In 1983 Katie Mulholland was adapted into a stage musical by composer Eric Boswell and writer-director Ken Hill. Cookson attended the première. [16] Thomas, Robert McG Jr. (12 June 1998). "Catherine Cookson, 91, Prolific British Author". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 January 2018. Cookson received the Freedom of the Borough of South Tyneside, and an honorary degree from the University of Newcastle. [22] The Variety Club of Great Britain named her Writer of the Year, and she was voted Personality of the North East.

The tragedy of the story is that much of the paths chosen by the characters were preventable. There are a few characters who are admirable, and who triumph over their circumstances. Joseph's elderly friend Bertha Hanratty learns to cope with her sadness. Mr. Bright remains steadfastly loyal to his difficult and often unlovable, elderly employer. The script could have been better - this is one story that might have benefited from being done in two parts if not more. We don't get much buildup to some of the events; they happen rather suddenly. When the brutal Lionel gets Lily Whitmore (Cathy Sandford) pregnant, Joe Skinner marries her to give the child a name. Lionel is out to marry Victoria Mordaunt (Tara Fitzgerald), a guileless young woman whose aunt, Bridget (Samantha Bond) is a successful businesswoman. Many of Cookson's novels have been adapted for film, radio, and the stage. The first film adaptation of her work was Jacqueline (1956), directed by Roy Ward Baker, based on her book A Grand Man. [14]All titles from The Mallens onwards have been released on DVD in the UK and various other countries.

Cookson [née Davies], Dame Catherine Ann (1906–1998), writer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/70039 . Retrieved 11 June 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) In June 1940, at the age of 34, she married Tom Cookson, a teacher at Hastings Grammar School. After experiencing four miscarriages [8] late in pregnancy, it was discovered she was suffering from a rare vascular disease, [4] telangiectasia, which caused bleeding from the nose, fingers and stomach and resulted in anaemia. A mental breakdown followed the miscarriages, from which it took her a decade to recover. [6] Writing career [ edit ]I enjoyed the story for much of the book, but either this one was too long for me or too depressing! The characters, especially Bridget, were realistically drawn and I was caught up in their life stories from the start. As I continued reading I hoped for some redemption for them, some kind of happiness out of their hopelessness. Tilly Trotter (1999) with Carli Norris, Beth Goddard, Sarah Alexander, Amelia Bullmore, Rosemary Leach and Simon Shepherd Morton, David (12 June 2013). "Remember When: The Death of South Shields author Catherine Cookson" . Retrieved 15 January 2018.