North by North-East

We hope you have your swashes buckled (or buckles swashed?) in preparation for this terrifically Tudor instalment of North by North-East.

Indeed, Ben and Glen are riding full pelt into the 1569 Rising of the North, an event that reshaped both our region and the Kingdom. This Northern Rebellion, as it is also known, formed one of the most serious challenges to Elizabeth I's rule, a challenge she was determined to put down both swift...

After a slight hiatus (partly due to Ben feeling like he was full of boiler smoke over winter), the North by North-East podcast is finally back on track. 

Our latest stop on the North by North-East mainline is the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the railway that 'got the world on track'. 

We’re ready to propel ourselves full steam ahead into the story of this 200-year-old North East institution. So, hop on board, grab y...

In this edition of North by North-East, Ben and Glen uncover the remarkable tale of how two Tyneside sisters-in-law, Ellen and Anna Richardson, helped one of the most famous Americans of their age secure his freedom.

We trace a story that spans both sides of the Atlantic, uncovering more about the life of Frederick Douglass, the fight for the abolition of slavery, and the role of Quakerism in shaping the Richardsons’ lives.

Join us...

In this special episode, we head on over to Hartlepool's Headland to speak with the staff and volunteers of the Heugh Battery Museum, the site of the UK's only First World War battlefield.

We chat about some of the topics covered in our earlier episode on the Bombardment of the Hartlepools, as well as the museum's role in preserving that history along with its place in the local community.

Big thanks (in order of appearance) to Gor...

In this episode, Ben and Glen dive into the remarkable story of how a painter and decorator from South Tyneside fulfilled his impossible dream by bringing the world’s most famous sportsman, Muhammad Ali, to the North East of England.

We've entered the ring, donned our metaphorical gloves, and hammered every lead to uncover exactly how 'The Greatest' stole the Queen's thunder and made a lasting impression on the region. 

Prepare for...

We're turning back the clock to December 1914, examining a moment when the Great War quite literally hit home for Britain. Indeed, the bombardment of the Hartlepools was not just significant for the people of the area, but also a pivotal event in the long and tragic course of the First World War.

Why did the Imperial German Navy target the North East coast? How did Hartlepool’s defenders respond on land and at sea? What was the civ...

In our first (official) episode, we travel back to 1926, a year dominated by industrial unrest and political discord. Like the Flying Scotsman, our destination is Cramlington. Unlike the Flying Scotsman, we're here by choice, not by sabotage (though we can get 'off track' every now and then).

How was the country's most famous train derailed at a Northumberland mining town? Were the perpetrators terrorists or working class heroes? W...

We have the pleasure of chatting with both Ed Waugh, the writer of 'The Cramlington Train Wreckers', and Russell Floyd, the play's director. Focused on the 1926 derailment of the Flying Scotsman by striking miners, the play tours North East England in November.

Ed and Russell share some of their thoughts regarding that fateful day and discuss their reasons for bringing this story to the stage.

This special instalment serves as a co...

Well, this it it, we've reached the end of our ethnonymic/demonymic/whatevernymic journey.

In this sixth and final part of our series, we identify some of the common trends that link the topics discussed, and consider their potential significance for the future of North East England.

So what does this all mean for our region? How does being labelled a Geordie, Mackem, Smoggie, etc. shape one's perspective? Does it matter?

Listen he...

In this fifth part of the North East Ethnonyms series, Glen and Ben scour the British Newspaper Archive in search of pertinent materials.

In a segment that has been christened 'Cold off the Press' (wordplay is up for criticism) we journey through the printed pages of history, analysing a variety of newspaper articles that relate to the topics discussed in previous episodes.

Listeners will be treated to poetic accounts of Tyne-Wear ...

In Part 3 of our exploration of the numerous nicknames for native northeasterners, we head on over to Wearside to meet the Mackems.

As Glen and Ben take a saunter through the saga of this Sunderland-centred term, they speak to locals, revisit an FA Cup Final, and trawl one of the internet's most opinionated message boards.

But who, exactly, is a Mackem? What is the meaning of Mackem? Where does Mackem come from? If you wish to know...

In the second part of our series, we take on North East England's 'ethnonym-in-chief': Geordie.

Many denizens of our region would lay claim to this noted nickname, citing various reasons of various repute.

Through close analysis of countless tomes, along with a few interviews with the fine folk of Northumbria, Glen and Ben drill to the core of this titan of a term.

So, who exactly is a Geordie? Are they a loyalist Hanoverian? Are t...

Join Glen and Ben as they take a close look at the many 'ethnonyms' of North East England, i.e. the words and terms used to refer to peoples across the region.

In this opening episode, we introduce the overall ethnonymic landscape of the North East, before taking to the streets and seeing what the people of the region have to say on the matter. Through our chats with our fellow Northeasterners, we not only shed light on the 'big th...