Join Stuart Maconie for a night out in the North. We think of the North of England as a rugged, bleak and hardworking place, built on the sweat of the workers in factories, mines and mills. But at the end of the working day the Northerner is finally free to pursue his or her own desires, be that healthy, bawdy or bizarre. The south of England is a daytime place, with afternoon tea and croquet on the lawn, but the night belongs to the North. Working hard and playing hard -- or so the clichE goes -- is its speciality, and Stuart Maconie is in search of what, exactly, this entails and what their choice of leisure pursuits tells us about the people that are proud to call themselves Northerners. Following tip offs and rumour, Stuart finds himself in forgotten corners and locals' haunts. From 'the second best chippie in the north', to the terraces of FC United, via nightclubs in Liverpool and the Otley Council chamber, this the new and old north from the political to the comical, by way of music, art, sport and religion. "Workers' Playtime" could be seen as a companion to the bestselling "Pies and Prejudice," but it is not a sequel.

After all, this is a new decade and the north is changing faster than ever. Beginning in the depths of winter, and culminating in high summer, this is a revealing and digressive journey through the northern night and a State of the North address, delivered from barstool, terrace, pew and hillside.