A TRADITIONAL song about part of North-East folklore has been rewritten to tell the story another of the region’s infamous characters who is set to go down in history.

Performer Jamie Brown has taken the tune of The Lambton Worm and reworked lyrics to explain how the Prime Minister has struggled to get to grips with tackling the coronavirus.

Boris and the Jorm also includes references to his erstwhile advisor Dominic Cummings and his ill-fated trips to Durham and Barnard Castle during lockdown.

Mr Brown, 35, who lives in Gateshead, said: “These tunes do evoke something in people. When people recognise a tune, subject matter or an accent it is like being part of a club.

“It ticked so many boxes for me because I have got a big passion for Northumbrian and Geordie folk.

“To make it current and relevant and preserve the tunes and dialect is something I am passionate about doing.”

The original story of The Lambton Worm is a legend from County Durham, thought to date back to the 14th century, and tells of how a giant worm had been terrorising villagers from the River Wear.

It is caught by John Lambton, who throws it down a well, but many years later it grows in size, eats local livestock, snatches small children and coils itself around a local hill.

The story was made into a song, written in 1867 by CM Leumane, and features several words found only in the Northumbrian dialect.

Mr Brown, a married father-of-two, is a theatre actor and directed Geordie The Musical at the Customs House in South Shields and Tyne Theatre in Newcastle.

He has also been involved in the production of recent plays chronicling the lives of North-East folk pioneers including Ned Corvan’s Music Hall and The Great Joe Wilson.

Mr Brown, who has rewritten other regional ditties such as When The Boat Comes In, said: “The North-East is a huge part of my life. It is very important to me and for people who are not aware of The Lambton Worm this might make them more aware of these tunes. It keeps them alive. It is all about preserving the heritage, the dialect, the tunes and the stories.

“It is something I have enjoyed doing. I am just glad so many other people have enjoyed it as well.”