Playwright Rikki Beadle-Blair is breathless when he comes to the phone. He’s been busy rehearsing his new play, Gutted, which is set to be performed at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

“It’s about four brothers,“ explains Rikki, 52. “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they’re from Irish Catholic stock, Bermondsey lads, geezers one and all, crown princes of the local council estate.

“I grew up in Bermondsey, so I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from my childhood and the people I was surrounded by.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not my diary, I’m not saying, here is my life laid bare, but all the characters have aspects of me in them.

“Growing up as one of the only black people on an estate full of geezers and geezeresses, I wanted to talk about them, I wanted to get under their skin and represent their wit, their humour, complexity, passion and intelligence, I wanted it to be beyond the standard chav portrayal, and I think Gutted does that.”

Covering a range of topics including corporal punishment, parental discipline, sexuality and the transition from old school cockney London to multi-cultural mixed-race Britain – Rikki said he has left no stone unturned in his gritty yet humourous new show.

“There is some physical subject matter,“ he says, “but the story was written with humour and warmth.

“At the time I came up with the idea, I was working a lot at the BBC. I love working there, but it’s very middle class, everyone seems to have come from Cambridge. It’s a real struggle to get dramas like Gutted made, as the consensus seems to be, we’ve got EastEnders, what else do you need?“

It’s funny that Rikki should mention EastEnders. Not only did his brother Gary play Paul Truman, but Gutted also features Louise Jameson, who played Italian matriarch Rosa di Marco in the soap.

“I’ve got an affinity for EastEnders,“ laughs Rikki, “but this is the south east, the accent is even worse or better, it depends how you look at it.

“With Gutted, I’ve bared more, I’ve risked more, I’ve experienced more and I’ve laughed and cried in rehearsals more. I’m having the time of my life with this play, I’m putting Bermondsey on stage.“

Theatre Royal Stratford East, from April 26 until May 25. Details: 020 8534 0310, stratfordeast.com