In northern England around 1900, the worker John O'Brien lives near poverty in a small house in the worker's district. He falls in love with Mary, the teacher of his highly intelligent younger sister Kathy and daughter of a rich family. Their love is doomed by the social difference, but the vigorous Mary refuses to allow outer circumstances destroying their love.
After her father's death, Anna Peterson and her family move from Australia to her father's ancestral home in New Zealand.
Set in working class Newcastle, the Stott family fight their private battles against the backdrop of the conflict of World War II. Helen Stott, over thirty and with a limp, is resigned to being left on the shelf until she meets and falls in love with Norman, a serviceman from London. In contrast, her younger sister Joyce has quite a way with men, and finds herself a little too popular with the troops, especially when her husband pops up on leave from his regiment.
A weary British spy retreats to a Buenos Aires hotel and recalls his last dirty job, complete with lover.
A countdown of the 100 greatest films, as voted by the British public via the Channel 4 website.
A funny remake of "The Prisoner" - with a 1980's twist to it 'The Laughing Prisoner' is a remake (or homage) of (to) the Kafkaesque 1960's television show 'The Prisoner' with Patrick McGoohan in the lead role. This time it is a successful television presenter (Jools Holland) who decides to quit at the height of his stardom. He is abducted from his apartment and brought to the village, where number 2 (a young Stephen Fry) is questioning him. The whole show has a cosy 1980's feel to it, with several bands from that period performing their music.
Filmmaker Warren Harrison captures the memories and experiences of people who grew up as part of a unique community at Greatham Creek, a salt-marsh near Hartlepool in the Tees Valley. One of those who’s memories are recorded is photographer Ian Macdonald whose haunting images of the creek are used in the film along with family photographs, archive film provided by the North East Film Archive and contemporary footage.
Celia, an Argentinian expatriate, arrives in Newcastle to marry her fiancé, George. Instead of meeting her at the airport, George sends his chauffeur, who drops her off at a local hotel. There she meets up with a standup comedienne and her daughter who provide her with wild diversions whilst she waits for her man. But then Celia learns from them that George has a rather dubious past.
A TV movie directed by Bob Mahoney. Based on the book by Dick Lee & Colin Pratt it tells the true story of a long running Police investigation which resulted in the arrests of 120 people and jail sentences of 170 years for the manufacture and distribution of £100M of LSD.
As the Cold War bristles with menace in the 60s, the youth at Kielder Workman’s Club celebrate free time with an American dance called the ‘Twist’. But it’s the Faustian pact with industry this brilliant travelogue focuses on first as it maps the path of the River Tyne. The sounds of heavy machinery and graft pitch us into Newcastle’s shipyards and collieries, whilst drugs spin off a machine called Bliss in Winthrop Laboratories’ production-slick war against pain.
A dramatization of incidents involving Eddie Horner, a factory worker active in union politics radicalized to murder.
A series of anecdotes and monologues by County Durham comedian Bobby Thompson. Well known throughout the North East of England his 'Little Waster' character tells tales of debt, dole and wife trouble, while 'The Old Soldier' gives a hilarious account of his Second World War relationships with King George and Field Marshall Montgomery, providing a wry look at the class divide. Also included is a documentary film shot during his final years.
The Battle of the Somme has a particular place in British social history. The opening day of the campaign on the 1st July 1916 is remembered as the worst day in British military history. As the mainly untried recruits of Kitchener's New Army went over the top they were annihilated by the waiting Germans. There were more than 60,000 casualties, nearly 20,000 of them dead. It was a campaign that began in the sweltering heat of summer and ended four and a half months later, bogged down in a sea of mud. This programme details the opening phase of the battle and explains why so many young men volunteered. As the battle ground on through the summer the losses among the troops became critical. This programme charts the final stages of the battle as the British army slogged its way across the devastated ground. Only a few miles had been gained for the loss of untold thousands of lives.
