In the second of our Passionate People, Passionate Places features looking at some of our favourite parts of North East life, this week we round up the 12 best TV shows from the North East.
Our Friends in the North
Originally a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Our Friends in the North was turned into a state-of-the-nation piece that took in politics, crime and the life and loves of four friends as they grew up and grew old.
Brilliantly written by Peter Flannery, it also featured what in hindsight would turn out to be a pretty stellar cast featuring a future Dr Who (Christopher Eccleston), a future James Bond (Daniel Craig), a future go-to movie baddie (Mark Strong) and the never-better Gina McKee.
Vera
Adapted from the crime novels by Ann Cleeves, Vera follows the eponymous detective as she solves murders in alternately scenic/gritty-looking parts of the North East.
In its 10th series and still going strong, Vera boasts a standout performance from Brenda Blethyn, the fun of location-spotting and some accents that roam almost as far and wide as Vera’s battered Land Rover.
Shooting Stars
It could have been Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out - or Catterick, or House of Fools, or The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer - all of which have showcased Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer’s unique gift for having a daft laugh and that (delivered in their distinct Darlington/Middlesbrough accents).
Shooting Stars just about stands out for its True or False round and the Geordie Jeans sketch, but in all Vic and Bob have given us 30 years of inspired silliness.
The Tube
For five years in the 1980s, the Tube made Newcastle the centre of the pop universe every Friday teatime.
As well as hosts that included Jools Holland and Paula Yates, The Tube gave early TV appearances to the likes of Madonna and REM, as well as bringing some of the biggest acts in music to have a Friday pint in the now-demolished Egypt Cottage.
The Mighty Redcar
Life affirming and the perfect antidote to anyone accusing young people of being snowflakes, The Mighty Redcar followed a group of young people from the Teesside town as they tried to make their way in life.
From aspiring musician Dylan to netball star Safy, these were real lives that showed there is more to Redcar and the North East than deprivation.
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
Reviving characters first seen in the 1960s series The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened... mines a rich seam of tension between long-time friends Terry Collier and Bob Ferris as the latter aims to escape his working-class background.
Some of the humour has dated in the four decades since its broadcast, but the brilliance of writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais often shines through. (“I’d offer you a beer but I’ve only got six cans.”)
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Another Clement/Le Frenais creation, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet follows seven Brits - three of them Geordies - who are forced to abandon 1980s’ Britain to find work on a building site in Germany.
The social drama was cut through with humour - including the immortal line “sex is in its infancy in Gateshead” - though subsequent series veered more towards comedy and high-jinks.
Byker Grove
Now mostly remembered for launching the careers of Ant and Dec (among others), Byker Grove ran for an amazing 18 series between 1989 and 2006.
As well as putting a host of Geordie landmarks (and accents) on the nation’s screens for seven years, Byker Grove also tackled issues that included sexuality, mortality, teen pregnancy and homelessness. Half of Tyneside were extras.
SMTV
Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity... would bring greater recognition for Ant and Dec, but they were arguably never finer than the five years they spent entertaining kids and students with this Saturday morning show.
For the Wonky Donkey slot alone - and Ant’s exasperated responses to its phone-in responses - SMTV goes down in the annals of great kids’ telly.
Sunderland Til I Die
Following Sunderland football club after its relegation to the Championship, Sunderland Til I Die depicted the team’s players and fans as the club was disastrously relegated again.
The series became more than just a tale of sporting woe thanks to its focus, in part, on the club’s fans, with one critic saying it “simultaneously showcases everything that is right and wrong with English football”.
Jossy’s Giants
Though set in the fictional Glipton and filmed around Manchester, Jossy’s Giants was identifiably North Eastern thanks to scripts from darts commentator and all-round genius Sid Waddell.
The programme depicted a kids’ football team led by Geordie manager Jossy Blair and led by two outlandishly coiffured strikers. Silly but excellent.
Prison
A rare and generally terrifying insight into life behind bars, Prison went behind the scenes of HMP Durham over three exhausting episodes.
The Channel 4 series - which has returned with a second series looking at a women’s jail in Derbyshire - examined issues such as violence, drugs and mental health.
