Charting the history of television in the North, from first broadcasts to award-winning documentaries and regional news output, the North East Film Archive is back on the film show trail.
A specially-curated screening at the Forum Cinema, Hexham, called TV Comes North, will take place on Saturday, March 18, as part of the 2023 Tyne Valley Film Festival. From the small screen to the big screen, the Archive has delved into its vaults, with a little bit of help from friends at the BBC and ITV Archives, to look back at television programming in the North of England.
The film show is part of a new project TV Time Machine, a collaboration between three Northern archives: the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives and the North West Film Archive, supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.
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Yorkshire and North East Film Archives Manager, Graham Relton said: “I’m delighted to be heading back to Hexham with a great new screening that will take audiences on a journey through television in the North. From quirky North East news features and famous faces from the days of Tyne Tees TV, to regional documentaries covering everything from clothing design - and fashion faux pas - to competitive leek growing, there really is something for everyone!”
The event reflects on a huge time of change in terms of the development of television, but also explores how TV cameras have documented and recorded events, social, cultural and political changes, and the landscapes and communities in the North of England over the decades.
Included in the screening is film relating to Hexham itself, such as footage from About Britain: A Country Editor, a 1976 programme about the Hexham Courant, and Your Heritage: The River Tyne made in 1962 and featuring much-loved local presenter Mike Neville.
VIP visits, local industries, country shows and carnivals also feature. There’s a wealth of other North East content to enjoy: the launch of Tyne Tees TV; life during the Swinging Sixties; and local reactions to the moon landings, to name but a few. Audiences can also look forward to reacquainting themselves with iconic footage such as the BBC’s Interludes – remember the Potter’s Wheel?
Chris Kelly, Marketing Officer at the Forum Cinema, added: “It’s wonderful to be hosting our third Tyne Valley Film Festival as it allows us to celebrate and bring cinema to even the most remote parts of our region.
"It is especially nice to be working with the North East Film Archive team again, delivering a presented screening of TV Comes North: Hexham as it allows our guests to experience some of the lesser-known appearances of the region originally from the small screen now projected on to the big screen.”
TV Comes North to Hexham takes place on Saturday, March 18, 2023, 4.00pm, at the Forum Cinema, Market Place, Hexham, Northumberland. NE46 1XF. Tickets can be acquired here: https://forumhexham.com/ForumHexham.dll/WhatsOn?Film=17962088
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