IT is now 20 years since Barrow streets and Walney beaches helped provide the backdrop for film crews working on a hard-hitting TV series called Nature Boy.

There was a chance for Furness youngsters to take roles in a four-part drama which featured Paul McGann, Joanne Froggatt, Lesley Sharp, Elizabeth Berrington and Lee Ingleby.

The uncompromising tale for BBC Two was from award-winning writer Bryan Elsley.

Nature Boy was a four part rites-of-passage road movie about the quest of 16- year-old foster boy David,played by Lee Ingleby, through England to find his estranged father Steve,played by Paul McGann.

His experiences along the way transport him from abandonment to reunion.

The Mail on Wednesday, May 5, in1999, reported on some of the scenes which were filmed at Walney School,including an attack on a boy by bullies.

It noted: "Locations for the three-week shoot include the nature reserve at South Walney, a house in Storey Square - transformed into a foster home - and the Roundhouse restaurant on Biggar Bank.

"Although the central character is played by a professional actor, many local children have been called upon as extra, with some being allocated larger roles.

"Fourteen-year-old Thorncliffe pupil Daniel Shaw, of Norland Avenue, Barrow, plays Garry Aitcheson, one of the bullies.

"Studying for a Drama GCSE, he is thoroughly enjoying his first taste of life in front of the cameras.

The first episode of the series was broadcast on Monday, February 14 in 2000.

Among other Furness actors to appear was Hannah Winlow, 17, from Barnes Avenue, Dalton, who played Tracey Rutherford.

She said: "Standing around waiting for scenes was a bit boring but the whole thing was a great experience."

Andrew Fullard,20,of Kirkstone Crescent, played a character called simply And.

The Mail, on February 10, gave readers a taste of what to expect as the drama shifted from Walney to Middlesbrough and finally Kent.

It noted: "By means of David's journey, Nature Boy explores a series of complicated, sometimes sensitive issues, including environmental protest, sexuality,the politics of modern families and child abuse."