21st Century Folk: GP who nearly died of Covid becomes folksong hero

By Ian YoungsEntertainment and Arts Journalist

Over the centuries, folk singers have immortalized the lives of everyday characters, from sailors to scoundrels to working-class heroes.

Now a new set of folk heroes have had their stories sung by modern musicians.

They include a long-serving GP who nearly died of Covid, a soup kitchen manager and a woman who set up a charity in memory of her late daughter.

Songs about them by artists like Chris Difford and Thea Gilmore feature on BBC Radio 2's 21st Century Folk project.

The five people featured in the new songs are from the North East of England.

They include the Dr Iftikhar Lone, who was a GP in Middlesbrough for 44 years and responsible for rolling out the Covid vaccine in his area.

However, he spent nine days in intensive care after catching the virus himself in 2020.