Sam Fender brings a North East soundtrack to John Lewis Christmas advert
Sam Fender has enlisted some familiar North East collaborators – including pupils from his old school – to help provide the soundtrack to this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert.
The North Shields singer has recorded a new version of The Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want for the retailer’s annual festive film, with a children’s choir from John Spence Community High School and musicians from Easington Colliery Band.
It’s a particularly memorable moment for the schoolchildren, who were apparently given just a day to rehearse and weren’t initially told what they were recording.
While the advert debuted across TV and social media channels earlier this week, the music video to go with the full-length track dropped - as we’re sure the kids from John Spence would say - on YouTube today.
Featuring footage and moments captured in photographs from the recording of the song, it’s a lovely watch. Read more
A £400,000 accelerator for screen talent
Four North East production companies have each been awarded £100,000 to develop new digital entertainment projects as part of an initiative designed to help the region’s screen industry reach new audiences.
The £400,000 investment from the BBC and North East Screen will support ideas ranging from globe-trotting adventures and competitive arm-wrestling to practical DIY advice, health information and a new YouTube entertainment channel.
County Durham-based Adventure Alliance Films, Gateshead’s FilmNova, Newcastle’s Northern Child and Middlesbrough’s Wander Films have been selected for the next stage of the Digital Accelerator programme following a competitive process, which began a year ago at a packed out event at ARC Stockton.
The initiative is responding to a shift in how audiences, particularly younger viewers, discover and consume entertainment, with platforms such as YouTube and TikTok creating opportunities for production companies beyond traditional television commissioning. Read more
Tees Valley artists given £30,000 career boost
A Hartlepool indie band has made history by becoming the first group to be named among the Tees Valley Artists of the Year.
Marketplace are one of five recipients of the 2026/27 awards, alongside Middlesbrough dance artist Anthony Lo Giudice, Redcar-raised writer Carmen Marcus, Hartlepool visual artist Stuart Langley and Hurworth singer-songwriter Jodie Nicholson.
The five were announced at The Auxiliary in Middlesbrough on Tuesday (November 3), with each receiving a support package worth almost £30,000 to help develop their work and take the next steps in their careers.
Star trio announced for Chicago in Newcastle
Strictly Come Dancing professional Lauren Oakley, Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia and soul singer Mica Paris will lead the cast of Chicago when it returns to Newcastle Theatre Royal next spring.
Lauren makes her musical theatre debut as Roxie Hart, while Adam takes on the role of lawyer Billy Flynn and Mica reprises her role as Mama Morton.
The hit musical runs from March 29 to April 3, 2027. Tickets available here.
North East documentary wins national sports award
A documentary telling the story of a Sunderland man who turned personal tragedy into an opportunity to help young people has won a prestigious national award.
Poised, directed by North East filmmaker Toby Robson, was named Sports Documentary of the Year (over 60 minutes) at the Broadcast Sports Awards.
The film follows Steven France, who found solace in martial arts after losing his stepfather to suicide.
A decade later, he opened his own gym in Sunderland, determined to offer young people facing difficulties the same support and sense of purpose that had helped him.
Produced by Robson’s company, Two Yanks and a Brit, Poised made its official festival debut at New Zealand’s Academy Award-qualifying Doc Edge festival in 2024.
The awards judges described it as “a remarkable piece of film making, which is at times a hard watch, but shows how sport can shine a light on situations and create a path to a better future and leave a legacy”.
In a post on LinkedIn, Toby said: “We were in absolute shock… to win in a category alongside films we’ve genuinely admired, made for Netflix, Prime Video, TNT Sports, BBC and ITV, is pretty hard to get our heads around as a little indie from the North East.”
The creative power of place
Lindisfarne sang about the Fog on the Tyne, Mark Knopfler about Cullercoats and Whitley Bay, and Alan Price chimed in with the Jarrow Song.
