NORTH EAST WRITERS

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT in conversation with Ray Spencer MBE, Director of South Shields Theatre, The Customs House.

/ Alikivi

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Ray didn’t have the traditional arts related background associated with most theatres….

‘I was born in Biddick Hall and my dad was a caulker burner who worked in the Middle Docks (Next to The Customs House where we are sitting). My mam worked in Wright’s biscuit factory. We didn’t have a big library of books in the house but my dad liked the Readers Digest.

My first experience of showbiz was I went into a television studio I was 3. That was for the 1 o’clock show for Tyne Tees. A charabanc from the street went up to Tyne Tees and there’s a shot of me sitting on the stairs eating Spanish omelette. My first taste of Theatre was watching The Scottish Children’s Theatre at The Marine & Tech. 

My first taste of Panto probably seeing the Happy Go Luckies at St Aidians Hall doing Puss in Boots. The first professional pantomime I saw was at The Sunderland Empire my brother worked at Cigarette Components and got me on their trip. My first performance was at Biddick Hall Infants as the inn keeper in the Tinder Box I moved on to shepherd in the nativity.

At Secondary school there was always a big end of year show. Eddie McNamee was one of the teacher’s there and when I was 16 he suggested that I go and join the Westovians. (Amateur stage group) I appeared in my first panto with them in 1974 and met Bob Stott who became my partner in panto the following year.

When I was 20 I appeared in a show with musician Alan Price and his drummer Theodore Thunder asked me what my next job was. Well I was training to be an accountant at the hospital, so I said I was going back there. But he said I should be out there doing this.

Anyway the show went out on a programme called Arena on BBC1. The play was written by Tom Kelly and that was the first time our paths crossed. Tom encouraged me and I went off to do a degree in drama and stayed in the area.

There were opportunities to join companies outside the area, but I wanted to stay here’.

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Ray Spencer and Bob Stott.

Can you remember any funny moments on stage ?

‘I was working with Bob Stott who was my panto mother for many years, and we were doing a panto back in the 80’s. I was dressed as a teenage ninja mutant turtle bouncing up and down and I mentioned to the stage manager that the thrust stage, the extension bit, was flexing as I was jumping up and down shouting ‘cowabunga cowabunga’. And he said, ‘well it’ll last it’ll be ok’.

A fortnight into the show and I jumped up, landed, and it snapped. Went straight through. The audience could only see my head and shoulders, they were roaring with laughter. Bob looked at me, then looked at the audience and said ‘Don’t laugh at him, it’s only a stage he’s going through’. I’ve never forgotten that ad-lib. Brilliant. Wish I’d said it’.

Did you do any other jobs then ?

‘I started selling video tapes. I used to drive down to the distributors near Crystal Palace in London for the latest films. Whip back here and go around nearly every mining community in the North East and sell them to the shop’s. The shop’s would then hire them out.

Now say a video like Superman 3 was around £54 per tape, we got a margin of around 15%. The miners worked funny shifts and could afford video recorders but during the strike of ’84-’85 buying a video was the last thing they wanted to do.

So, I walked into South Tyneside College in ’84 and asked to train as a teacher.  When I put my qualifications down, they said have you really got a degree in drama ? Ended up seven hours a week doing drama. I also had an HNC in business studies, so they asked me to do a bit of this and that. So, I ended up being a part time lecturer and within six months, full time’. 

Did you enjoy your time at South Tyneside College ?

‘I was there over 15 years starting in Vocational Preparation and then teaching performing arts working with Tom Kelly and Carole Cook. I was aware Tom (with Ken Reay) had written, a musical with John Miles called Machine Gunners. With the group of students we had I said we can do this.

So, we did and took it to Edinburgh Festival for 3 weeks. While we were there, we talked about what to do next. Catherine Cookson had just died. So, we thought of a musical of their lives together rather than an adaptation of one of her books.

We launched in February ’99, Tom and I went on Tyne Tees TV and played the first song that John Miles had written, which made the presenter Mike Neville quite teary. We had forgotten to tell The Customs House we were going on telly and they were inundated with calls for tickets for the September dates for Tom and Catherine – it sold out’. 

You took on the role of entertainer Tommy the Trumpeter for 25 years, how did that come about ?

‘South Tyneside council wanted a mascot for the Summer Festival. There were no guidelines, no job description or blueprint. Nobody knew what he was going to be. Tommy’s theme tune was written by Tom Kelly and the team behind Tommy were Richard Jago, Brian, Michelle, Kari and Andy – great team.  It all developed along the way.

At first they said can you do it for a fortnight. By the end thousands of people came, we had 25 summers down at the amphitheatre’. 

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‘Tommy the Tuba was the original name and there were two people in for it but as time approached they both couldn’t do it so I got a call. I got shown a picture of what they wanted. I went to Tom Kelly’s wife, Carol, showed her the image and asked her to knock up a uniform for us. And she did.

I borrowed a tuba from the Salvation Army went along to the press launch and was put in a box in an empty room. There were press camera’s there and local TV. They said they would tap on the box when they were ready and I would pop out.

I could hear speeches outside, droning on. I was getting bored. I was making tuba noises inside the box. Eventually they tapped, I burst out said hello my name is Tommy the Tuba and if you come down to South Tyneside this summer you’ll have a magical time.

Paul Frost who presented ITV then, said ‘Bizarre press conference today when even the central character didn’t even know his name’.Because between being told and the press release going out somebody, somewhere had changed it to from Tuba to Trumpeter. 

