Biographical document on the life of South Shields born novelist Catherine Cookson that uses both archival pictures and film as well as contemporary footage. The film also includes an interview with Annie Robson who was friends with Catherine as a young woman and knew her by her real name Catherine ‘Kitty’ McMullen. Title: With thanks to Catherine Cookson, South Shields Museum – Cookson Exhibition, Father Ian Jackson and the Imperial War Museum for their kind permission to use the archive...

Biographical document on the life of South Shields born novelist Catherine Cookson that uses both archival pictures and film as well as contemporary footage. The film also includes an interview with Annie Robson who was friends with Catherine as a young woman and knew her by her real name Catherine ‘Kitty’ McMullen. Title: With thanks to Catherine Cookson, South Shields Museum – Cookson Exhibition, Father Ian Jackson and the Imperial War Museum for their kind permission to use the archive photographs and film footage contained within this production Title: Catherine Cookson People and Place Volume 1 A black and white photograph of Catherine McMullen as a young woman, in the bottom righthand corner of the screen her friend Annie Robson. A montage of residential streets within the borough of South Tyneside that includes views of a field of wheat. A series of archival images of the same areas at the turn of the 20th century that feature factories and shipyards intercut with a museum display of a working-class house of that era. A black and white photograph of the 1936 Jarrow Crusade changes to views of St Paul’s Monastery in the town. A road sign for Jarrow changes to a tourist sign for ‘Catherine Cookson Country’ at Tyne Dock and another photograph of the same area around the turn of the 20th century. A phantom car ride passing another larger sign welcoming visitors to South Tyneside and ‘Catherine Cookson Country’ changes to a contemporary photograph of the author herself sitting beside a window. A montage of other images featuring the author with the narrator giving a history of her and her books. Sitting at a table local historian Stuart Nichol writes notes onto a pad changing to friend and former workmate of Catherine Cookson, Annie Robson, sitting on her sofa in her Tyne Dock home talking with Stuart about their relationship which stretches back more than 70-years. As the narrator provides details on the early life of Annie Robson a montage of Sunderland where she was born in 1904 and nearby Silksworth where she grew up. Archive photograph of Catherine ‘Kitty’ McMullen as a child is followed by images of her mother Kate, step-grandfather John McMullen and Grandmother Rose. Annie speaks with Stuart with regards Catherine’s difficult childhood and early hardships being an illegitimate child. The Alkali public house on Swinburne Street in Jarrow where the young Catherine would collect beer for the family. Annie Robson talks about the embarrassment Catherine having to visit the local pawn shop to collect or sell various items. Another archival photograph of Catherine McMullen as a child change to photographs of Simonside Protestant School in Jarrow and St Peters and St Pauls Church Roman Catholic School at Tyne Dock both which she attended. Archival footage of soldiers marching to war during the First World War. Back on her sofa Annie Robson talks about the effect the war had on her and Kitty’s family. A photograph of Rose McMullen, Catherine’s Grandmother, changes to more archive footage from World War One. The photograph of Kitty as a young girl change to more photographs of the South Tyneside area during this period and more archive footage of soldiers marching through a town at the end of the war. A photograph of Harton Hospital and Workhouse at South Shields where Catherine worked in the laundry changes to stills of her as a young woman and that of a Father Bradley whom Catherine has asked for a reference in order to become a nurse. Again, Annie Robson talks about this time and the disappointment Catherine felt when Father Bradley wouldn’t give her one. A black and white photograph of 27 Simonside Terrace in South Shields where Kitty worked as a cleaner changes to a young man running past houses in the village of Harton where Kitty worked as a companion and maid for a middle-aged woman. The photograph of Father Bradley changes to that of other individuals known to Kitty who helped her get a position as a Laundry Checker at Harton Hospital. Annie Robson talks about first meeting Catherine at Harton where they both worked in the laundry and how different the real Kitty was from the rumours that had been said about her. A photograph of women posing for camera in a laundry, possibly at Harton, returns to Annie Robson who talks about her relationship with Kitty and the work they both did in the laundry. Pages from a story written by Catherine in 1922 which she sent to the Shields Gazette called ‘On the Second Floor’. More images of Catherine, Harton Hospital, patients and nurses on a hospital ward as well as of Catherine’s family changes to Annie Robson talking about Catherine’s decision to move to Tendring in Essex to work in another laundry and being invited by Catherine to join her. A bleak landscape representing Tendring with high hedges and rain falling into puddles changes to another photograph of Catherine as a young Woman. Annie Robson talks about the work she did in Essex and the problems Catherine faced being illegitimate which forced her to leave and finding another laundry job in Hastings. Annie explains that she also left the job returning to South Tyneside with her not seeing Catherine for the next twenty years. A montage of photographs are used to highlight important events in Catherine’s life between 1930 and 1950. This includes her marriage to schoolteacher Thomas Henry Cookson, the effects of World War Two as well as her four miscarriages due to a hereditary blood disorder known as Telangiectasia. After the war, and with the support of husband Thomas, she began writing again publishing her first novel ‘Kate Hannigan' in 1950. A montage of dust jackets for some of Catherine's ninety published books. Annie Robson talks about the problems Catherine and Tom had with her mother Kate during this period due to her issues with alcohol. Another photograph of Catherine changes to Annie Watson talking about how a trip to Hastings lead to her and Catherine meeting up again after twenty years. A photograph of the 14-bedroom Victorian mansion near Hasting called The Hurst that Catherine and Thomas owned changed to the couple standing outside the smaller property they moved to called Loreto. More book covers for some of her novels published in the 1960s including ‘The Round Tower’ published in 1968 which was awarded Best Regional Novel and ‘Our Kate’ which topped the Best Sellers list in 1969. The Tyne Bridge at Newcastle with a passenger train crossing the High-Level Bridge in the background changes to 39 Eslington Terrace in Jesmond where the Cookson’s moved. The Morpeth Town Clock off the Market Place in Morpeth near to where the Cookson’s briefly lives changes to Town Barns near Corbridge where the moved again in the 1970s. Inside its main feature an indoor swimming pool Catherine enjoyed using. Attached to a wall a collage of Catherine Cookson dust covers featuring many of the books published during the 1980s. Annie Robson remembers her experiences of being a guest on an episode of ‘This is Your Life’ dedicated to Catherine. From across a pond or lake Bristol Lodge at Langley on Tyne near Hexham purchased by the Cookson’s in 1983 changes to views of the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Annie Robson explains that due to the many medical conditions affection Catherine she and Thomas were told that they needed to find a home nearer to the hospital so found another property in Jesmond. Annie also talks about how Thomas had to be hospitalised due to having a breakdown trying to deal with all the fan letters Catherine was now receiving. A photograph of Catherine Cookson sitting at her writing desk changes to the church of St Peters and St Pauls at Tyne Dock. Anne Robson explains that it was through a donation from Catherine that the heating system inside the church was replaced. The interview ends with Annie explaining the last time she saw Catherine. The film ends on a final montage of images of Catherine Cookson featured throughout this film. Title: Special thanks to Annie Robson, Dame Catherine Cookson, Tom Cookson, Ann Marshall, South Shields Library, Doris Johnson, Hildred Whales, Keith Bardwell, Paul Bidwell, Imperial War Museum, Ed Skeldon, Piers Dudgeon, Cliff Goodwin, Sue Hodgson, Norma Kent, Father Ian Jackson, Credit: Narrated by Graham Courtney Camera other than shots of Annie Robson Derek Balcombe, Chris Seeley Sound Rick Quick Script and Editing Ken Pinkney End title: An Abacus Production