Welcome to another Cultured. On Sunday, where we’ve gathered a fresh selection of North East stories to keep you company over a cuppa (or two).
This week, we’ve been catching up with the women of Your Aunt Fanny, the sketch comedy troupe returning to Live Theatre, where it all began as they prepare to unleash their latest show, Crease.
We’re also turning our attention to the small screen, as The Northumbria Mysteries – a new BBC crime drama filmed in Northumberland – makes its debut. Commissioner Helen Munson talks about the production, the North East’s growing TV industry and the opportunities for local talent.
Tony Henderson has the story of a project to protect plants that have survived in the North East since the last Ice Age, with a little help from a 100-year-old botanist who has spent much of her life championing them.
Elsewhere, there’s news of a new Bishop Auckland restaurant from a former MasterChef contestant, while this week’s Get Stuck In offers an opportunity to finally pick up that paintbrush and give painting a go.
Happy Sunday.
“We’re laughing at everyone”
A pair of obnoxious Geordie mums are volunteering at a parkrun. A scout leader is sharing rather too much about his collapsing marriage. And somewhere, a taxi driver called Alan is talking absolute rubbish.
Welcome back to the world of Your Aunt Fanny.
The North East sketch comedy troupe are returning to Live Theatre, Newcastle, with Crease, their first new hour-long sketch show in several years.
While some familiar faces will be making an appearance, there’s also a whole new collection of outrageous characters, unlikely scenarios and gloriously inappropriate behaviour to look forward to.
The return to Live Theatre brings things full circle for Your Aunt Fanny. It's where the seven members first came together as teenagers, when Live Youth Theatre's Paul James spotted the potential for a sketch comedy troupe among the young performers.
The group eventually went their separate ways but remained close friends, reuniting in 2018 to write and perform their own material as an independent company.
Nearly a decade later, all seven original members – Brogan Gilbert, Emma Crowley-Bennett, Izzy Sorby, Jackie Edwards, Katie Powell, Lydia Kavanagh and Matilda Neill – are still involved, despite the competing demands of jobs, mortgages and families.
The bigger picture
When Helen Munson was growing up in Wardley, Gateshead, she was the sort of child who would pore over the Radio Times at Christmas, highlighter in hand, planning everything she wanted to watch.
She loved television. She knew she wanted to work in it. But she wasn’t particularly interested in making programmes herself. It was the audience that fascinated her – who was watching what, and why.
What she couldn’t work out was how to turn that interest into a career from the North East.
There was Byker Grove, of course, but precious little else in the way of television production. So, after studying history at Liverpool University, she headed to London and took whatever job she could get at the BBC.
Her first involved stuffing envelopes with artists’ contracts at the corporation’s North Acton offices. From there, she moved into media planning, working on promotional trailers and announcements between programmes, before progressing into scheduling.
Over the next 15 years or so, she worked across channels including UKTV Gold, BBC Two and BBC One, becoming an expert in classic British comedy along the way and eventually helping decide what millions would see on the BBC’s flagship channel.
There were last-minute decisions about Wimbledon matches overrunning into the Six O’Clock News, breaking news demanding extended coverage and, during the pandemic, government announcements cutting into the evening’s viewing.
Working closely with those deciding which programmes should be made, gradually drew her towards commissioning and taking on those responsibilities herself.
When an opportunity arose in 2021 for a commissioner to be based outside London, Helen had a particular destination in mind.
Almost three decades after leaving the North East, she is now a BBC commissioner for daytime and early peak, responsible for programmes including Strictly: It Takes Two, Father Brown and Shakespeare and Hathaway.
More importantly for the North East, she’s doing that job from home.
A blooming remarkable survival
A project has been launched to safeguard Ice Age plants in a North East botanical “hotspot”.
A £64,739 award will back a three-year operation to save a community of plants which have survived continuously since shortly after the last glaciation, 10,000–12,000 years ago.
The move has been welcomed by 100-year-old botanist and Durham University graduate Dr Margaret Bradshaw, who has made it a lifelong mission to study and protect the plants.
Teesdale Special Flora Research and Conservation Trust has been awarded funding from the North Pennines National Landscape through Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for the rare Arctic-alpine species recovery project.
A taste of something new for Bishop Auckland
A former MasterChef contestant has opened a new restaurant in Bishop Auckland, offering a seven-course tasting menu for £69 per person.
Jörd, which opened on Newgate Street on Saturday (October 24), is the latest venture from chef Mike Bartley, who appeared on the BBC cooking competition in 2021 before embarking on a professional culinary career.
After initially working as a private chef for clients across the UK, Mike went on to establish The Cornerstone in Crook. Jörd is his second restaurant.
The new venture focuses on seasonal, locally sourced and foraged ingredients, with a sample menu featuring tuna tartlet with avocado, kimchi and togarashi; butternut squash raviolo with sage, brown butter and nduja; Thai green sea bass; and beef fillet with potato, shallot and lovage.
Desserts include blackberry and apple crumble and chocolate mousse with miso caramel and hazelnut. Vegetarian alternatives are also available.
“It’s something that’s brand new to Bishop Auckland, and our mantra is a tasting menu that you don’t need to break the bank for,” said Mike.
The restaurant occupies a town centre property that had stood empty for two years. Its refurbishment was supported by a £150,000 grant from Bishop Auckland’s Property Reuse Fund.
“Jörd was always going to be in Bishop Auckland. I’m really excited to represent the town and help bring people in to visit.”
For more information and to book a table, visit jordbishopauckland.com
Culture isn’t just something to watch from the sidelines. Get Stuck In is our new way of highlighting opportunities to get involved – from workshops and courses to clubs, classes and one-off events where you can learn something, make something or simply have a go.
This week: Painting for Beginners at Newcastle Arts Centre
Always fancied having a go at painting but not sure where to start?
Artist Jason Skill is offering a helping hand with this one-day workshop for complete beginners. You’ll learn about different types of paint, colour mixing, brush techniques and the basics of colour theory, before putting your new skills to work on a picture of your own.
All materials are provided, and Jason will also offer advice on putting together an affordable painting kit if you fancy carrying on at home.
The one-day course (10am to 4pm) is priced at £60 and takes place on October 31 at the Arts Centre on Westgate Road, Newcastle.
It’s one of a regular programme of creative courses at the venue, so there’s plenty more to explore if this gets you hooked. Check the website for details.
Got something for Get Stuck In?
We’re looking for more ways our readers can get involved in culture across the North East. If you run workshops, courses, classes, clubs or one-off activities – or you’ve signed up for something you think other people should know about – we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and tell us what we should be getting stuck into.
