The third of a seven-part documentary co-produced by Tyne Tees Television and Deerpark Films in which Geordie television personalities Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, better known as Ant and Dec, explore the history of their native Tyneside from the beginnings of human society to the everyday dramas of the present day. In this programme the growth and importance of coal and coalmining along the banks of the River Tyne and how it formed the backbone of the Industrial Revolution and...

The third of a seven-part documentary co-produced by Tyne Tees Television and Deerpark Films in which Geordie television personalities Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, better known as Ant and Dec, explore the history of their native Tyneside from the beginnings of human society to the everyday dramas of the present day. In this programme the growth and importance of coal and coalmining along the banks of the River Tyne and how it formed the backbone of the Industrial Revolution and helped spawn the development of steam locomotion and modern railways. An opening montage featuring both contemporary and archival material relating to Tyneside and presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly providing details on the upcoming programme. Title: A History of Tyneside Over a montage of archival clips relating to coal mining with Ant and Dec tell the story of how coal made Tyneside an industrial giant. As the two walk along the beach at Tynemouth Dec picks up a piece of sea coal talking about its important historical significance. Over more archive of mining Historian David Simpson explaining that the coalfields around Newcastle were all close to the surface and near to a navigable river and that allowed the coal to be exported to London from around 1305. However, it was the exporting of leather that made Newcastle famous from 1280 onwards. Over a montage of relevant historical images details are provided on Newcastle tanning and leather industry. From a boat travelling along the River Tyne near to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Ant and Dec explain why mines along the river were called pits or bell pits. Over a montage of relevant archival images John Clayson from the Discovery Museum in Newcastle provides details on how they were worked and about the development of waggon ways which transported the coal to the river and beyond. Still onboard the boat Ant explains that many of these early pits were owned by the church and Dec talks about the process of transporting coal to keelboats which then took it to Tynemouth where it was transferred to bigger ships. Over an image showing coal being loaded onto a collier and an aerial over the Tynemouth Priory Ant and Dec provide details on the development of the area due to the importance of coal. As they walk around the priory, they explain how the Dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII removed the church form the influence of coal production before explaining that those who were able to purchase these old leases made a lot of money. A montage of related images are used to illustrate the fact that coal production rocketed and the local economy burst into life with Newcastle becoming a city in 1547. Over a mixture of contemporary views of the city intermixed with archive footage of coal mining, Local Historian Christopher Goulding explains there would have been dozens of small collieries or pits around Tyneside including within the bounds of modern Newcastle. Standing outside Moot Hall in Newcastle Ant and Dec explain how by the 16th century coal production was being controlled by two sharp Tyneside businessmen Henry Anderson and William Selby who had a monopoly known as the ‘Grand Lease.’ Returning to Christopher Goulding he talks about the rise of the earliest railway which were not steam powered rather wooden waggon ways with wagons being pulled by horses. As he speaks an archaeological dig at what once was the Lampton D Pit in County Durham and a well-preserved quarter-of-mile of wooden waggon way that had been discovered there. A historic photograph of The Brandling Villa public house at Gosforth changes to Ant and Dec crouching as they make their way along a mine shaft wearing safety helmets and carrying Davy lamps. As they come to a stop, they tell the story of dinner party put on by the namesake of The Brandling Villa the Reverend Brandling in 1829 in which he had his 400 guests lowered more than 1000ft in baskets down the shaft at Gosforth Colliery. While considered madness by today’s standard, it was an event that recognised how Tyneside’s wealth and industry was dependent on coal and by the 18th and 19th centuries coal was king of the river. Over a montage of relevant images Ant and Dec talk about how Tyneside was wowing the world and Newcastle was king of coal, the fuel of the Industrial Revolution. The programme comes to a stop and rewinds back to the 1600s and over a mixture of re-enactments and historical