Andy Burnham's speech to the Labour conference was one of the longest of recent years, lasting one hour and five minutes. His ability to tell stories - about his family, his politics, and what links the two - had the Labour faithful cheering his words as the conference's motto of "hope again" seemed to be borne out.
Mr Burnham's speech was in some ways a Best of Burnham, a greatest hits of Andy that even started with him coming on stage to a North West anthem, the Farm's All Together Now. Topics he has already spoken about a number of times since becoming Prime Minister in July - public control of utilities, reforming the social care system, more emphasis on vocational training - all got new outings, with little new ground being broken.
Personal stories and promises
He promised that a 10-year plan for Britain would be published later this year and pledged to tackle the issues politicians "usually avoid". At one stage, speaking about his late father, who died earlier this month, he appeared on the verge of tears.
With his wife and brothers in the audience, he said he was proud that the UK was a country where "the son of a man who failed his 11+ exam has become Prime Minister".
North East MPs react
For watching North East MPs, Mr Burnham's ability to root ambitious politics in personal experiences made for a powerful speech. Newcastle Central and West MP Dame Chi Onwurah said: "I thought it was an amazing speech. It told a story about Andy Burnham and it told a story about the country, and the two came together."
"Stories don't build houses or new energy grids but they do build confidence that what he's talking about, he will deliver on."
North Durham MP Luke Akehurst said: "I thought it was an incredible speech. I've been coming to conference since 1991 and it was the most powerful leader's speech I've ever seen."
"There was no time wasted on knockabout stuff about other parties. It was about the strong choices we need to take and the difficult challenges we face as a country. And those are the challenges we face in North Durham as well."
"Most politicians try to split the difference and avoid difficult decisions. He's confronting them and he's set out his stall to do that. And this was someone who lost his father only two weeks ago - speaking about that had real emotional impact."
Challenges ahead
City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy said: "The great thing about Andy is that whatever decisions we're going to have to make, and they will be difficult, he has the ability to tell the story about why we're doing it. He wants the public behind him and he's being honest that things have to change."
And Henri Murison, the former Newcastle councillor who is now chief executive of the cross-party Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: "The Prime Minister has set out a bold agenda and backed our great cities' ability to drive economic growth."
"If business and wider investment remains in his and the mayors' focus, as it is across the growth corridor of the North, we believe his agenda can deliver growth. By dealing with the triple lock in the next Parliament he has shown he understands that his priorities for the country can only be paid for by prioritising which is the mark of a serious Government."
Some of the big criticisms of Mr Burnham - principally that he is good on "vibes" but shorter on actual policies - have not gone away. Many of the plans outlined in his speech will come in the 2030s, after the next election.
The spectre that has been hanging over the whole conference is the perilous state of the country's finances, which both Mr Burnham and Chancellor John Healey have said will restrict their immediate plans. Next month's Budget will need detail and reality, not just good storytelling.
But if the goal of his first conference speech as leader - after three tries at getting that position - was to rally his own side and present a compelling story for the UK's future, it can be judged a success.
