IT was finally decided by all the Northern Broadsides creative team, late in 2009, what our 2010 Christmas family show would be.

We would present Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

It was actually a pretty easy decision. Each year we have looked to interpret a classic piece of children's literature to tie in with Broadsides artistic policy of producing classic drama.

I felt Treasure Island had a lot in common with the Shakespeare and Greek Dramas the company presents. To begin with, it's a cracking story with some of the most vivid and dynamic (not to mention downright nasty) characters ever created for children's (or adult) literature that easily sit alongside some of the great Shakespearian characters.

Just listing them instantly conjures up a rogue's gallery of grizzled faces, missing teeth and the heady whiff of rum and sweat. Blind Pew, Black Dog, Billy Bones, Ben Gunn, not forgetting Long John Silver – any one of these characters would be worthy of a novel of their own but they are all in the one book.

The theatre created by Northern Broadsides is concerned with the use and power of language.

In creating theatre for children I think introducing them to the joys of the spoken word is paramount and although Robert Louis Stevenson is no Shakespeare, he knew how to use language for effect. The characters in Treasure Island all have their highly individual and, in the case of Long John Silver, almost poetic – ways of speaking, making Treasure Island the perfect vehicle for a Broadsides production.

And now came the difficulties. This would be mine and (director) Adam Sunderland's third family show collaboration as writer and director. Would the magic be there again? Would we be moving forward artistically or just treading water? It was especially daunting as our last production – Heidi: A Goat's Tale – was recently nominated by the Theatrical Management Association for best children's production of 2009.

After various discussions round our kitchen tables we felt that, this time, we would tell this story "straight".

Unlike our previous productions there would be no plays within plays, no coming out of the story for a silly gag (as much as I love doing that), and definitely no singing goats!

Treasure Island has too strong a story to mess around with. I want children to be fully immersed in the world Stevenson created and to experience, along with young Jim Hawkins, the excitement and dangers of treasure hunting with a band of villainous cutthroats.

This will be no Pantomime Treasure Island. Our Christmas offering may not be the merriest of shows but it will certainly be thrilling.

Once the style had been decided, one of my very first thoughts was: "Pirates".

Although I was an avid reader as a child, I never actually read Treasure Island. Like a lot of kids, my introduction to the story came through the technicolour Disney film of the Fifties, watched on our family black and white telly in the Seventies. The picture may have been in black and white but the scenery chewing, "Ooh-arr, Jim lad" performance by Robert Newton as Long John Silver more than made up for the lack of colour on our screen. However, for all my love of Robert Newton's portrayal, it does provide a problem for anyone attempting a new adaptation of the book. Newton's portrayal is a kind of poisoned chalice in terms of the role of Silver (and pirates in general).

Rather like Edith Evans' portrayal of Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest where all anybody wants to know of the poor actress playing Lady B is, "how are you going to do the Handbag line?" Newton's west country "ooharring" has become the default setting for pirate portrayals – as well as the notion that all pirates come from somewhere south of Somerset. This can seriously get in the way of the drama and give the whole thing that pantomime feel we were so desperately trying to avoid. So a bold decision was taken. I would shift the first part of the action from the coast of the West Country up to the coast of Yorkshire.

Treasure Island is as gripping and murky as a Dickens novel and I do wonder whether Stevenson stole a little from Oliver Twist when creating it. In both books, the action centres on a young lad who befriends an outwardly genial but an inwardly immoral and corrupt adult (Fagin in Dickens' case, John Silver in Stevenson's).

Having said all this our production won't all be darkness. There's a huge amount of humour and action and plenty of colourful pirates. It's just that none of them will be from the West Country. In fact our intrepid crew of adventurers are going to find themselves setting sail from Whitby. And any actor who so much as whispers "ooh-arr" will be made to walk the plank.

By the by – a tip to any pirate fan with a Facebook page – did you know, that under the Select your Language category you can turn it into Pirate Speak? Very funny – for about half an hour.

Treasure Island, Stephen Joseph Theatre, to Dec 5, 01723 370541. Lawrence Batley Theatre, Dec 8 to 19, 01484 430528.