A TOURING theatre company which caused controversy after changing the title of The Hunchback of Notre Dame has arrived in the North-East.

The Northern Echo reported last month how Oddsocks Productions had renamed Victor Hugo's classic The Bellringer of Notre Dame to avoid offending disabled people.

Last night, the company began a four-night run of the production in the grounds of Kirkleatham Hall Museum, in Redcar.

Performance director Andy Barrow said the Echo's story put the company under the scrutiny of the world's media.

"The story didn't just go national, it went international and made prime-time news on American TV," he said. "We have had a letter from the US and emails from Poland, New Zealand and Russia. But we didn't change the name for publicity, we did it as an act of consideration for disabled people."

Now the media furore has died down, the group hopes that audiences will give the show a chance.

"It would be nice if people came to see us and realised that we have not changed the story. The play still has a hunchback and our portrayal is more accurate than Disney."

There are performances tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night, plus a matinee on Saturday. For ticket information call Redcar Tourist Information Centre on (01642) 471921.