Now an event on Monday, November 9 will examine how the North East’s people, places and landscapes have inspired artistic expression, storytelling and cultural identity.
Titled Planning, Place and Creative Inspiration, it will be hosted by Newcastle University’s Farrell Centre.
It will feature an interview-style conversation with Maxïmo Park lead singer and solo artist Paul Smith, exploring the influence of the North East and its places on music and creativity.
The event, organised by the Royal Town Planning Institute, will also explore through film, photography, music and discussion how creativity helps people understand and celebrate the places around us.
The evening will be chaired by Alastair Welch, RTPI regional chair, and another participant will be Ellen Stone, curator, writer and creative director at The Side in Newcastle, where she leads the curatorial development of the AmberSide Collection. Read more
Sandra Kerr, a major figure in folk music, has died aged 84
Sandra Kerr: 1942-2026. Ros Rigby offers personal reflections on Sandra’s impact in the North East.
Like many of the thousands of her friends, fellow musicians and students - and audience members - I was shocked to hear of Sandra Kerr’s death from leukaemia on October 29.
We knew Sandra was ill but when my husband, Graeme Rigby, and I visited in August and we sat with her and her partner David Malone in their garden in Warkworth, she made little of her illness.
We shared memories and (as ever) a lot of laughs, and we hoped it would still be some time before the end came.
Sandra and her daughter, Nancy Kerr, moved from London to the North East in August 1988, as her then husband, Ron Elliott, a Northumbrian piper, came from the region.
She was already well known on the folk scene nationally as the composer of the music for the BBC TV series Bagpuss (and as the voice of Madeleine, the rag doll), as the founder of the group Sisters Unlimited (with Janet Russell, Peta Webb and Rosie Davis) and as a close friend and colleague of Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger.
Angel of the seas… JADE celebrates Blue Planet III collaboration
South Shields pop star JADE has shared her delight at hearing her music feature in Blue Planet III, which made its BBC debut on November 1.
The BRIT Award-winning, Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter collaborated with Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and Thom Lukas on Into The Deep (Seas Cry), created especially for the new series narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Posting on Instagram, JADE said: “Very honoured to have released Into The Deep (Seas Cry) with Hans Zimmer for this very special and important series.”
Watch the series on BBC iPlayer.
Going once, going to the movies
You take over a cinema and face the tricky task of choosing a favourite film to screen for your guests. What would it be?
That’s what is on offer as part of a fundraising auction to help secure the future of the independent 1930s Forum Cinema in Hexham.
The Forum Cinema Supporters Association has put together 31 lots for the auction on Friday, November 13, which will raise money towards an accessible lift at the cinema and two projects aimed at bringing film to more people across the Tyne Valley.
The event will be hosted by Fred Wyrley-Birch, managing director of Newcastle auctioneers Anderson & Garland, with bidding starting at 6pm.
Among the lots is exclusive use of the 189-seat cinema at off-peak times, complete with a bar and the chance to choose the film.
New appointments as The Glasshouse looks to the future
Former shadow culture secretary Baroness Thangam Debonnaire is among four new trustees appointed to the board of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.
The Labour politician and life peer, who trained as a cellist at the Royal College of Music, is joined by music industry specialist Arit Eminue, former finance executive and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra board member Philip Keller, and Ian Shipley, a management consultant specialising in data, AI and business transformation.
Fraser Anderson, CEO of The Glasshouse, said the appointments come at a pivotal time for the venue, with plans for significant creative growth, new opportunities for young people and the biggest investment in its landmark building since it opened more than 20 years ago. Read more
Matty Healy photograph captures the public vote
A portrait of Matty Healy, captured during a fleeting encounter in a Newcastle record shop, has won North East photographer Neil Ferry the People’s Choice Award at the British Photography Awards.
The photograph of The 1975 frontman was taken at Beyond Vinyl, based at the John Marley Centre, during a break in rehearsals for the Sunday for Sammy concerts in February.
