An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the North-East. In this episode Tyne Tees Television Political Correspondent Gerry Foley goes on a tour of the region to see how culture is helping to both regenerate and rebrand the region moving away from the stereotype of area created in the classic Michael Caine thriller ‘Get Carter’. From the roof of the Trinity Square Car Park in Gateshead, presenter Gerry Foley introduces this edition of Northern...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the North-East. In this episode Tyne Tees Television Political Correspondent Gerry Foley goes on a tour of the region to see how culture is helping to both regenerate and rebrand the region moving away from the stereotype of area created in the classic Michael Caine thriller ‘Get Carter’. From the roof of the Trinity Square Car Park in Gateshead, presenter Gerry Foley introduces this edition of Northern Eye. The Michael Caine thriller ‘Get Carter’, partly filmed in this car part, gave a stereotype of the region that has been hard to shake. However, the region today is changing beyond recognition, with city centre being re-branded as centres of culture. Title: Northern Eye. Forget Carter? Still standing inside the Trinity Square Car Park, Gerry Foley explains that culture is a new North-East brand, the driving force behind economic regeneration. In the distance Trinity Square Car Park with the camera pulling back to reveal both the Sage Gateshead and Millennium Bride crossing the River Tyne. Author Stuart Maconie talking about how Get Carter was a culture shock between the ‘flashy’ London and a ‘grim benighted menacing north’. Outside a home on the Staiths South Bank housing development at Dunston in Gateshead, its designer Wayne Hemingway talks about a ‘dirty past’ and why history should be celebrated as it is how we form the future. He stands near to the Dunstan Staithes, views around the development of new housing near the River Tyne. He sees the staithe as being as much a part of history as the nearby Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts, it is what this area stands for. He talks about how proper regeneration should go out into areas where people can afford to live, you don’t need to leave the area to get ahead anymore. A cover for a boxset of DVD’s of ‘The Very Best of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?’ changes to a clip from the BBC programme staring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. Stuart Maconie, author of ‘Pies and Prejudice’, asks the question is the character of Bob, played by Rodney Bewes, a signifier of Newcastle of today? Playwright Peter Flannery liked the programme even if it was a stereotype of the region, but certain amounts of what they said were true enough. An image from the BBC series ‘Our Friends in the North’ written by Peter Flannery changes to him and Gerry watching a clip on a laptop from the feature film he wrote called ‘The One and Only’. A clip from the film itself followed by Peter talks about the characters he created for the film and featured in the clip, one of whom is an ‘Andy Capp’ type of character who tastes will never change while the other is like plenty of other ‘Geordies’ Peter sees who are up for change. An architecture drawing of high-rise apartment blocks along the Gateshead quayside beside the Baltic gallery followed by traffic crossing the Swing Bridge and a post for ‘Our Friends in the North’. He sees characters like Ant and Dec as helping change people’s view of the North-East along with his own work in ‘Our Friends in the North’. Back at Trinity Square Car Park Gerry Foley looks out on Gateshead and the Baltic gallery in the distance. Alan J. Smith OBE creator of the Red Box Design group and founding chairman for the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts walks through his office past pieces of modern art in the walls. Speaking with Gerry Alan talks about how much the region has changed since the 1960s with the closure of the mines and shipyards. He sees people in the region as being perceived as kind and friendly with a real sense of enterprise. In an office men and women working at their computers, on the wall in front of them a large mural of the Newcastle and Gateshead riverfront. Alan J. Smith continues by saying the most surprising change has been cultural with the likes of the 1990 Gateshead Flower Festival. Aerial footage of the site during the festival changes to Alan talking about how things like the Hilton Hotel coming to Gateshead would never have happened if it wasn’t for the likes of the Baltic and the Sage Gateshead. From both outside and inside the Hilton itself the Tyne Bridge crossing the River Tyne and Newcastle on the far bank. Gerry asks Alan if places like the Baltic or MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) in Middlesbrough really connect with people? He accepts that places like the Baltic do alienate a lot of people as being elitist, but he hopes that their children will see it value in years to come due to the Baltic’s education and outreach programmes which are seen as a tool to change people. Television news footage of opening night at the Baltic with crowds coming through the entrance doors and wondering around the galleries. Alan talks about the people who visited and the reasons why they came, they plan to do a similar event when the gallery celebrates its 5th anniversary. A cyclist along the Newcastle Quayside looking at their mobile phone, in the background the Baltic with a poster promoting the galleries 5th anniversary. The opening credits to the Channel 4 Television musical programme ‘The Tube’ filmed in Newcastle which, Gerry states, launched the city as a ‘capital of cool culture’. Next to a cricket pitch interview with Jools Holland who presented the programme who describes Newcastle at the time as ‘the place to be’. Clips from the programme featuring both Jools and co-presenter Paula Yates. Jools talking about his time on the show as being ‘shambolic’. Mockingly Jools apologies to the viewer for bring un-professionalism to the media. Gerry Foley walks through Trinity Square Car Park changes to the Byker Wall district of Newcastle; in voiceover a woman reads an extract from the novel in verse ‘Wall’ by community writer Ellen Phethean. Archive of the Byker Wall being constructed in the 1970’s changes to Ellen walking past the YMCA Byker Neighbourhood office. At home in her Byker Wall maisonette Ellen talks about