I remember I’d walk the length of the harbour telling tourists what was on. I bumped into a guy on the beach and said ‘By the way Jimmy Cricket’s on at the Bents Park at 2 o’clock if you want to see him’. He turned around and said ‘I know’. It was Jimmy Cricket sitting on the beach with his bairn.

I went through the Marine Park telling people what was on, and they would get up and go to the Bents Park. I remember I had to stay away from the fairground. One day some lads from the fairground came over and said, ‘What’s red and blue and floats in the marine park lake?’….. You!!! 

They didn’t like me taking their customers away. That was in the early days but as I become more established I was more accepted’.

In the late 90’s I remember filming at an event, Tommy turned up and the look on kid’s faces…

’Yes I know. I once got a call from a mother who said can you call in and see my daughter in the Ingham Infirmary. She’s been knocked down. I also got a call from the Children’s Centre about a girl who had been through a hell of a lot.  ‘She’s wrote down her good things and bad things on two lists. Tommy the Trumpeter is on her good list so can you come and see her’.

I went to see her and it fill’s me with emotion because it was such a touching thing. But also a positive thing and I didn’t realise how important he’d become to many people. The final two Tommy parties were attended by a couple from London who took the time off to come up and see the shows.

I got letters from New Zealand, Italy, big boxes full of cards full of lovely messages. I hadn’t realised how important he’d become’. 

Before you became Director at The Customs House you had a successful career at South Tyneside College, Tommy the Trumpeter was going well, you were compering at Summer Festivals, but I remember The Customs House was dying on its arse, what happened next ? 

‘In the September we were in rehearsal for Tom and Catherine the musical. Gordon Bates, who was Interim Director here at The Customs House, called me into his office and said ‘You’re going to want to pay your company aren’t you ? But I gotta tell you there’s no money’. ‘

What ? we’ve sold all the tickets’ I said. They had used all that money to keep the place open. Gordon got the council to intervene and keep the place sustainable. Then I was asked for lunch by the Arts Council, they had never asked me for lunch before. We chatted about what was happening and ultimately I applied for the job.

I was interviewed by a panel, and they appointed me as fifth Director of The Customs House in five years. I remember the Arts Council representative saying “I don’t know how I’m going to go back to the office and tell them we’ve appointed Tommy the Trumpeter to do the job!’

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Ray compering at Youth Arts Week 1998 held at The Customs House. 

What was your first job at The Customs House, was it to build a team around you?

‘Well I have to say Trish, my better half, was remarkable because when I think back, we had one child and I was saying I was going to give up the security of college, a pension and holidays, to come here on a temporary six-month contract to turn it around.

The first thing on my desk was a strategic stock take report written by the Arts Council. It said many things but the thing that struck me was the phrase ‘The Customs House has neither a regional or national significance and is not worthy of our support.’ That really resonated in my head and I had to write a recovery plan.

We got around £250,000 to start to change things here. Which we did. Some people felt that being Tommy the Trumpeter was a hindrance to the doing the job, but it was the most positive thing. The place had been programmed for the community not with them.

When Tommy was running the place, they felt comfortable coming in. ‘Let’s support Tommy’ kind of thing. We needed to talk more to people what they wanted to see rather than assuming who knew best. What’s been a passion of mine is to tell stories about people that are local a bit like yourself and your documentaries. Our stories aren’t shared enough.

Getting back to your question I’ve always been very cautious with The Customs House. I didn’t do a massive clear out. A lot of people come and go but that’s the same in any organisation. But the building was unloved, unwelcoming and only five years old.

So, the money we got was to invest in the place. It gave us the computers we needed, gave us the box office that we needed, we wanted better carpets, clean the seats that sort of thing rather than move the old staff. The staff change is continual as it always has been over the years.

The big change was when we started to win Arts Council contracts. At one time we delivered arts in schools all around North and South Tyneside.

We were the first independent trust to deliver Creative Partnerships and  Find Your Talent a Gordon Brown PM initiative. So for a brief moment we had signed contracts worth £1.6 million. But then a change of Government and I got an email saying ‘make staff redundant & close the programmes down”.

These were tough days and have remained tough for the last decade South Tyneside Council have kept faith and we have retained our position as a National Portfolio Organisation with the Arts Council, but our public funding has reduced by over half’. 

Have you seen any changes in audiences over the years at The Customs House ?

‘In terms of music programming the thing that impacted most was The Sage. When Customs House opened there was no Gala in Durham, there was no Exchange in North Shields, there was no Sage or Baltic in Gateshead and no 10 screen multiplex up the road in Boldon. So we were a venue to do all things for all men – and women.

When The Sage opened it just destroyed our guitar festival, a lot of musical acts that used to come here simply stopped. They were going there to play a big shiny building. So our music content has been damaged. We still get musicians to play here but we are not known solely as a music venue, but neither should we be because we are an arts centre.

Sometimes we get people here who wouldn’t normally play a theatre. I have to say if they’ve come from that tradition of pub’s and club’s they love playing here. Not only are they lit correctly and the sound’s good, but the audience sit and listen to them.

So, their sound is not background, people come here and buy a ticket because they want to see them. The driver here is what’s on stage that’s why people come in. In pubs and clubs the driver was people going for a beer and meet up with friends.

That’s why they were such a good training ground because if you could hook an audience who didn’t really turn up to see you then you were halfway there. You must be doing something right and be good at what you are doing’.

What are you doing different compared to other Arts managers ?

‘The measure of success is that we are open, and we’d be missed if we were shut. So, there’s an ownership of the building. I feel the community love the place now.

We are out on our own we aren’t a place in the centre of town where people walk by you have to make the journey here. Some of the new shiny buildings are loved because they are shiny but the organisation inside isn’t necessarily loved’. 

