A1: The Road Musical follows the famous route from London through the Broad Acres to Scotland, stopping off along the way to meet people who live or work on it.

And, set to music by director and composer Benjamin Till, the stories told by the film's Yorkshire subjects seem sure to have viewers in tears one minute and laughing the next.

Key sequences in the half-hour Channel 4 programme include:

l the grandmother of 16-year-old Wetherby road crash victim Danny Lawrence singing his favourite hymn, How Great Thou Art, from an A1 flyover close to the scene of his death;

l a carefully-choreographed performance number featuring dozens of the bikers who regularly gather at Squires Cafe, near Sherburn in Elmet, east of Leeds;

l the University of York Chamber Orchestra playing against an industrial backdrop of coal heaps and dumper trucks at Ferrybridge, near Pontefract.

Linking the different musical sequences is trucker Dave Brown, who works for Roadways Container Logistics, based in Stourton, Leeds.

Dave has been trundling up and down the A1 – or Great North Road, to give the route its more traditional name – three times a week for the last 30 years.

The 50-year-old dad-of-four said: "I know the A1 like the back of my hand and I think it's something pretty special.

"I suppose you could call it the backbone of the country.

"My friends and family have been really supportive since they heard I was appearing in this show – now we're all just looking forward to seeing it!"

Channel 4 say the film is "both a tragic-comic tale of love, life and lay-bys on the A1, and a compelling portrait of contemporary Britain".

The A1's 409 miles make it the longest numbered road in the country. Its winding path through Yorkshire runs close to places such as Pontefract, Garforth and Knaresborough.

Some stretches, including the 4.5-mile section between Wetherby and Walshford, have been upgraded to motorway standard in recent years.

l A1: The Road Musical is on Channel 4 at 7.30pm tomorrow.