The first edition of this Tyne Tees Television series investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this edition presenter Ian Payne meets three people to hear about their experience of debt and how this has affected their lives. In a shop window a large sign reads ‘Cheques Cashed Here’ changes to a wad of cash being counted. Advertising in bank windows for loans and saving account are followed by comedian Bobby Thompson on stage telling a joke about debt. On the Newcastle...

The first edition of this Tyne Tees Television series investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this edition presenter Ian Payne meets three people to hear about their experience of debt and how this has affected their lives. In a shop window a large sign reads ‘Cheques Cashed Here’ changes to a wad of cash being counted. Advertising in bank windows for loans and saving account are followed by comedian Bobby Thompson on stage telling a joke about debt. On the Newcastle quayside with both the Millennium Bridge and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in the background presenter Ian Payne introduces this first edition of Northern Eye on debt. Title: Northern Eye: Title: Life after Debt Four individuals who will feature in this programme speak about the issue of debt. Back on the Quayside Ian Payne stands holding a wad of cash, he introduces three personal stories of people ‘caught in the debt trap’ and who are trying to escape. Ian Payne walks through a quad, part of Northumbria University in Newcastle, where students sit relaxing on grassed areas. A bus pulls into a terminus near two high-rise block of flats, nearby Ian Payne who is about to meet Christine Arnold to talk about her student debt. In her flat inside the tower block Ian listens to Christine as she explains how she got into student debt, the struggles to find a job and falling behind with payments. She doesn’t blame anyone other than herself for getting into this situation, she was young and naïve. However, she believes that banks should explain better about the loans they offer. She is positive in that she hopes to clear her debt in the next three years. As she talks, she is filmed looking through her bank statements and paperwork, walking past a couple of banks, taking cash from a machine and sitting writing a letter on her laptop computer. Outside Christine’s apartment block Ian speaks with Christine’s parents Brenda and John Arnold who explain how their daughter’s debt has affected them. Their retirement plans have had to change, their funds of dwindled. Brenda believes that it was too easy for her daughter to get out an overdraft, the two of them sit on Christine’s sofa looking through Christine’s paperwork. Back with Christine who explains she keeps things in perspective as all graduate’s struggle. She says to anyone thinking of going to university that they need to be prepared for the financial responsibility. In a library Dr Val Tusk, Psychologist and Lecturer from Newcastle University says that while there is a lot of information about debt available to students, it isn’t something you can learn passively. Students needs to learn from experience what works and what doesn’t, sometimes they get it wrong and that’s fine as they are only young. Back in the quad at Northumbria University students continue to sit relaxing in the sun. In her office Christine McIntosh from Gateshead Citizen Advise Bureau states that students should learn from the mistakes of the people that have gone before them, graduates are not always able to find the jobs they want from their degrees and become saddled with debt. She says students need to plan ahead to find the course they take leads to a successful job. The key is having a realistic budget and sticking to it. Title: Northern Eye Walking through a modern business park Ian Payne introduces the story of Judith Healey, an award-winning businesswoman whose fortunes have suddenly, and frightening turned. In the car park of a Holiday Inn Express on Teesside Judith Healey from Stockton-on-Tees explains to Ian that she is here today because her company, Top Marketing Ltd, has been put into liquidation. She explains the circumstances that have brought her here and what will be happening inside the hotel. She has put seven years and all her life savings into this business, she explains her family circumstances and that she is attempting to build herself back up from scratch. She heads inside the hotel. Back at the business park Ian Payne leads into the break and provides details for the second part of the programme. Title: Northern Eye: Title: Life after Debt Still in the business park Ian Payne explains that Judith Healey is one of 70,000 who face insolvency this year. But it needn’t been a dead end. In a hotel room at the Holiday Inn Judith explains to Ian about today’s experience and that it is not something she would like to repeat. Her company is now insolvent with debts of around £50,000, however, she is not personally liable for this. In slow motion Judith enters the Holiday Inn again. In a conference room at the hotel Pat Papanicola, an Insolvency Practitioner, explains his role in law dealing with Judith and her company while she speaks about coming face to face with her creditors and working with Pat to collect any outstanding debts owed to the company. Judith’s friend Suzie Devey-Humpleby talks about the basis of their friendship and how they are working to turn Judith’s business life around. In an office she and Judith work together. Judith explains how being in business is like being on a rollercoaster, you need to be a certain type of person to get back up and start again. Judith talks about being self-employed and her new company. An image from a portfolio for this new company; Blue Chimp Company. As Judith sits at a desk writing a letter on her computer, Dr Val Tusk explains that circumstances such as happened to Judith can happen to anybody. The more it happens the more normal part of life it becomes. Outside a pawnbrokers shop in Middlesbrough Ian Payne explains that many pensioners are also facing financial problems in their daily lives. Retirement doesn’t necessarily bring financial security. Title: Northern Eye Sitting in his living room, retired Middlesbrough taxi driver Robin White talks to Ian about the small everyday debts around his home such as his clothes and television. For him electricity is a luxury. Robin walks through central Middlesbrough past Lloyds TSB bank on Corporation Road making his way to a branch of Cash Converters on Linthrope Road. Robin goes inside and pawns a camera for £15, something he can buy-back in 28 days for £20. In his office Ian speaks with George Smith from this Middlesbrough branch of Cash Converters who explains how this buy-back scheme used by Robin works. Robin looks around the store at the wide variety of items for sale. George is asked if he feels any guilt, he explains that the majority of people who use this store do so to sell unwanted items. He goes onto say banks won’t offer small loans as the ones offered by his company. Back at home Robin asked if he is aware of friends being in the same financial situation as him, he says it isn’t something they talk about. Robin walks into Rafferty’s public house on Baker Street in Middlesbrough and stands at the bar drinking a pint of beer. Robin explains that his generation were brought up with rationing, so they know hardship and are better equipped to deal with it than younger generations. Dr Val Tusk explains that the best way to tackle debt is to meet it face on, see exactly what the problems are and being active in solving them and seek advice. In his living room Robin looks through a pile of paperwork relating to his debt, sitting nearby his white cat cleaning itself. When asked if he would seek advice, he is surprised that there is anyone available to talk to him about his debt, but if there is he will. Christine McIntosh from Gateshead Citizen Advise Bureau states that a large number of pensioners are not claiming all the benefit to which they are entitled, pensioners need to find out what is available to them and then someone from Citizen Advise can help draw up a suitable budget just like anyone else. A montage featuring each of the three individuals featured in the programme speaking about moving forward inter-cut with cash machine being used and a wad of cash being counted. Overlooking the River Tyne with the Scotswood Bridge in the background, Ian Payne end the programme by saying if debt is affecting anyone watching then they need to talk to someone, there’s a lot of advise and its free. Title: For free advice of debt contract your local Citizen Advise Bureau. Details at www.tynetees.tv Credit: Presenter Ian Payne Camera Allan Robinson, Jan Ostrowski Sound Robbie Carruthers, Colin Laing Lighting Gordon Porteous Graphics Dave Richardson Music Magregor Cook Editor Kerry Plummer Sound Post Production The Edge Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Additional Production Eileen Brown Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Producer/Director Chris Phipps, Ben Stanger © ITV Tyne Tees 2006 End credit: Production for ITV