Culture Digest 27.02.26
Our round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention over the past week or so
Our Friends in the North to premiere at Theatre Royal
If you were watching television as an adult in the mid-1990s – and most of us were back then – it’s highly likely you’ll remember Our Friends in the North.
It’s acknowledged now as a TV landmark, an epic undertaking embracing the personal and the political.
Telling the tangled story of four friends from Newcastle over 31 years, from 1964 to 1995, it ran to nine episodes on BBC2 in early 1996, impressing critics and captivating millions of viewers.
What’s more, it turbo-charged the careers of its leading players – Daniel Craig (a future James Bond), Christopher Ecceleston (a future Doctor Who), Mark Strong (star of many a film) and Peterlee-born Gina McKee (the only one actually from the North East) whose performance earned a Bafta award for best actress.
But it began as a stage play, written by Jarrow-born Peter Flannery for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which premiered in 1982, first in Stratford, then Newcastle – in the studio theatre of what is now Northern Stage – and then in London.
A 25th anniversary production of the play, with a few additions by Flannery, did open at Northern Stage in 2007, directed by Erica Whyman. It then toured to six other towns and cities.
Now, to mark the 30th anniversary of the TV adaptation, another manifestation of Our Friends in the North is returning to the stage.
North Shields unites for Team Janine as Sam Fender takes to the stage
A surprise appearance by Sam Fender in his home town helped turn a charity reunion gig into a bit of a viral moment - and a very memorable one in the room where it happened.
The superstar singer - up for four Brit Awards this weekend - joined his father Alan and brother Liam on stage at King Street Social Club in North Shields during The Pirates’ one-off fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease, held in memory of much-missed Whitley Bay woman, Janine Turnbull who passed away in August 2025 following an MND diagnosis.
‘Team Janine’ has committed to continue fundraising in her name until a cure for MND is found.
The 11-piece band, reforming after more than a decade, played a wide-ranging covers set as an auction boosted donations on the night.
All funds raised will go to SiTRAN via the MND Association, supporting frontline research into the disease.
Vivienne Westwood retrospective to open at The Bowes Museum in March
The Bowes Museum will host a major retrospective of Vivienne Westwood’s work this spring, bringing more than four decades of the designer’s output to County Durham.
Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary runs from March 28 to September 6 and focuses on designs produced between the early 1980s and the 2000s.
The exhibition will feature more than 40 ensembles alongside individual garments, jewellery, accessories and archival material drawn primarily from the collection of Peter Smithson. Additional loans will come from Manchester Art Gallery, Fashion Museum Bath and private collectors.
Staged across the museum’s Fashion and Textiles gallery and main exhibition space, the show will examine both the aesthetic and technical aspects of Westwood’s practice. The Fashion and Textiles gallery will be arranged to evoke a working atelier, with calico toiles and garments digitally deconstructed by Northumbria University’s Fashion Department to demonstrate her construction techniques, including bias cutting, pleating, screen printing and fabric distressing.
In the main gallery, the exhibition will adopt a chronological approach, with Westwood designs laid out from the mid-1980s to the protest garments from the early noughties. T-shirts and corsets will adorn the walls alongside paneling, paintings and mirrors from The Bowes Museum’s collection.
Signed Matty Healy album raises thousands for Newcastle music academy
A signed album by The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has helped raise more than £3,000 for a Newcastle music academy supporting young people.
While rehearsing locally for the recent Sunday for Sammy fundraising concerts at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, the singer (who is the son of North East actors Tim Healy and Denise Welch) signed a limited number of Record Store Day UK exclusive albums in-store at independent record store Beyond Vinyl.
One mint-condition copy, featuring a bold signature, was raffled to raise funds for Beyond Music Academy CIC.
Supporters were invited to enter the draw with donations of £5 for one entry or £10 for five. The competition closed on Wednesday with the winner, Kellie Baker from Tyne and Wear drawn live on Instagram.
The raffle exceeded expectations, raising £3,160 to fund studio sessions and create opportunities for young musicians in the West End and beyond.
David McGovern, founder of Beyond Vinyl, which you can find at the John Marley Centre, Newcastle, said: “We honestly thought this might raise a few hundred pounds, so to see it reach over £3,000 is incredible. Every entry will now help fund studio sessions and create opportunities for young musicians here in the West End and beyond.”
He added that the signing came about after Healy heard about the Academy’s work and kindly offered his support.
North East programme makers prepare for RTS awards
The Royal Television Society Awards for North East and the Borders take place this Saturday (February 28), celebrating the breadth of screen talent across the region.
Held at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, the ceremony will honour work across 17 categories spanning drama, comedy, factual, news and children’s programming, as well as recognising emerging talent and leading production companies.
High-profile nominees this year include Robson Green, Sara Davies, Sheridan Smith and Brenda Blethyn, alongside a strong showing for regional indies and short-form makers. From primetime drama to grassroots factual storytelling, the shortlist reflects a sector that continues to grow.
The ceremony will be presented by BBC correspondent and Today Programme presenter Anna Foster.
New £4m investment targets access to creative careers in the North East
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has unveiled a £4 million programme designed to help local people develop the skills needed to work in the region’s growing creative industries.
The Create Talent Programme will run for three years and offer training, mentoring, networking and work experience across music, screen, and writing and publishing.
It will be delivered in partnership with Generator, The NewBridge Project, ITV Signpost and New Writing North, with the aim of supporting hundreds of people into sustainable creative careers.
The investment comes at a time of heightened visibility for the North East’s creative economy.
In recent years the region has hosted major cultural events including the Mercury Prize and the MOBO Awards, while large-scale developments such as Crown Works Studios, a Centre for Writing and Publishing and new partnerships with national organisations including Warner Music UK are expected to increase production activity and opportunities.
