The incredible friendship between a woman whose father was killed in the Brighton bombing and the IRA member who planted the device has been made into a play.

"The Bomb" tells the story of Jo Berry and Patrick Magee.

Ms Berry was 27 when her father, the Tory MP for Enfield Southgate Sir Anthony Berry, was one of five people killed in the bomb attack on the Grand Hotel, Brighton, in 1984.

Patrick Magee had planted the bomb six weeks before the Conservative Party arrived at the seafront hotel for their annual conference.

He was jailed for life for his part in the attack but released as part of the Good Friday agreement in 1999.

After his release, Ms Berry requested a meeting with Mr Magee. They met and against all the odds the two developed a bond.

He and Ms Berry have been in regular contact following a process of reconciliation through The Forgiveness Project, an organisation working to promote conflict resolution and victim support.

Via a series of exhibitions and discussions, organisers helped tell stories of reconciliation about people who discovered the only way to move on in life was to lay aside hatred and blame.

Playwright Kevin Dyer has taken some of Ms Berry and Mr Magee's experiences and created the play for Ellesmere Port-based Action Transport Theatre.

He said: "I heard Jo Berry on the radio and she was telling the story of how her dad was killed.

"She said she had decided she wouldn't let the hate and violence live through her and wanted to meet the man who planted the bomb.

"The play I've written is about their meeting and the events leading up to it.

"It's a life-changing story. It changed my life. It made me look at people differently and challenge the way so many of us resolve problems. What Jo Berry has done is said there is another way of changing the world."

Mr Dyer spoke to both Ms Berry and Mr Magee before writing the play.

Ms Berry, of Chester, said: "He contacted me shortly before the 20th anniversary of the bomb.

"He approached us after we had given a talk in London. Two or three weeks later he came to visit me. I had a strong feeling I wanted to work with him."

During the play's first tour of the North-East and London earlier this year, Ms Berry took part in discussion groups with audiences.

She said: "They don't preach but have tried to inspire young people to feel. The play doesn't give any answers but gives people a story to take away and think about.

"It's had a good reception. It is a very powerful, emotional play."

Ms Berry and Mr Magee now travel to peace conferences around the world talking about conflict resolution.

The play comes to Crawley's Hawth Theatre on October 10 but will not be coming to Brighton.

Director of Action Transport Theatre and play director, Joe Sumsion, said: "We have no aversion to taking the play to Brighton. It is just that we didn't get a booking. We offer our productions to theatres and we see if they want to book us.

"We didn't have any contact from any Brighton venues."

Ms Berry said: "It does seem a shame people in Brighton won't be able to see it."

Mr Magee was not available for comment.