pleasant and easy. There is in fact quite a bit more of the interview (him talking about the new Jackie Kay book for example) which I do hope to edit soon and post up onto the site. If you are reading this in mid-June and there is still only one interview, please please send me a reminder.

Those of you with a sensitive ear however, will have noticed that there is a change of microphone halfway through the interview. How did this happen? How could someone with nearly 30 years experience make such a basic error? Where did all that BBC training go?  Well she is asking herself the very same question. Many marketing people (and indeed a few friends)  might scream "Never apologise, never explain"  However here at TIO, we tend to go for a more  "Wear you heart on your sleeve" approach  which is why I'm prepared to tell you what happened.  When I picked up the back-up camera, into which Blake Morrison's microphone was plugged , I thought I was spooling forwards to clear the DV tape in order to record some cutaways. You've no doubt  guessed the next bit… Yup, too busy talking about Wolf Hall, or Amanda Craig or the Orange Prize for Fiction and I spooled backwards instead of forwards, thus wiping all his sound from the first crucial five minutes.

Well of course the plan is hire a camera crew so that one can concentrate on making the interviews even better. The publishers meanwhile seem determined to get as much free publicity as possible and are determinted not  to help. So we are working on locating that elusive sponsor or apply for funding. Just as soon as we've moved the pigs from the tarmac.

Fortunately I had backup sound recording from a distant microphone. Did you really want to know all this?  Does the listener really give a toss? Well whilst I would like to know, I certainly feel better for the telling of it.