the novel which is about a fictional family who live on estate and the impact on them all when their fifteen-year-old daughter getting pregnant. She continues to talk about other aspects of the novel including the language she used. She is asked by Gerry is culture can change people’s character and behaviour, she explains that money brough in for regeneration will encourage the middle-classes to visit places like the Baltic and, hopefully, some of the money will trickle down and effect those people at ‘the end of the line at some point’. Title: Get Carter? On the Hartlepool Headland Gerry Foley walks over to the bronze statue of cartoon character Andy Capp and asks should we be forgetting Carter and embarrassing characters such as Andy? Recently installed at a cost of £20,000 it would seem characters such as Andy a new cultural statue. Archive news footage of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s ‘Walk in the Wilderness’ at nearby Thornaby-on-Tees in 1987 changes to a concrete Aztec-type sign for the TDC or Teesside Development Corporation and Gerry walking across the same site visited by Margaret Thatcher. At Hartlepool Marina Gerry speaks with Alistair Arkley CBE from Tees Valley Regeneration about the legacy of the Teesside Development Agency. Alistair believes its biggest achievement has been the transformation of the river Tees into a worldclass leisure facility. As he talks the rapids at the Tees Barrage International White-Water Centre and the nearby barrage itself. Alistair is joined by Bill Lancaster, Director of the Centre for Northern Studies who both talk about how the culture has changed with people being more willing to move away from traditional industries such as steelmaking to softer skills using modern technology to design rather than make things in the region. Alistair also goes onto talk about these new types of digital technologies coming out of Teesside with animation graduates working on high profile film projects such as Gladiator. He talks about the development of Digital City keeping these graduates in the area not having to leave to work on other projects as the facilities they need being based on Teesside. In the offices of 3rd Dimensions Creations young men and women use computers to create animated characters. Sean Crooks from the company explains they were one of the first companies based in Digital City. He believes Digital City will help revive the region through digital industries and provides details of what the organisation provides for companies like his. He continues by saying Digital City as well as helping boost businesses also build community which help businesses boost each other. A short walk away from Digital City is the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, inside Gerry walking through a gallery. Stuart Maconie explains how Middlesbrough in 2007 is like Birmingham of ten years ago in that it has a slight inferiority complex. He explains why with view of the town from the roof of the gallery. The town, he explains, is in a process of transformation which is beginning now. Outspoken Fashion Designer Scott Henshall works with a student on her designs changes to show a celebrity at an event wearing one of his garments. He explains to Gerry that he is offended when people presume his success is because he’s based in London. He goes on to say that while the North-East do have talented and creative people it still has a stereotype. He speaks with another student along with a tutor, Scot says that gallery or museum doesn’t have any resonance to the people that are there, it is about training and education people to have a better understanding of the arts. Back on the roof at MIMA in Middlesbrough Mark Robinson from the Arts Council England North East explains that many venues have a long history of development, he provides details of MIMA’s which date back to the Second World War. Aerial along River Tyne featuring both the Sage Gateshead and Balti with Mark explaining that on the question of inclusivity all these venues do their upmost to make their work relevant and accessible to everybody. Inside a small group of people walk around one of MIMA’s galleries changes to two Asian woman walking past the gallery and Mark admitting there are still communities that are not accessing these arts venues. He talks about how the confidence and self-esteem in the region is much greater now than it was fifteen-years-ago and culture has played a part in people feeling better about themselves. He believes the people of Middlesbrough can get something like a civic and community pride from places like MIMA which spreads into economic activity. Works of art in one of MIMA’s galleries including a Picasso. Pedestrians walking along Blackett Street in Newcastle changes to news footage showing the start of a Great North Run. In Eldon Square as part of the Designs of the Times Festival a small platform is placed on grass and Alnwick town crier John Stephens recites facts and figures about the region compiled by performance artists Lone Twin. Confused teenagers watch on with amusement. Gregg Whelan and Gary Winters of Lone Twin explains to Gerry the thinking behind their project. Gerry asks Stella Hall, Creative Director of Culture 10 if they are fully convinced that it is inclusive enough and the community is onboard. She explains that their programme spans culture across its widest possible interpretation reflecting the very different character of the North-East, coming away from things that the region was strong with in the past such as shipbuilding and coal mining and looking to the future in the ways the region is reinventing and represents itself. Back in Eldon Square John Stephen ends his proclamations with ‘God Save the Queen’. Standing underneath the Angel of the North, Gerry Foley ends his cultural journey by saying how the region is embracing change as well as new ways of living and working. A montage of final comments from some of those featured in the programme. Title: With thanks to Warner Entertainment, Diane Robinson Credit: Presented by Gerry Foley Camera Alistair McKenzie, Tom Paterson Sound Chris Corner, Dave Venus, Andy Bennett Graphics Dave Richardson Sound Post Production The Edge Editor Kerry Plummer Unit Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Archive Gillian Robinson Series Producer Mary Wimpress Executive Producer Graeme Thompson Producer/Director Chris Phipps © ITV Tyne Tees 2007 End credit: Production for ITV