There is a reason why people in Newcastle are so happy: these are the smiles of people who know they won the lottery of life and have been born a Geordie.
Jeff Stelling knows this: last year he launched into an impassioned defence of our fair city after a set of disparaging comments were made on TalkSport.
Said Jeff of a caller dissing the Toon:
“He has probably never been to St James Park.
“He has probably never had a night out in the Bigg Market.
“He has probably never eaten at any of the wonderful restaurants.
“He has never appreciated the marvellous architecture of Grey Street.
“He’ll never have been to the Theatre Royal.
“Never have been to the Racecourse.
“He’ll never have strode along the Quayside in the shadow of the Tyne Bridge.
“He’s never had a Newky Brown.
So, being a welcoming bunch, we wanted this level of Geordie status to be something that can people can achieve.
There are many great examples of adopted Geordies that Tynesiders have taken to their hearts: some are born Geordie, some achieve Geordie-ness and some have Geordie-ness thrust upon them.
But how Geordie are you?
You have might have gone drinking in the Bigg Market and eaten a Greggs, but that is not enough to achieve true Geordie status.
Have you watched every episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Have you been to a gig at the City Hall? Do you know what a spelk is?
We have compiled 100 of these rites-of-passage events for our How Geordie Are You challenge.
Unless you’ve got at least 50% we reckon you’ve got some way to go - but at least this gives you a bucket list for Geordie self-improvement.
Anything above 75% is pretty good and if you’ve get into the 90s you’re probably Jimmy Nail.