Matty, a patron of the North East performing arts charity, went on to headline the fundraising shows with an acoustic set.
Neil had only a short time with the singer to capture the image, which was shortlisted in the Portrait category before securing the People’s Choice Award.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to have won the People’s Choice Award at the British Photography Awards for my portrait of Matty Healy. A huge thank you to everyone who voted, and especially to Matty for giving me the opportunity to photograph him.”
Time takes its toll
Four North East churches have been added to Historic England’s At Risk Register, alongside a number of other historic buildings across the region.
Among them is Christ Church in Felling, Gateshead, which dates from 1866 and serves as an important community hub, running a food bank and activities for children. However, repeated lead theft and damage to the roof have allowed water into the building, restricting its ability to expand its work. Also added to the register are St Augustin’s in North Shields, St Edmund’s in Edmondbyers, County Durham, and St Mary’s in Blanchland, Northumberland.
Other additions include the 1826 Northumberland Hall in Alnwick’s Market Place, Featherstone Castle in the South Tyne Valley and the Londonderry Institute in Seaham. Read more
Lost Voice Guy inspires Tynemouth audience
Britain’s Got Talent winner Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, visited Tynemouth this week to share how technology helped him overcome barriers and build a successful comedy career.
The Newcastle-born comedian, who has cerebral palsy and uses a text-to-speech app, spoke at Woods Coffee on Wednesday (November 4), reflecting on his journey from working in a council media team to winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2018.
“When I started doing stand-up, nobody using a communication aid had done it before. At first I thought that was a disadvantage. Then I realised it was actually my biggest advantage, because nobody else was doing what I was doing,” he said.
The free event also offered digital skills and business advice to local residents.
Finalists revealed for North East Culture Awards
Shortlists for the region’s annual celebration of the region’s arts and culture have been unveiled ahead of the North East Culture Awards later this month.
The ceremony will return to the Stockton Globe on November 26, and will see awards given out across 15 categories as well as live performances from North East artists.
Here’s a full rundown of the finalists - congratulations, good luck and well done all round!
Best Arts & Business Partnership
Pride Radio and Metrocentre
Stockton & Darlington Railway Heritage Partnership Board and Various Partners
Walk the Plank, Port of Blyth, ORE Catapult, Energy Central Campus and Newcastle University
Best Arts & Education Partnership
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, North East Young Dads & Lads and Newcastle University
Middlesbrough Museums and Beech Grove Primary School
The Forge and The Dales School
Best Event or Exhibition
The Mercury Prize Fringe
Monet: In the Presence of Nature
Redcar Kite Festival
The S&DR200 Anniversary Journey Recreation
Best Museum or Cultural Venue
Hopetown Darlington
The Auxiliary Project Space
Tyneside Cinema
Heritage Award
Bottles, Coal & Iron: Tyne Derwent Way
Redhills Durham
The Stockton and Darlington Railway Trail of Discovery
Newcomer of the Year
Abby J. Walker
Celia Grace
Nayeema Ahmed
RADGE Magazine
Off Stage Creative of the Year
Aaron Bowman
Adam Strickland
Lizzie Glazier
Performance of the Year
3.1: Southpaw Company
Dear Sunderland: Unfolding Theatre
The Monocle: Rendez-Vous Dance
Performing Artist of the Year
Amelia Coburn
Rachel Stockdale
Scott Turnbull
Special Award for Young Achievement
Ignite Bursary Recipients
South Tyneside Youth Service
Terox
The Saturday Club at MIMA for MOXIE
The Arts Council England Award
3.1: Southpaw Company
Dear Sunderland: Unfolding Theatre
S&DR200
Visual Artist of the Year
Debbie Todd
Errol Theunissen
Suzie Devey
Will Hughes
Writer of the Year
Louise Powell
Naomi Kelsey
Rachel Stockdale
Winners of the Outstanding Contribution Award and Special Award will be revealed on the night.