Culture Digest 25.07.25
A round up of some arts and culture stories from across the North East which caught our attention this week
Durham Book Festival 2025: Some events now bookable
A taste of what’s to come at this year’s Durham Book Festival is already available, with selected events now on sale ahead of the full programme launch in August.
Taking place from October 10–12 at the Gala Theatre and other venues , the festival promises a packed weekend of fiction, poetry, history and conversation at venues across the city - and online.
Events currently on sale include Mary Portas with her new memoir, I Shop, Therefore I Am (Oct 10); Jeremy Vine who will be talking about his novel, Murder on Line One (Oct 10); a work-in-progress catch up with mother and daughter authors, Pat and Anna Barker who are working on a memoir (Oct 11); and Hidden Histories with Lanre Bakare and Jake Morris-Campbell (Oct 11).
Visit the New Writing North website for more details and bookings.
North East Film company takes viewers to daring heights in BBC One documentary
Middlesbrough-based Wander Films has taken to the skies in their latest BBC One documentary, The Ultimate Wing Walker, now available on iPlayer.
The film follows the world’s only formation wingwalking team as they prepare for their first big public performance of the season.
Viewers meet Kirsten and Dave - wingwalker and pilot - who once made a dramatic emergency sea landing mid-show, and now face their most ambitious stunt yet: The Heart Break. Alongside teammates Emma and Mike, they train with precision and resilience, racing against time and weather.
Filmed across Gloucestershire and Cornwall with stunning 360° GoPro footage on WWII biplanes, the documentary offers a rare perspective on high-speed aerial acrobatics.
Executive producers Chloë Clover and Lou Tonner said they were drawn to the team's energy and fearlessness.
The documentary, which has been broadcast on BBC One this week, is part of the Corporation’s Our Lives series.
From the West End to Wearside: Curtain comes up on new college
A new performing arts college is set to open its doors in Sunderland, aiming to put the North East firmly on the map for professional theatre training.
Arts North Studios, based at The Fire Station in the city centre, launches this summer as a partnership between Culture Quarter and Sunderland College - and it comes with big ambitions.
At the helm is Annie Guy, a seasoned West End performer and choreographer with credits ranging from Hairspray to West Side Story.
Born and raised in the region, Annie says she’s passionate about giving young people in the North East access to the kind of high-level training typically found in London.
Homecoming for historic Tyneside art collection
Tyneside couple Robert and Isa Jobling were among the leading artists who portrayed sea and fisherfolk scenes.
From their home in Whitley Bay, both were part of the artists’ “colony” which depicted life in the fishing village of Cullercoats.
Such was the popularity of their work that in 1890 a local newspaper commented: ‘Mr. Jobling has made Cullercoats famous for his canvases, and by-the-by he will be famous for overrunning the village with tourists’.
Now more than 40 works by the couple have returned to the North East from Canada and on Thursday they sold for a total of £16,000 in Anderson & Garland’s fine art sale in Newcastle.
Blyth celebrates: full line-up unveiled for town’s creative festival
From illuminated sculptures and puppet-making to choir performances and textile workshops, the full programme for Blyth Celebrates has now been confirmed - and it’s promising to be a wide-ranging showcase of local creativity, community pride and cultural diversity.
Launched at the end of June, the calendar runs from next month (August) through to March 2026 and now includes 38 new projects and activities, bringing the total to over 60 free events involving more than 50 artists, community organisations and cultural partners.
The unveiling of the finalised programme marks the next phase in the town’s year-long cultural celebration, forming a key part of the wider £95 million Energising Blyth regeneration initiative.
Theatre Royal welcomes audiences to The Green Room
The drama extends beyond the stage at Newcastle Theatre Royal as audiences will discover this week when the curtain rises on The Green Room, alive with puzzles and surprises.
They’re the work of bespoke wallpaper designer Beth Travers, who first visited the theatre as an enthralled 10-year-old little knowing the role she would one day have to play.
Taking its name from performers’ restrooms, traditionally known as ‘green rooms’, the new-look bar occupies the Market Street space formerly known as DatBar.
Lavishly refurbished, it opens first to audience members before welcoming all-comers on September 5.
Smoggie Queens are back on the streets of Middlesbrough
Filming for the second series of award-winning BBC Three sitcom, Smoggie Queens started on Teesside this week.
Created by, and starring, Middlesbrough’s own Phil Dunning, the series debuted last November and is brought to the region by production company powerhouse, Hat Trick Productions.
Mark Benton, Alexandra Mardell), Patsy Lowe and Elijah Young have all returned to the cast for another series of glitter-dipped chaos, laughs and heart.
It is expected the series will return to screens before the end of the year.
Where beats meets brews
In a city where music runs as deep as the Wear, two Sunderland institutions are joining forces to turn up the volume on local culture.
VAUX Brewery and Sunderland Music City have announced a new partnership, blending beer and beats in the pursuit of celebrating community, creativity, and shared pride in place.
At the heart of the collaboration is a brand-new pale ale - still nameless, for now - set to launch at the Sunderland Craft Beer Festival on August 22. The beer, a 4% session pale, will be poured at VAUX’s riverside taproom and stocked in venues across the region. But this isn’t just about what’s in the glass.
Come on the Lionesses!
England face Spain in the Women’s Euro Final this Sunday (July 27), with kick-off at 5pm.
In Newcastle, NE1’s Screen on the Green at Old Eldon Square will show the match live, with build-up from 4:35pm. If the weather plays ball, this sounds like a smashing place to gather and cheer on the Lioness lasses!
Underground hit: Victoria Tunnel tops Newcastle to-do list
The Victoria Tunnel has once again earned top honours, being named the No.1 thing to do in Newcastle upon Tyne in Tripadvisor’s 2025 Travellers’ Choice Awards.
Managed by the Ouseburn Trust, the historic 19th-century wagonway turned WWII air-raid shelter continues to captivate visitors with its unique guided tours beneath the city streets.
“We are so proud to have received this award for another year running,” said a spokesperson for the Ouseburn Trust. “Thanks to everyone who's visited us and left a kind review, and huge thanks to our wonderful volunteer tour guides who help us make the experience so great!”
Visit the Ouseburn Trust website to find out more about the tours and book a spot.
Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin signs global publishing deal
Singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin has signed a major global publishing deal with respected independent publisher Notting Hill Music.
The Newcastle artist released his debut album Waiting For The Rain in 2023 and recently broke into the UK Top 40 with his follow-up, Love Is For Everyone.
Andrew headlined one of the nights at last year’s Mouth of the Tyne Festival and is on the bill alongside Robbie Williams, Kings of Leon, Perrie and Kaiser Chiefs at the Come Together Festival in Newcastle next month (August).