Preview: Hold The Line @ Alphabetti, Newcastle

Critically acclaimed two-person show Hold the Line pulls back the curtain on the unseen pressure of NHS 111 call handlers, where even a ‘minor’ call can flip into crisis and the people on the phones absorb trauma in real time with no chance to breathe. Sam Macgregor brings the show to Alphabetti Theatre from 29th April–2nd May after a standout Fringe debut, drawing directly from his own frontline experience to chart one nightmare shift in a London call centre where targets, limited resources and human lives collide. As Gary, an overworked health adviser, tries to guide a panicked caller through a diabetic emergency, the play unravels the emotional cost of a job that demands composure while everything is falling apart. Blending sharp humour with lived‑in detail, Macgregor spotlights the quiet heroism and institutional contradictions of one of the NHS’s most invisible roles, continuing the bold, politically charged storytelling he began with his 2023 debut, Truly, Madly, Baldy.