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With the regeneration of the town centre of South Shields how does The Customs House fit into those plans ?

‘I had this radical suggestion that The Customs House should move to King Street back to where the theatres originally were. Let us run the multiplex, let us have the state-of-the-art space, which would be the theatre.

In doing that you would immediately bring 200,000 people a year to King Street. That’s how many people use this building. So your night time economy would happen because people would be going to the theatre.

At the minute 4,000 people are coming to see the latest show When the Boat Comes In. They would be walking down King Street. Half ten this morning people are in to see the film they’d be walking down King Street. Then back again when it’s finished.

I think it’s really exciting what’s happening in South Tyneside because we never had that Millennium project. But with The Word, Haven Point, Jarrow hub, Hebburn hub there’s been quite a lot of investment and it’s because of bold, brave leadership by officers and elected members.

It reminds me so much of what happened in Gateshead – Newcastle in the ’80s. I hope it adds to what we have and not in direct competition to, so we have a bigger menu of cultural events.

Just up the road St Hilda’s Pit head is opening up as a cultural space which is good. And I don’t just mean our immediate area of the Mill Dam to flourish, I would like our relationships with Jarrow Hall, Souter Point, Arbeia and the museum to blossom’.

How important are the arts as an outlet here in South Tyneside ?

‘Well, I’m biased really. A lot of people will say more money should be spent on nursing homes or transport you know I can’t really argue with that. There are so many good things you can spend money on that are important but there is something about having a centre for celebration.

A centre for people to see themselves and hear their stories, there is something important about that. However much technology we have there is a primeval need for people to get together and share things.

When I was a kid the population got up together, got the buses to the factories, mines or shipyards. All came home together and all went to the pubs and clubs together. So, there was a lot more togetherness and that’s why the Great North Run, the many festivals we have are so important now.

I remember people lining the riverbanks for ship launches, celebrations for Westoe Pit doing 1 million tonnes of coal one year, we don’t have those to focus on now. I like to think we put on shows for people to come together, celebrate and feel positive about where we are’.

Performers from South Tyneside like Joe McElderry, Jade and Perrie from Little Mix, Sarah Millican, Chris Ramsey, all on a certain level now. Is that because they fight harder to reach that level ?

’I think talent will out wherever you are born and whatever you do. Brilliant performers like Bobby Pattison and Bobby Thompson, best seller in the North East. I remember he knocked Grease off the number 1 North East chart for best-selling record when his act came out on LP. But he never made a breakthrough.

I just think there are a lot of talented people who are from the North East, is it the magic of South Tyneside? Perhaps the sea air and the river, but there’s certainly something here.

There was always a very long tradition of amateur theatre. A big, big thing was to become part of South Shields Amateurs, or the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Westovians or Jarrow. There was Hebburn Operatics and Jarrow Male Voice Choir.

Don’t forget the brass bands and Richard Thornton who started the Moss Stoll Empire, born in South Shields and buried in Westoe Cemetery. There has always been that strong performance element in this borough and that still comes through if you look across all the different drama and dance schools.

When I was a kid working in arts and entertainment wasn’t seen as a proper job, digging roads and building ships was a proper job but now people can see a route forward’.

‘Joe McElderry performed here in 2008, he was just a little lad but what an enormous voice and you just went wow, this is the genuine thing here. He belonged performing and that’s what he does so well. Why here though ? I don’t know. Jason Cook who wrote Hebburn has just shot another film, and Peter Flannery from Jarrow who wrote Our Friends in the North – he’s coming here soon.

At The Customs House we have an Honorary Fellowship from film to opera, stand up to acting, singing to visual arts we have and will produce brilliant performers and creatives. we’ve got a lot to honour. A lot to celebrate’.  

Check out what’s on at http://www.customshouse.co.uk

Alikivi   August 2018. 

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WE SOLD OUR SOUL FOR ROCK N ROLL documentary on South Tyneside rock music.

/ Alikivi

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In February 2017 I transcribed interviews from the documentary and decided to put them out on a blog. I added some new interviews and updated the originals. Then more musicians got in touch.

The blog has snowballed from North East bands like Beckett to worldwide musicians like John Dalton in California. To date it has reached nearly 40,000 views.

But how did I tackle this documentary and pull it all together? Firstly, I talked to a few musicians who passed over some of their archive of demo tapes, videos and photos. Plus, I already had a number of photographs I had taken through the ’90s.

Then a lot of research was done in the Local Studies Library, South Shields. I remember during the ’80s reading a feature called Young Weekender in the Saturday edition of local newspaper The Shields Gazette. It featured interviews, releases by local and national bands, plus a list of gig dates around Tyneside.

The library had all the Gazette’s on microfilm. It took a few visits but in all it was a good start.

Then during May 2007 filmed interviews were arranged at The Cave in South Shields, formerly Tyne Dock Youth Club, where in the 1970’s some of the bands had rehearsed and performed as teenagers. 

I was surprised at the amount of people who turned up to tell their story, and what excellent stories they were. The title of the documentary is from a Black Sabbath compilation album and sums up the feeling I got when people were telling their story.

Some bands even got back together after 30 odd years. After working on a few other projects, finally in 2010 a 30-minute version of the documentary was screened in South Shields, it was shown a few months later at The Cluny in Newcastle along with a film about the New York Dolls.

In September 2011 a full version was shown at the Central Library Theatre in South Shields. 

‘We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll’ is on the Alikivi You Tube channel.

To check out other films why not subscribe to the channel.

Gary Alikivi  2018.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK in conversation with Unified Media

/ Alikivi
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Ryan, Phil and Jon.

