Culture Digest 17.10.25
A round up of the arts and culture stories which caught our attention over the past week or so...
Mayoral shot in the arm for North East creative economy
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has backed her commitment to the region’s creative industries with funding for 11 projects amounting to more than £360,000.
They’re a disparate bunch, ranging from an Anglo-Saxon gathering to a long weekend of women’s football, but the general aim, says the Mayor, is to “unleash cultural creativity”.
She explains: “I’m developing a thriving creative economy in the North East and with this funding we’re fuelling our energetic creatives and giving them the tools to create real impact.
“This region has it all.
“We’ve got amazing venues and museums, great festivals, hotels and restaurants, and a heritage to be proud of.
“The funding these programmes will receive will help us celebrate our culture and put our region on the stage as the home of creativity and world class cultural events.”
We know when series 2 of BBC radio comedy will be OOT
Dates have been confirmed for the return of Geordie comedy Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT! on BBC Radio 4.
Series two will debut on November 12 - while fans or those who missed it first time around can catch up with series one on Wednesday nights (11pm) between now and then (the repeats started on Wednesday, but that’s what BBC Sounds is for, right?).
Produced in Gateshead by Candle & Bell, the sitcom follows a millennial couple navigating life, love and laughter in the North East.
Written by and starring Tom Machell and Lauren Pattison, the new series was once again recorded at Pride Media Centre and features guest appearances from Julian Clary, Louise Young and Sarah Balfour.
Producer Zahra Zomorrodian said: “It’s an honour to bring more laughter from Tom & Lauren to BBC Radio 4’s listeners. Producing this second series from the region using North East talent is something we’re very proud of. We can’t wait to share series two with you all.”
Dragonfly will land in cinemas next month
The trailer has dropped for new film Dragonfly, which stars North East actor Andrea Riseborough alongside adopted North East treasure - and fellow Oscar nominee - Brenda Blethyn.
Scheduled for cinema release on November 7, the film (trailer below) tells the story of two neighbours whose unexpected friendship unfolds against a backdrop of loneliness, suspicion and quiet resilience.
Riseborough - currently starring alongside Susan Sarandon in Mary Page Marlowe at the Old Vic in London - plays Colleen, a woman adrift and searching for purpose, who steps in to care for her elderly neighbour Elsie (Vera legend, Blethyn) after witnessing the neglect she faces from ‘so-called’ professionals.
What begins as an act of compassion soon raises questions about motive and morality, as those around them look on with doubt. Is Colleen’s kindness entirely selfless, or something more complicated?
Directed by Paul Andrew Williams (Bull) The film, which has been screened at festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival this year, has received rave reviews pretty much across the board.
When caffeine met history: the Magna Carta mishap
Happily, it’s unlikely that any of our displays of clumsiness or slip-ups will go down in history.
But that is not the case for unfortunate physician Christopher Hunter, whose accident with an ink bottle has been on show to thousands of visitors to Durham Cathedral.
In the cathedral’s current Magna Carta display, a brown stain can be seen tarnishing the right-hand margin of the definitive 1225 charter.
When Henry III came of age in 1225, he reissued both Magna Carta and the Forest Charter under his own seal.
Witnessed by 65 bishops, earls and barons, this version became the definitive Magna Carta. It was never reissued, only reaffirmed by later monarchs. Only four copies survive - and Durham’s is the only one to bear the mark of an 18th-century coffee break.
I, Daniel Blake booked for return at Northern Stage
The stage adaptation of Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winning film I, Daniel Blake, is going back on tour in 2026.
North East actor, David Nellist confirmed he would return to the title role he debuted in 2023 for the gut-punching play, which was adapted for the stage by the film’s leading man, Davey Johns.
For the uninitiated, the story follows Daniel, a middle-aged carpenter recovering from a heart attack, who is declared unfit for work by his doctor but denied Employment and Support Allowance by the welfare system. Caught in a web of red tape, he battles to survive while clinging to his dignity and sense of justice.
During his fight, he befriends Katie, a young single mother experiencing her own hardship. Both struggling against poverty and bureaucracy, they form a tender, makeshift family - a bond that highlights the power of kindness and solidarity in a system that has forgotten compassion.
The production will once again be produced by Northern Stage - this time in association with Leeds Playhouse.
Tickets are on sale for performances at the Newcastle theatre which will run from Mar 20 to April 4. Further tour date details are to be confirmed.
More awards glory for the region as Rivkala wins at Youth Music Awards
Newcastle-based jazz artist Rivkala has been named winner of the Music Video Award, supported by Notion, at the Youth Music Awards 2025.
While Sam Fender was picking up the Mercury Prize on Tyneside, Rivkala received her trophy at the YMA ceremony at Troxy in London for her video Chess, inspired by the ‘raw, emotive and socially charged work’ of Nina Simone, Carole King and Amy Winehouse.
The recognition crowns a big year for Rivkala, who was named One to Watch for 2025 by BBC Introducing North East, performed at the BBC Proms 2024, and made her TV debut on Look North as part of the MOBO Fringe Festival at the turn of the year.
With her debut EP on the way, Rivkala’s distinctive, cabaret-infused jazz sound will reach audiences across the UK later this year.
Rivkala said: “It feels surreal. Winning a Youth Music award is amazing. Youth Music does incredible things to support creatives and young people. I’m so grateful for the support that they’ve given me in my career so far, and it’s completely changed the trajectory of it.”
Strictly sequins meet glittering desert dreams in Priscilla’s Newcastle line-up
The full cast has been announced for the new UK and Ireland tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which rolls into Newcastle Theatre Royal from April 6-11 next year.
The hit musical, based on the Oscar-winning 1994 film, stars Kevin Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing, Chicago) as Tick/Mitzi, Nick Hayes (Groundhog Day, The Old Vic) as Felicia/Adam, Peter Duncan (The Dame) as Bob/Preacher, and Adèle Anderson of Fascinating Aïda fame as Bernadette.
The production features more than 100 show-stopping costumes designed by Vicky Gill, the BAFTA-winning designer behind Strictly Come Dancing.
“It is an absolute pleasure to be the costume designer for this vibrant and iconic show,” she said. “Every sequin, feather, stitch, and silhouette helps tell the story in real time.”
Kevin added: “I’ve always loved Priscilla Queen of the Desert - it’s bold, joyful, and unapologetically full of heart. Taking on the role of Tick/Mitzi feels like the perfect challenge because it’s not just about the glitz and glamour, it’s about identity, family, and love in all its forms.”
Tickets are on sale from the Theatre Royal website.