Welsh to write book on Madchester craze
AUTHOR Irvine Welsh is writing a new TV drama series about Manchester music and fashion entrepreneurs Anthony and Christopher Donnelly.
The Donnelly brothers, who founded the Gio-Goi clothing range and were involved in the rave scene of Manchester in the late 1980s, are to be the subjects of the drama series written by Welsh and Dean Cavanagh.
The story will follow the lives of the brothers as they ascend from ticket touts outside the major football stadiums in Manchester to the catwalks of major fashion centres such as London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo.
Their clothing label was worn by celebrities from the world of movies, TV, rock, pop and rap.
At its height the label made £40m a year.
However, police investigations into their company led to a jail term for Anthony and their father, Arthur.
The Donnelly brothers have since published an autobiography, Still Breathing.
In a joint statement, Welsh and Cavanagh said: “We’re really excited to be involved in telling the story of the Donnelly brothers for the screen.
“We’ve been offered many true life stories over the years but what attracts us to this story in particular is the fact that Anthony and Christopher are unbeatable, they won’t take no for answer, and we’re going to capture that spirit.
“It’s something we relate to having spent decades working in the business that is ‘show’, and all the attendant bullsh*t that comes with it.”