Sitting in the HQ of Unified Media at 7 Beach Road, South Shields I’m talking with Jon, Phil and Ryan about how I had an office downstairs in this building over 10 years ago. The stairs didn’t seem as steep then.

I first met Unified Media two years ago when I was looking for a team to help produce a DVD of folk musician Benny Graham and friends singing old Northumbrian songs.

The DVD was screened in The Word, South Shields, as is their latest project about the author Catherine Cookson…

Ryan: ‘South Tyneside Council commissioned Our Catherine. They wanted a film to showcase as part of their new exhibition to commemorate the death of Catherine Cookson, which is twenty years ago this year.

We didn’t want to make a piece with just historical images in a sort of documentary style – instead, we wanted something that was more dramatic, and moving’. 

Phil: ‘Yeah, we wanted to make something that would really pull people in. We worked with playwright Tom Kelly, which he ended up co-writing with Jon in order to adapt his writing for the screen’.

Jon: ‘The intention was to inform people about Catherine but also take them on a journey that as emotional as well as educational. It was important to us that even if you didn’t know who she was, or even if you weren’t from the North East, you could watch the film and still be moved and entertained’.

Ryan: ‘We knew that if we made a historical, documentary piece it may well only appeal to people who knew her, or her existing audience. None of us had any connection to Catherine Cookson and her work when we were commissioned to make the film.

We had to discover her for ourselves when we began pre-production, because up until then we only knew her as someone our Mam’s read when we were kids.

When researching, we were taken on a journey of discovery about a very talented and resilient individual. I think we wanted to take the audience on that same journey of discovery, whilst still appealing to her fans and readers’.

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The film has a fairly young cast….

Phil: ‘It does. Catherine left South Shields in her 20s, so we wanted the film to focus on her coming back at that age and seeing her home from a different perspective’. 

Ryan: ‘Fortunately, we found the extremely talented actress and Catherine Cookson fan, Kerry Browne, who did a phenomenal job. It was really important to her that she got it right’.

Phil: ‘She’s from Glasgow but understands how important Catherine is to the people of Tyneside. She wanted to get it right and gave 110%. It was wonderful working with her’. 

Jon: ‘We also had Rachel Adamson, who provided Catherine’s voice. She was brilliant, too. It was a labour of love for everyone. An experience none of us will forget, to be honest’.

Phil: ‘It seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people’. 

Jon: ‘The response to the film has been overwhelming. I think that’s a testament to everyone involved, and how much they gave for us’.   

How long did the whole process take? 

Ryan: ‘We did script amendments and voice overs right up to the wire. It took probably three weeks in total, if you tallied everything together.

Filmmaking is something we’re still working out, as this is the first drama we’ve done together. It’s very much a learning process’. 

You had great weather for the shoot…

Phil: We certainly did. We had scheduled those three days for filming a few weeks beforehand and were blessed with perfect weather conditions. We were very fortunate with that’.

Jon: The blue skies, the sun, swans, insects, mist, you name it – nature was working with us on those days. Nature was working in conjunction with South Shields and Jarrow on those days and showed up for us in a very big way’. 

Have you got a family background in creative work? 

Ryan: ‘Not that I know of’.

Phil: ‘I’ve never been asked that question before, but no don’t think so. Maybe I’m the first’.

Jon: ‘There is a John Burton in the family actually, late 1800 to early 1900’s, and he was a Poet. He was local, didn’t sell millions of copies of his books, but he was certainly creative. That’s the only connection I can go back to’.

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Why in one of the most deprived areas of the UK for employment, education etc did you choose a creative job which is way down the list of priority for funding ?

Jon: ‘We didn’t think too much about that. You can make excuses for not taking action, and I certainly have done that before in my life.

We just thought maybe if we do what we love to do, as good as we can, it’ll work out. You could say that was naive, but the proof is in the pudding. I think we just believed in our ability to make it work, if that doesn’t sound too twee’. 

Phil: ‘I think we thought that we might as well risk failing doing the thing we love than carry on doing something we don’t enjoy for the rest of our lives.

Sometimes you can’t help what location you’re in for jobs unless you decide to move, which we couldn’t do. We just let ourselves gravitate to what we love doing and give it our all. We still are. It seems to be working’.

Ryan: ‘I think we had faith and belief that we could do what we wanted to do. There wasn’t a job out there that fit what we wanted, so we just created that job.

We started the kind of business we would want to work for. We were coming across a lot of the advice of successful entrepreneurs and business-owners who suggested as much, and it made a lot of sense’.  

Phil: ‘If it doesn’t work, I can always get a normal job and know that at least I’ve had a good go. Or maybe I’d try creating a different business.

At least then I’d know for sure, and know that I tried, instead of it always being a pipe dream I could never quite bring myself to make a real go of. It could have went that way, but it didn’t, and I like myself a lot for having the balls to do that’.

Jon: ‘It helps we didn’t have kids when we started, and nobody was financially depending on us. I felt it was my responsibility to try it for that reason among others.

I guess also that starting the business wasn’t based too much on blind faith as we observed that despite where you live, it’s a good time to be a filmmaker or a creator of video content because of the absolute surgence of social media.

There’s a huge desire for video content as a result of that. We’re riding a wave it would seem, that you don’t need to move to London to take advantage of’.  

Tell me what Unified Media is, and what the name means?

Jon: ‘Unified Media was about coming together and doing something that would be the combined, unified vision of all of us. We’d already been creative with each other for years prior.

Phil and I made films together at University and Ryan and I were in a band together for a long time. We were always at our best and most fulfilled when creating stuff together.

