A series of four short audio dramas suitable for children, families and seasoned giant spotters. Supported by Oldham Coliseum Micro Commissions 2021

Episode 1 - Spring

Meet Alphin and Alderman: a pair of big-hearted best friends and Saddleworth’s resident giants.

Download the A Tale of Two Giants Resource pack here

A Tale of Two Giants is the story of Alphin and Alderman: a pair of big-hearted best friends whose peaceful life in the Saddleworth countryside is disturbed by the arrival of a very unusual fish.

Over the course of four short audio dramas, we follow a year of gigantic upheaval in the Chew Valley – from the promise of a new Spring to the coldest Winter these old giants can remember.

Suitable for children, families and seasoned giant spotters, A Tale of Two Giants is a celebration of friendship and the natural beauty on Oldham’s doorstep. Each episode is accompanied by a suggested walking route, which brings the story to life by retracing Alphin and Alderman’s ginormous footsteps.

A Tale of Two Giants is inspired by and offers a fun, contemporary reimagining of the Saddleworth folktale of Alphin and Alderman, and the poem Greenfield (1780) by Samuel Bottomley.

Creative Team

Written and performed by Tori Burgess

With music and original songs by Jake Fletcher

Artwork by Lizzie Rigby

Directed by Sushil Chudasama

Recorded and edited by Matt Williams

With thanks to: Phil Kennedy, Elizabeth Southall, Isobel McArthur, Antony Szmierek and the Saddleworth landscape for its endless inspiration

All Oldham Coliseum Micro Commissions 2021 are free to access. If you would like to help the Coliseum to support more great artists to create work please consider making a donation to the theatre.