Tribute show of racing legend returns to Duns

Jim Clark the Musical is back, following a sell-out first run in Duns last year.

The stage show, which tells the story of the Berwickshire sheep farmer who became a twice World Champion Formula 1 racing driver, will play at Duns Volunteer Hall from Wednesday 7 June to Saturday 10 June.

Written by local residents Alex Watson (book and lyrics) and Mike Hardy (music), the musical is one of Duns Players’ most successful productions, appealing to a wide audience and selling out within a few weeks of tickets going on sale.

One reviewer described it as “A wonderful show: informative, funny, moving, sad. A true masterpiece,” while another said, “Great story, inspiring music, an evening to remember.” Alex Watson, who is directing this year’s production, said: “The musical was written as a special tribute to the memory and legacy of one of Scotland’s greatest sporting heroes. Clark was a prodigious racing talent, gentle on his cars but relentless on his rivals, a phenomenally quick thinker at the wheel, capable, in a matter of seconds, of turning a looming high-speed disaster into a thrilling victory.

"Some of his track records still hold today, 55 years after his death.

“All over the world crowds loved him, not only for his racing achievements, but for the fact that, underneath the high-octane, high-earning glitz and glamour, he remained, at heart, a country boy, a Borders farmer who, shortly after winning his first Championship title, was mingling quietly with the other buyers at Kelso Ram Sales, a tweed cap on his head, a shepherd’s crook in his hand.

“The music really makes the show,” she added. “Mike turned my simple, outline melodies into knockout musical numbers, adding his own inspiring compositions.

"Some of the songs are catchy toe-tappers, some are deeply moving. We’ve added a new song this year, there are some new faces in the cast and we have two new ‘cars’ making their stage debut.”

Tickets are available online at dunsplayers.org or from Nairns, the Post Office, Duns Market Square.

Pictured is Matthew Forster, who plays the lead in Jim Clark the Musical.