We wanted to do that as a way of life instead of just something we did on a weekend, or whenever we could get away from our day jobs’. 

Phil: ‘Unified isn’t so much a job in that respect. It’s living your life the way you want to, and being supported for that, financially and otherwise, because you’re good at what you do, and you love it.

You take your work home with you because it isn’t work, it’s just what you do. It can be challenging, but the challenges are always making you better. They’re the kind of challenges that help you learn and improve, in a rapid way’. 

Jon: ‘It’s not like, ‘there’s my job over here and my life over there’ in separate places. It’s broken down the barriers between those things. It’s made them one and the same. That feels more organic and right for us’.

Ryan: ‘It’s not a cakewalk by any means, if this all sounds a little too good to be true. It’s not handed to you. You have to say yes to the responsibility of making something like that work and doing what it takes to make it work.

The challenges come thick and fast, and you’ve got to meet them head on. We’ve realised from that just how much we can take.

Starting a business like this teaches you a lot about what you can handle, what you can endure. There were months where we had no idea where the rent was coming from. We know we can handle that now. We can take the uncertainty.

It certainly chips away at how fearful you are, because you know what you can handle. We stuck together and faced it together. The name Unified came from that, too. We supported each other through those times, which were tricky, to say the least’. 

Phil: ‘We’ve also got amazing partners and family who’ve always supported what we’re doing. Choosing an adventurous, risky lifestyle like this shone a light on those things and made me more grateful in general.

People seemed to believe in what we were doing, and that was amazing. The Unified name then seems to stretch beyond the three of us’. 

Jon: ‘Yeah. There’s a Terence McKenna quote that says “hurl yourself into the abyss and discover it’s a feather bed”. It’s been something like that’.

Ryan: ‘And we’ve just built on top of that since the start. Initially it was all about the passion and creativity, all the gooey stuff – but there’s structure now, which is implied in ‘building’ a business. You can build on that passion, on that principle, on that idea’.

Jon: ‘We’re still building, and the structure is getting stronger. It makes us very proud and fulfils us more than we could have imagined. Unified Media is a dream that is becoming a reality. Let’s say that as a roundup to your question’.

Is it not crowded when you are editing a project? 

Ryan: ‘I prefer when we edit together. That’s what makes something a Unified film. It’s all very dynamic. Editing is never the same process from one job to the next, which I like because it keeps things fresh. It’s not like a factory line thing’. 

Jon: ‘Yeah, it’s very dynamic. You can’t box the process up. For example, if we’re working on something sports-related, Phil will have the initial drive to get it going, because he was inspired to and is the more sport-centric one of us, so we let him go as far as that inspiration took him, then we started co-editing together. But it’s different for every project.

Each of us is good at different things and interested more or less in different areas. The set up helps everyone play to their strengths. Though that’s not to say we never have creative differences, or even… ‘debates’.

Ryan: ‘Learning how to disagree and negotiate in a civil way is a constant challenge’. 

Phil: ‘I can get protective over my work, and I’ve had to let go of that and realise it’s not ‘my’ work, it’s our work. The lads challenge me to be better, and always push me to do the right thing for the project. Jon and I can be pretty stubborn’.

Jon: ‘No I can’t! Haha. Yeah, I absolutely can. We’re always all just trying to do the right thing, though, what the ‘right’ thing is isn’t always obvious, and you get in to the whole subjective/objective thing. Editing is a philosophical quagmire.

Think about it too much and you’ll have a brain-burnout. There are infinite variables, so you often have to learn to balance your intellect with your intuition.

Though of course, you’re balancing all those things with that of two other people! It can get tricky, so it demands that we all be our best and learn how to be more civil’.  

Ryan: ‘We’re reading some books about editing now and it turns out as much about philosophy as the technicalities of editing. In terms of our process, we’ve all got to be happy with something to sign off for the customer to see it, so getting there can be a challenge.

You don’t want a ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ situation, but you don’t want anyone being dictatorial either. It’s a balancing act, and judging from the response to our work so far, we’re managing well enough! ‘

Phil: ‘We haven’t killed each other yet, so’.  

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What has been your most challenging project?

Phil: ‘It hasn’t been released just yet, but maybe the project for England Rugby?’

Ryan: ‘Yeah, they hired us after we made a women’s rugby promo video for the Durham County RFU. It did really well, so they approached us to make one for them, but, with a much more specific aim and outcome’. 

Jon: ‘The brief was ‘make a film that makes refereeing rugby appealing to women, and it has to be very emotionally engaging’. That’s the most specific brief we’ve had yet, and it was definitely challenging.

England Rugby wanted to use it for an event in which it had to convince women that authority and rule-keeping was not only appealing, but something they should want to involve themselves in.

In the end, it surpassed the brief and was a massive success for the client’.

Ryan: ‘One of the most fulfilling things yet was getting that right. It might have closed a lot of doors for us if we’d messed it up’. 

Jon: ‘I honestly feel like if we succeeded at that, we can succeed at anything’. 

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Within the three years of Unified Media, have there been any memorable moments?

Phil: ‘Too many to name. Though, perhaps the Home Alone music video for Boy Jumps Ship? We were tasked with recreating entire scenes from the Home Alone films using the band members all within like, two weeks’.

Jon: ‘Yeah, everything miraculously fell into place for that one in such a scant timeframe. We had two weeks to plan, shoot and edit the film, and the prop/location list was massive, and the set ups were elaborate.

We accepted the job with a ‘we’ll make it work’ attitude, but really had no idea how we would. At the time, we needed a music video on our portfolio, so just bit that particular bullet’. 