images the story is told of how everyone on Tyneside got to be known as Geordies. Title: A History of Tyneside Over a montage of related clips, Ant and Dec provide details on part two. Title: A History of Tyneside Walking beside historic coal wagon at Beamish Museum near Stanley in County Durham, Ant and Dec talks about the issues of transporting coal before the invention of steam power. As the replica of Locomotion No. 1 trundles along a set of tracks beside them Dec talks about how in the 18th century coal was transported to the banks of the Tyne via a network of wooden railways. The wooden waggon way seen previously uncovered at Lampton D Pit features as Dec explains how waggon ways like these were the solution. From a boat on the Tyne the Dunstan Staithes the terminus of the wagonway with Ant talking about how the coal was transported from the staithe initially onto keelboats before being transported to Tynemouth where it was re-loaded onto bigger ship for transport mainly to London. Over an archive image featuring them Dec talks about the legendary Tyneside Keelmen and their famous song ‘The Keel Way’ which plays in the background. Over views of the Keelmen’s Hospital on City Road in Newcastle Ant provides further details on this elite workforce. As two men dressed as miners walk along a shaft carrying Davy lamps, details are provided as to why working in a mine was one of the toughest jobs going and those who worked the pit face, the pitmen, were considered something special. As the two men continue to walk along the shaft John Clayton talks about some of the many dangers they faced especially with regard collapses and flooding and the challenges of getting the coal to the surface. A mixture of both moving and still images are used to help illustrate the points being made. John also makes the point that the steam engines used in the mines for pumping out water and winding to bring coal to the surface would be the genesis of steam locomotion. As another steam locomotive passes characters dressed in period costumes, Paul Jarman from Beamish Museum talks about the work of Richard Trevithick who in 1803 developed a high-pressure steam locomotive which was later developed by others as an economic means of moving coal. The gamble taken on by the rich coal owners was on the technology and development costs. Over archive of men digging at the coalface with picks details are given as to why so few inventions were made to help these men who relied on raw muscle power and ancient hand tools working in cramped airless and dangerous conditions. Over an image of a mine explosion Ant explains how to the miner owner the lives of the miner were relatively cheap. Over a montage of related moving and still images John Clayton talks about how these conditions changed little until the 1930s and why it was important that coal needed to be extracted by pick. Walking along Tynemouth Beach again Ant and Dec talk about other coal related industries which sprung up such as salt panning at North and South Sheilds which ended at the end of the 19th century and soap making along the backs of the Tyne at Gateshead. Over related images the boys talk about how badly and cruelly the people of Tyneside treated each other and as they walk along the Bigg Market tell the grizzly tale of ‘half-hung MacDonald’. From a boat passing under the Tyne Bridge details are provided with regards the importance of bridges across the river. Over a montage of relevant images Christopher Goulding provides details on Newcastle’s Medieval bridge which for hundreds of years was the only way across the Tyne and a similar design to London Bridge. However, on the 16th November 1771 it was washed away when the Tyne flooded bringing an end to Medieval Newcastle and the dawn of a new modern city. Title: A History of Tyneside Over related contemporary images Ant and Dec provide details on next week’s programme which will focus on two great men who cast a shadow over Tyneside in the early 19th century: George Stephenson and Richard Grainger. Title: Thanks to Beamish Museum Photographic Archive, Science and Society Picture Library, One North East, National Galleries of Scotland The British Museum, Robinson Library Special Collections, The Vermont Hotel, Gallowgate Productions Credit: Camera Steve Green, Alistair McKenzie, Janusz Ostrowski Sound Andy Bennett, Colin Lang, Adam Toy Electricians Paul Caddick, Lewis Hedley, John Mason Research Sandy Neil Archive Research Gillian Robinson Titles Music “Get Carter” by PEAK Cartimandua sequence inspired by Ronald Embleton Location Director Anne Buckland Contracts and Rights Peter McArthur Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Graphics Charlie Lennie Sound Post Production The Edge Online Editor Peter Telford Assistant Producer Chris Phipps Producer Alistar Moffat Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Director Ian Hughes Title: © ITV Tyne Tees 2006 End title: An ITV Tyne Tees and Deerpark Films co-production for ITV