At the end of the movie Brassed Off, Pete Postlethwaite delivers a heartfelt speech, as band leader Danny, to a packed Albert Hall after his beleaguered colliery band wins a national cup.

The band thinks the trophy is what matters to Danny “more than ‘owt else in the world”, but he insists they’d be wrong.

He now sees that what matters is these men who can “knock out a good tune” but haven’t an ounce of hope left.

It’s a speech that never fails to move John McArdle, who plays Danny in a stage adaptation of Brassed Off, coming to Bradford. “It always chokes me up – I have to fight against it,” he says. “A crack in the voice is fine, but it’s an important speech I have to get right.”

It’s not the only thing John has to get right. Playing Danny means he is learning how to conduct a brass band; something he’ll be doing for real once the tour starts, when real-life bands join the cast. The Clifton and Lightcliffe Brass Band will perform at the Alhambra.

John added: “The brass music is very moving. One of my fellow cast members, Andrew Dunn, was in the show before and says it’s spine-tingling.”

Brassed Off is set in 1992, when Grimley Colliery Band is on the brink of collapse, facing a devastating pit closure. With miners torn between redundancy packages and the picket lines, Danny’s hopes of winning the national brass championships seem out of reach.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the 1984 miners’ strike, the play blends humour and pathos, with a rousing score that includes Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and Jerusalem.

Brassed Off runs at the Alhambra from March 11 to 15. Call 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk for details.