Ryan: ‘Somehow, one by one, everything we needed just presented itself to us. The two weeks were an absolute whirlwind, and the universe just seemed to let us ride that wave, with each ambitious prop and location serendipitously revealed to us.

It was an absolute adventure from start to finish. People talk about the ‘flow state’, and that’s really what that was’. 

Jon: ‘It was in many a way the embodiment of why we started Unified in the first place. It was us throwing caution to the wind, doing what we love together and having a great time creating stuff as a team. Challenging, yes, but extremely rewarding, too’. 

Ryan: ‘Maybe we could also mention your involvement, Gary, if we’re talking about notable people as well as moments?’

Jon: ‘Yes! It was because of your support and help that we got our first office, and one of our first jobs, and whatever led on from there’.

Phil: ‘Get in, Gary, lad’. 

Jon: ‘Gazza, what a legend’. 

Ryan: ‘That was notable for lots of reasons, but it’s worth mentioning that all of us have worked in the industry before, and encountered a lot of ego, and vibes that almost put us off this work altogether’. 

Jon: ‘Yeah, but when we started Unified, we met people like you Gary, who showed nothing but enthusiasm, support and all-round good vibes’. 

Phil: ‘And here he is again, writing a blog about us and getting us out there!’

Jon: ‘You’d think he was on the payroll’.

 Ryan: ‘Nah, just a class lad with a heart of gold’. 

Jon: ‘What a belter’.

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To find out more go to the official website : https://www.unifiedmedia.org.uk 

Interview by Gary Alikivi   August 2018. 

TYNE DOCK BORDERS documentary about Tyne Dock in the North East of England.

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Growing up in the shadow of Tyne Dock arches, bombing around the streets on my Grifter, playing football on St Mary’s field and as a teenager, a member of Tyne Dock Youth Club in South Shields.

The club had a film night every Sunday. No matter what film was screening I’d get a chair and plonk myself down at the front. The films were projected from a room at the back of the hall. The pictures, colour and sound were gripping. Three films stand out from those nights – Carrie by Stephen King, Monty Pythons Life of Brian and Duel by Stephen Spielberg.  

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On my Grifter in front of Tyne Dock Arches being demolished in October 1977.

Around 2007 I started researching my family tree with the Local Studies Library in South Shields a great resource. Putting the story together I knew of a family connection to Ireland, but never realised the full impact that the Irish had on the North East and in my case, Jarrow.

The research led to making Little Ireland. The documentary is available to watch on my You Tube channel.

Since then, I’ve filmed a lot around South Tyneside recording stories by local people recalling memories of their hometown. Skuetenders, War Stories, Home from Home, Westoe Rose and Secrets & Lies.

It’s been interesting to uncover and record stories that would have been lost or forgotten.

The documentary Tyne Dock Borders filmed late 2011, includes interviews with residents from this industrial part of South Shields. They remember the railways, arches and ‘colourful’ part of the town.

Also featured are two famous people who were born in the area – author Catherine Cookson and James Mitchell – creator of BBC tv series When the Boat Comes In.

To view the film go to the ALIKIVI You Tube channel and subscribe to watch more.

Gary Alikivi  2018.

SKUETENDERS – documentary about The Lawe, South Shields.

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Over seven years – 2009-2016 – I produced over 20 documentaries around South Tyneside. I never received any funding to produce the films, each DVD was sold to help fund the next one.

‘Little Ireland’ in 2009 sold well and was sent to ex-pat’s around Europe, Canada and Australia but ‘Skuetenders’ was the most successful. I’ve lost count the number of copies sold, it’ll be around 800. 

The length of any programme can differ from very short adverts to full length films of 100 minutes plus. It depends on the story that you are telling. An interesting documentary on tv can be turned into just a number of soundbites.

They can tell the story but rush over some really good bits with the interviewee talking for less than 10 seconds. I’ve watched a few.

When I had the idea to make a documentary around the Lawe Top in South Shields I didn’t want it to be full of soundbites. I wanted the interviewee’s to have enough time to tell their story. Not only was it important what they had to say but it was all in the Geordie accent.

The idea was to wander around The Lawe Top collecting stories from residents with a narrator explaining the history of this oldest part of South Shields, it even has a Roman fort.  

As with all documentaries made over the seven years, arrangements were made with Hildred Whale at the South Shields Heritage Club to screen the film in the library.

Downstairs had a great theatre with over 100+ raked seats, a stage, large screen, video projector hanging from the ceiling and projection room with VHS and DVD players. It also had an audio mixing desk and mic’s for invited speakers. A great set up.

A date for the first screening on 2pm 19th October 2011 was arranged and that quickly sold out. A later show at 7pm was added. That sold out. Another date was added. Same again, a quick sell out. This was repeated until the film was shown six times.

Further evidence of a thirst that people have to see and hear stories from their hometown. The documentary had a running time of 70 minutes and was repeated in the next documentary ‘Tyne Dock Borders’. Another area of the town with a long history. 

To view the edited film go to the ALIKIVI You Tube channel and subscribe to watch more.

Gary Alikivi August 2018.

LITTLE IRELAND – documentary on Irish immigration into Jarrow, UK

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Sarah McFadden, (7th from left) my Great Grandmother, at Haggies Rope Works, in Willington Quay, Wallsend. A long way from Derry.

Little Ireland came about after I’d been researching my family tree in late 2007. I knew I had Irish background but not sure of the exact locations where they lived.

The Local Studies Library in South Shields was a great source for information. The filing system with the old press cuttings and the brilliant photographs by Amy Flagg and James Cleet of Tyneside in the 1930’s of area’s where some of my family lived after travelling from Ireland.

