Thu 02 Feb, 2026

Julie Hesmondhalgh visits our studio at HMP Styal

Towards the end of 2025, we were lucky enough to invite much-loved actor, and all round great human being Julie Hesmondhalgh into our National Prison Radio studio at HMP Styal.

Julie took a seat in our studio and spoke with our prisoner-producers about her recent role in the stage production Punch.

Punch is based on the real story of Jacob Dunne, a teenager from Nottingham who, on a Saturday night out with friends, threw a single, impulsive punch. That punch killed James Hodgkinson, a young man he didn’t even know. Jacob went to prison for manslaughter. When he got out, he was lost, directionless, ashamed, angry at himself.

But James’s parents, Joan and David, reached out through a restorative justice programme. They asked to meet the man who killed their son. That meeting became the emotional core of Dunne’s life story and of this play. What Punch explores isn’t crime and punishment, but what happens after punishment and what happens when people try to build something from the wreckage.

You can find out more about Jacob’s story on our recent Life After Prison episode ‘From Prison To The West End’. Listen here or watch here:

She also shared some of her favourite tunes, and reflected on a character that means so much to so many (including our prisoner-producers, clearly) – good old Hayley from Corrie.

When guests like Julie visit, it’s not just about chatting with a childhood hero. It also gives our producers a chance to learn how to design interviews that are entertaining, ask the questions everyone wants to hear, and open up conversations that get listeners thinking about rehabilitation. It also gives them an opportunity to plan long-form shows, and pull clips from deep in our audio archive, like this one of Julie reciting a piece she wrote for us during Covid-19 Lockdown, for people in prison:

These opportunities help them practice their skills, build confidence and find their own radio voices, while connecting listeners in prisons across England and Wales with important ideas and topics like restorative justice, through people they recognise and trust.

Thank you so much, Julie, for your time, your kindness and your laughter. We can’t wait to welcome you back again soon.

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