Announcing the scheme, McGuinness said she wanted to address barriers that prevent many local people from accessing careers in the sector.
Artist opportunity ahead of NOVUM Festival in Newcastle
Newcastle City Council has launched a call-out for a participatory artist to help build excitement ahead of NOVUM Summer Festival 2026.
The commission, titled Falling into Place, will see an artist or artist team design and deliver a community engagement project linked to Dominoes by Station House Opera – the festival’s headline finale.
Dominoes will culminate in a 2.7km breezeblock run through Newcastle city centre, creating a large-scale, one-day artwork shaped by public participation. The appointed artist will work with four community groups or schools near the route, leading creative workshops inspired by the festival’s 2026 theme of exploration and discovery.
They will also produce a downloadable family activity pack, designed to spark curiosity and encourage hands-on creativity at home and in community spaces.
The April to August commission has a total budget of £6,000, covering fees, materials and a small exhibition element.
The full brief and background is available here. Applications close at 12 noon on Friday 20 March 2026.
Public vote for Northumberland National Park's photographer of the year
From squirrels to sheep and snow to sunrise and purple skies, the finalists have been selected in a picture competition to mark the 70th anniversary of Northumberland National Park.
The public is now being invited to choose the overall winner, following the competition’s launch in December.
With no professional equipment required, entrants were encouraged to submit images taken on cameras or phones and reflect their personal connection to the national park’s outstanding 400 square miles of natural, cultural, and historical beauty.
A total of 247 entries were received, showcasing an impressive range of perspectives and talent from across the region and beyond. These have now been distilled into a shortlist of 26 images across the award’s two themes: People and Place.
The category winners will be selected by Northumberland National Park partners, North East Community Foundation and Tarmac, supporters of the National Park’s 70th anniversary programme.
Tickets on sale for book festival’s anniversary year
The programme for this year’s Hexham Book Festival (April 24 to May 3) is live and available to browse as the Northumberland event prepares to celebrate its 20th year.
Founded as what organisers describe as “a wild idea and a dream”, the festival has grown into a regular fixture in the region’s cultural calendar, attracting audiences from across the North East and Cumbria.
This year’s line-up spans fiction, politics, history, poetry and science, with writers including Alexander McCall Smith, Val McDermid and Lee Child among those set to appear. Politicians Nicola Sturgeon, Penny Mordaunt and Chris Mullin are also scheduled to take part.
Tickets will be available to Friends from today (Feb 27), with general booking opening on March 2. All details available on the Festival website.
North East venues shortlisted in national Music Week awards
Two of the region’s independent music venues are in the running for the Grassroots Venue honour at the Music Week Awards 2026.
The Globe in Newcastle and The Forum in Darlington are both finalists in the Spirit of the Scene category – the only award partly decided by a public vote.
Which is where anyone who wants to support them can help. The public vote closes on March 10 at 5pm.
Organisers are urging supporters to vote before the 5pm deadline on March 10.
The Music Week Awards recognise every part of the UK music industry, from live venues to labels and radio. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on May 7.
Haddaway and Write returns to support new work for the stage
A spring tour of new short plays will put emerging North East writers centre stage as Hooley Theatre revives its talent development programme for a third year.
The company, which was founded to make live performance more accessible to local communities, has confirmed the return of Haddaway & Write, an initiative designed to take new writing from page to production.
Delivered in partnership with Gala Durham and backed by Arts Council England, the scheme supports six writers through a structured development process before their work is staged as a single touring showcase.
This year’s edition will feature six short plays performed back-to-back, each rooted in life in the North East. The scripts were selected via an open call and have since been refined with professional support, before being handed to directors and actors to bring to life.
A call for actors to throw their talents into the ring is open until March 6. Find out more about applying here.
From steam to screen
A rail trail has been launched as the legacy of a nine month long celebration of North East pioneering spirit.
The Stockton & Darlington 200 festival has opened the Trail of Discovery, a public walking and cycling route that follows sections of the original 26-mile journey of the world’s first passenger railway.
It connects key heritage sites between Witton Park in County Durham and Stockton, including Shildon, Darlington, Heighington, and Eaglescliffe. Interpretation panels, lineside signs, and artworks, including nine murals, guide visitors along the route, revealing the history of the railway that changed the world.
It will be a key part of the legacy of the S&DR200 Festival to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic Stockton and Darlington Railway.
The Trail of Discovery web app and interactive game, voiced by broadcaster Steph McGovern, uses augmented reality to bring the route to life. Created by Teesside University’s TUCan Studio, it allows visitors to unlock stories, podcasts, and digital experiences at key locations.
In addition, the S&DR Active Travel Route, developed by Durham County Council, forms part of the wider Trail of Discovery. The route encourages active travel while involving visitors in railway heritage.
Seaton Delaval Hall key to Sir John Vanbrugh anniversary
Seaton Delaval Hall is to play a key role in Vanbrugh 300, a national celebration of the genius of architect Sir John Vanbrugh 300 years after his death in 1726.
The National Trust property, Sir John’s final architectural masterpiece, is one of six sites around the country involved in the tercentenary celebration organised by The Georgian Group which campaigns to save Georgian buildings and stimulate interest in the architecture of the period.
It has received backing for Vanbrugh 300 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Grade I-listed Seaton Delaval Hall, acquired by the National Trust in 2009, is said to exemplify the architect’s “visionary approach to form, space and spectacle”.
An exhibition called Vanbrugh 300: A Celebration of England’s Boldest Baroque will open in the property’s Central Hall on March 25 (running until October 18).
It will give details of Vanbrugh’s eventful life, his wide-ranging professional achievements and his lasting influence.