The old maps were really interesting. I could see where my Great Grandfather Dawson Downey from Derry lived. Bell Street, East Jarrow, across the road was the chemical works where he worked, next door was The Alkali pub and just up the road was St Bede’s Church. I thought thousands of families would be exactly the same. Never having to go very far. Living a small life.

I never realised the full impact that the Irish had on the North East and in my case, Jarrow. The population had grown so much around the 1890’s that the village became a small town.

I started to jot down a few notes when I read an article in The Shields Gazette in 2008 about Irish immigration written by Tom Kelly (Jarrow born playwright). I got in touch and we met up at The Customs House in South Shields. Quickly, a plan was made, a structure for a documentary and interviews with Jarrovians with Irish ancestry fell into place.

It wasn’t forced, it was easy to put together. 

We started filming at St Paul’s in East Jarrow. Tripod up, camera ready, Tom reading the opening lines from the script, but it didn’t feel right. We stopped and went back to my studio. Had a cup of coffee, talked about it then went out in his car again to Jarrow.

I started filming in his car and Tom started talking as he drove. This was more like it. Hand held felt more comfortable, being part of the film. As though an old Irishman had come back and was searching for his town ‘Like driving into the past’.

Over the next few weeks, I filmed interviews with people who had Irish relatives. For one interview I arranged to talk to singer Leo Connolly at his home in Jarrow.

I turned up, knocked on the door but got no answer. I knocked again and heard someone in the house. I looked through the front window and there they were. Two blokes with acoustic guitars and Leo in the middle singing his heart out. That was Little Ireland right there.

The documentary was successful it was screened for the first time to two sell out audiences at The Customs House on St Patricks Day 2009.

The film has been shown at various venues including St Bede’s Church Hall where most of the Irish, and my family, attended when they first came to Jarrow over 100 years ago.

Link to the documentary, to check out other films on You Tube subscribe to the channel.

Gary Alikivi   August 2018.

ZAMYATIN – Russian Link to Tyneside. New documentary.

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The Shields Gazette journalist Peter French wrote on 17th August 2018

‘It’s a long way from St Petersburg to South Shields. But it was a journey once made by a young Russian, an author, who not only upset the Communist authorities back home, but whose work may have influenced the writing of one of this country’s most influential novels – ‘1984’ by George Orwell.

His name was Yevgeny Zamyatin and his story is now told in a new video produced by local film-maker Gary Alikivi (Wilkinson). The film, which can be viewed on YouTube, may be less than 10 minutes long, but like much of Gary’s work it is informative as well as thought-provoking.

Read more at: https://www.shieldsgazette.com/lifestyle/nostalgia/the-link-between-a-russian-visitor-to-south-shields-and-george-orwell-s-1984-1-9306630

Gary Alikivi  August 2018.

ON THE FRONT LINE – miners strike documentary

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I was walking down King Street in South Shields when I noticed a group of lads walking up the street laughing, joking and looking as if they didn’t have a care in the world. I wondered if any of them had jobs?

Were they killing time until their next shift at work ? Or their next giro? This led me into thinking about the unemployment problem in my hometown. 

I sat down on a bench where two old men were. I overheard them talking about how they had spent their working lives down the mines. Westoe Colliery used to be nearby. Listening to their banter, made me think back to when the strike began in March 1984.

I was 18 at the time, about the same age as those young lads who passed earlier. It was always on the telly. Scargill, Thatcher, pickets and police. TV footage of the battle of Orgreave. Explosive scenes of a class war. 

Reality was that thousands of men weren’t working. There was no money coming in to pay bills and feed kids. How did their families survive?  Whole communities were brought to their knees due to financial insecurity. Families torn apart.

I thought it would be interesting to find how people coped in that time of crisis. People who were directly involved given a voice to record their cold, hard, bitter truths. 

During research for the film the stories that I heard were laughter, sadness, courage and pride. Some people didn’t want to talk about the strike, or for any of their comments to be recorded. After all these years feelings still ran deep. Emotional scars. 

The years have rolled on and out of the ashes of the pit’s new businesses and housing developments have appeared. But the mining industry will never be forgotten.

Link to the documentary and to check out other films on You Tube subscribe to my channel: 

 

Gary Alikivi.

SECRETS & LIES – Shields Gazette article on documentary about Baron Avro Manhattan

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As the blog hits 35,000 views Journalist Peter French wrote in The Shields Gazette 7th August 2018….

’The life and times of Avro Manhattan, an Italian born Baron whose artwork and writing made him friends and enemies throughout the world, and who chose to spend his final years, living with his wife in South Shields are truly fascinating. But don’t take my word for it – let the man himself reveal to you all about it’.

To read the story go to…www.shieldsgazette.com/lifestyle/nostalgia/hit-man-s-target-settled-in-south-shields-1-9288202

Or watch the documentary ‘SECRETS & LIES’ posted on 17th July 2018.

Gary Alikivi    August 2018.

LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN – in conversation with writer and TV producer Peter Mitchell

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Peter Mitchell

‘Who shall have a fishy on a little dishy. Who shall have a fishy when the boat comes in’….lyrics to the opening tune from the TV series ‘When the Boat Comes In’ which first broadcast in January ’76.

Hearing the song it had a whiff of a twee sunda’ afternoon show playing straight after The Big Match and before Little House on the Prairie. I never saw it when it first hit our TV screens, was too busy watching The Sweeney.

But after catching it a few years ago the little twee telly show was actually a hard-hitting drama.

It deals with a soldier (Jack Ford played by James Bolam) returning from the 1st World War and his struggles with poverty and politics in the fictional town of Gallowshield in the North East of England.

