By Peter Monteith

Top playwright Willy Russell has disowned Yorkshire TV's One Summer, the new drama series for Channel 4 which he wrote.

The series came about when Yorkshire asked Russell if he would write a follow up to his play Daughters of Albion.

Russell was not keen and instead put forward the idea of One Summer, which concerns two teenage Liverpool boys who escape from the poverty and violence of their environment to try to find happiness in rural Wales.

The five-part series was shot on film in Wales, Liverpool, and at a cottage near Leeds between Easter and October last year.

Producer Keith Richardson - who also made Harry's Game - said: "I'm very happy with it, Yorkshire is very happy with it, but Willy isn't."

Russell was invited to last week's press showing but did not turn up. His agent says he is on holidays.

Yorkshire says Russell was away when the two lead roles were cast.

The finished product bore little resemblance to his original concept, so he asked Yorkshire to remove his name from everything to do with the series.

Richardson said: " I think he felt he hadn't contributed very much to the finished series. He was very busy and didn't have the time to participate fully."