Review: The Railway Children, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Despite being written over 100 years ago, E. Nesbit’s classic children’s novel The Railway Children feels extremely relevant today. Covering themes of friendship, class, sanctuary and community, it is about welcoming those who are different to you. It therefore feels apt that its stage adaptation is being performed in Bradford, the UK’s 2025 City of Culture and one of the first cities in the UK to be designated a City of Sanctuary for refugees and asylum seekers.

The Railway Children tells the story of three children – Bobbie (Farah Ashraf), Peter (Raj Digva) and Phyllis (Jessica Kaur) – who are forced to move from London to Yorkshire after their father is falsely imprisoned. They spend their days adapting to life in the countryside by exploring the local railway and making friends with the locals.

The show begins when you board a steam train at Keighley, travelling five miles to the end of the line at Oxenhope – the very tracks that the 1970 film version was shot on. There, a purpose-built auditorium with a train track running through the middle of the stage is the location for the show, where the audience is just inches away from the cast. The three children are the heroes and narrators of the piece, breaking the fourth wall by talking to the audience throughout.

The stagecraft is truly magnificent. Jo Scotcher’s set design is spectacular: the incorporation of a station bridge and a signaller’s cabin, as well as the arrival of a real steam train, is truly impressive and creates an authentic setting. Throughout the play, platforms are moved along the tracks to represent different locations. This is hugely impactful when characters say goodbye to each other and drift away, often into smoke. Huge credit must go to Richard G. Jones (lighting designer) and Craig Vear (sound designer), as every little detail is thought of. Particularly impressive is the scene set in the railway tunnel, with creative use of black curtains to generate darkness, lights at the bottom of the stage to represent the train moving past, and echoing voices when the actors are ‘inside’ the tunnel.

However, having the children depicted by adult actors feels mawkish. The humour of children’s comments is simply not as funny when played by adults. This is highlighted when one of the members of the children’s ensemble says, “What about us?” after his mother calls the siblings “the most darling children in the world” – cue a huge wave of laughter from the audience. I think there would have been more of this if the actors had actually been children. 

The most obvious deviation from the original story is the reimagining of the children as mixed race with South Asian heritage. Aside from the children explaining that their parents met whilst their father was working in India, this is not incorporated into the story at all, which is such a shame. It would be a fantastic way to educate the audience on cultural differences and could be further drawn upon when highlighting the difficulties that outsiders face when integrating into new communities.

The original story from the 1906 novel is heavily grounded in the political landscape of the time. Not focusing on the issues of the modern day feels like a missed opportunity to make the story more relevant to the audience and, ultimately, better promote the message of showing kindness towards those who are different. 

The Railway Children is, nevertheless, an enjoyable adaptation of a familiar story and undeniably an impressive feat of stagecraft.

Based on the book by E. Nesbit
Adaptation: Mike Kelly
Director: Damian Cruden
Set & Costume Designer: Jo Scotcher
Associate Costume Designer: Sian Thomas
Lighting Designer: Richard G Jones
Composer / Music Director: Christopher Madin
Sound Designer: Craig Vear
Young People’s Director: Nicolette Hobson

The Railway Children plays on The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025 until Sunday 7 September.