The first episode ‘A Land fit for Heroes and Idiots’ sets the tone…

‘In series one there were thirteen scripts in which my dad wrote seven. His creation, his characters, with other writers during the series. I was 16 and first watched it with my mother.

That first episode was quality drama. My mother turned to me and said, ‘You better go and ring your dad because he’s just done something remarkable’.

The programme was created by South Shields born James Mitchell and now his son Peter is adapting the show for theatre…

’The play is based on series one and begins with Jack returning from the war where he meets the Seaton family, Jessie and Billy trying to get him involved in politics, he falls in love with Jessie and the problems he gets into when dealing with industrial strikes’.

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South Shields born Writer, James Mitchell.

Is there anybody out there today in business, political or celebrity world that you could compare to Jack Ford ? 

‘Do you know nobody has asked me that before. (Slight hesitation)….Well I’m not sure I should say this but…. I would say Donald Trump. (Both laugh)…Because love him or hate him. Trump can hold an audience. Massive ambition. Massive selfishness. What other people might call focus.

Great desire for more to the extent of not really caring about the consequences. A winner, an influencer, a persuader. I would say there’s a little bit of Jack inside Donald Trump’.

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Jack Ford played by James Bolam.

Does the play reveal more about Jack ? 

‘He served all the way through the war and became staff sergeant but still didn’t have enough so signed up again. He joins the North Russia Expidiciary Force where he goes to Murmansk and does an extra year. It tells you a lot about Jack.

He’s alone the minute he comes back. All the friends he’s got are the ones he made in the army.

This is a man who has found a family in war and really the only thing he is good at, is war. He interacts with mates, union men, the upper crusts, politicians, a full spectrum of society. He has learnt to fit in with any group, but I don’t think he knows where he belongs.

All he knows is how to survive in any given circumstance. He sees a chance and takes the opportunity. You know it’s live for today and tomorrow you might die which is something you learn when you are in the trenches for four years’. 

The TV show aired on BBC1 and at its peak reached audiences of 15 million, with all four series available on DVD. Do the actors realise the enormity of what they are taking on ?

‘The cast are great, they are all young, as were the soldiers coming back from war. What is impressive is the energy and passion that they are bringing.

We had research and development, a read through, started rehearsals and in them I have seen new things brought to the play helped with Katy’s vision as director.

This is all Tyneside people, I’ve been massively impressed. There’s a great team working their socks off down there and that makes me feel good on behalf of my dad.

There will be a lot of people like you who have seen it on TV or DVD and there will be an element of expectation. But I want to go on a slightly new journey in the way it’s delivered.

What’s been lovely for me was working with Katy Weir the Director because I’ve seen some of her work before and really enjoyed it.

When we met, I was very impressed with some of her ideas, and I was very keen to have a woman direct because a woman has never directed When the Boat Comes In. In the ’70s when it was made there were no female directors in television and the series is full of very powerful women characters’.

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The Seaton family with Jack in uniform.

I can confirm that. Some of the standout performances of the TV show are with women holding court.

Just check the performances from Jean Haywood playing Bella Seton, her daughter Jessie played by Susan Jameson and Rosalind Bailey who plays Sarah Headley. The writing and performances never drop pace.

In season four episode two contains an outstanding scene with Sarah and Jack where she tells him her husband and his best mate Matt has died….

’Yes, I love her character, Rosalind is a great actress. Excellent on the show. It’s been really interesting to revisit again and work out the characters with the same basic arc of the story but transform it onto the stage.

Mechanics of stage are different to what I’ve been used to as my background is in journalism and television’. 

How did you get interested in writing and eventually working in TV?

‘Well, I’m a Shields lad who went to the Grammar school. Unfortunately, my parents divorced in 1966 so I was travelling down to London on weekends to see my dad who was a published author by then.

My mam Norma was a schoolteacher in Shields and looked after me and my brother Simon. She never re-married, it was her and her boys you know.

My mam was a wonderful, devoted woman and a natural born teacher. Plus, a great actress. She performed at The Peoples Theatre in Newcastle, also at the Westovians and met my father at Cleadon Village Amateur dramatic club.

They both had a love of the arts so there was a bit of showbiz in my life from when I was young.

But I was really interested in journalism so after University I got a job at a weekly newspaper in Chesire, then an evening paper in Carlisle.

A few years later I was in London freelancing for national papers and researching for London Weekend Television. Then I saw an advert for a researcher at Tyne Tees TV, applied and got it.

Great times there and worked on screen drama, mostly documentary then promoted to Director of programmes until I left in 1997.

Then I was at Zenith North where programmes like Byker Grove and Dale’s Diaries were made – loved working on that. Then had my own production company and done a bit of media consultancy work.

My career path has always been about screen work so theatre is a new challenge finding out how it all works’. 

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During the TV series some scenes were shot outside The Customs House in South Shields and that’s where the play is being performed…

’Yes, it’s come home in many ways, very pleased about that. Ray Spencer (Director at Customs House) and I talked about the possibility four years ago and I was going to write a treatment for it.

Then a London based production company were interested in buying the rights. While we were negotiating with them we couldn’t go forward with the theatre side.

They took out an option with a time limit but never did anything with it, never commissioned any scripts. So, when the time expired, I rang Ray back up and said how about we look at it again. The timing feels right, it’s 100 years after the war. He said great let’s do it’.

‘When the Boat Comes In’ is on from Thursday 16th – Saturday 25th August for tickets contact   https://www.customshouse.co.uk/theatre/when-the-boat-comes-in/

Interview by Gary Alikivi   July 2018.