ALISON STANLEY

CLASS ACT in conversation with Newcastle actor, writer & theatre producer Leah Bell

/ Alikivi

We’re sitting in the Centurion bar at Newcastle’s Central Station where I first met Leah back in 2021 where she talked about learning her craft in North East workingmen’s clubs from the age of 15, working with Bobby Thompson, touring with Ken Dodd in the ‘70s and appearing in panto with David Jason.

Now, after nearly 60 years in the business I was interested to find out just how did you survive in the arts?

This industry has always been tough for working class. I do promotion and acting, I’ve been writing with Alison (Stanley who featured in previous post) I’m busy all the time. When you’ve asked me is there weeks when I have nothing on, well no, I’m always busy.

Like when I started a production company in Jersey about 30 year ago. We would do plays or musicals but if we went on tour I would always play a role in it keeping an eye on things making sure there were no issues. You take on a couple of roles. That’s how I survive.

You can never say I’ll be working 52 weeks a year. But there was a time you’d wonder where you’ll be for summer season. I remember going to Jersey in March and not coming back till October. Whereas now it’s I wonder if I’ll get a summer season.

Some people take shows out to Europe. My niece Hariet has her own production company and she does a lot of work abroad. Although you’ve got to be careful who you work for.

In the 1970s I took a contract for South Africa when apartheid was in full flight. When I look back, I didn’t understand what apartheid was all about then. You couldn’t pick your phone up and read about it.

It was a total culture shock at 19 year old – like wow here we are in Durban. Then I ended up working in Rhodesia – it’s not called that now. The agent asked me to drive from Rhodesia to Cape Town – a very long way and I did it by myself. My mother didn’t know. I look back and think how did I do that and why!

Comedy and singing musical theatre was what I was doing on the Crazy Horse saloon circuit. It was quite unique for a female to be performing on stage, plus there were plenty other English acts going out. I think some British guys had bought into the Crazy Horse clubs and subsequently tapped into the UK club market.

Back then there were hundreds of entertainers plus it was a real show it wasn’t just a few singers getting up we had all the costumes and gear for a proper show.But as I’ve said back then you couldn’t pick your phone up and read about apartheid. I mean, I lived in Benwell all me life.

I remember flying back home and me ma’ and da’ met me at Newcastle airport. ‘I’m home at last’ I said as I flung myself at them ‘You must be the only lass who’s happy to be in Benwell’ said me Da.

I travelled a fair bit. I went to Australia twice a year for six years in the 80s. I just loved their lifestyle. I also performed at the American military bases in Germany. I remember the agent John Rae from Spennymoor here in the North East organised one tour. There were a few of us and he drove us around in a mini bus. He had all the responsibility and the things we done he must have wanted to kill us sometimes.

All this experience of understanding an audience has helped when I’m putting a show together. You see the show differently from actors who only see it from their point of view.

I remember doing Catherine Cookson’s ‘The Cinder Path’. I had Nicky Cochrane in it who played Steve McDonalds brother in Coronation Street. He was playing Ginger Slater, essentially the baddie. I gave myself a character called the fishwife who kept the story going and throwing a few laughs in as it was heavy going.

One show we were doing a matinee at Billingham Forum. I was waiting with Nicky to go on stage for our scene when he turned to me ‘Leah, this is a tough crowd’. I replied ‘Farringdon Social Club was a tough crowd this is a walk over’.  A bunch of pensioners on the front row who might nod off would not present a problem.

Club audiences had a reputation for being tough but that was only because they weren’t there prepared to put up with anything. You had to be good. You had to know your stuff. That’s been a great backbone for work that I do now. How to read an audience. They’ve paid their money and tickets can be pricey for a whole family so you have a responsibility. That crowd need to be entertained.

I was brought up in variety but now I only do one variety show a year that’s the Silver Bells Christmas variety show for three nights at the Phoenix Theatre in Blyth. Looking around there were a lot of young people coming up but their take on variety was different from mine. I was old school. I’m not saying it was better in my day just different. So, I thought to keep working I’d just change what I’m doing. I’m going to step up. I went and done panto as well that led me to acting which I really enjoyed.

For the Blyth variety show we do sketches and a few gags a typical show I really enjoy it. I use the pantomime cast so there’s a lot of us on stage and this year it’s with Tommy Cannon who is a good friend. The poster said Cannon & Bell but when it was done large the Bell looked like Ball!

Tommy and his wife were up recently and we got watching some of the old TV shows like Wheeltappers and Shunters Club and yes it was a laugh but we were saying we wouldn’t dare say that type of joke now. Time has moved on. And so it should.

What am I doing now? ‘Dirty Dusting’ written by Ed Waugh is on tour in October. We’ve got my good friend Chrissy Rock (Benidorm) in it with Vanessa Karon and Paul Dunn. Can you believe the show still sells out. It was originally performed over 20 years ago. First time I did it was 12 years ago and it’s been on tour at least twice a year every year.

From late November through December, we have ‘Sleeping Beauty’ panto at Consett Empire with Marcus Collins from X Factor then next year Alison Stanley and I have ‘Tit’s Up’ going out on tour. That play is about the relationship between three ladies as they wait in the Oncology department in hospital.

It’s sharp, it’s funny, we wrote it together. Some of the shows funnier bits are added on the spur of the moment and Alison tells me to write them down for the next show cos ‘you might forget it’. My character is nosey she wants to know everybody’s business, she thinks she’s gone for a day out.

We’ve just done a short tour and it’s done well at the box office. On the first performance me and Alison were nervous because some ladies from the Cancer Society were in the audience.

Mentally and physicaly I feel better now than when I was 40. I’m 72 now but I’ve always been energetic and kept busy and turn up early for work. I’m happy to have made the move from variety to acting. The world has moved on and so it should. Would I ever retire? No chance.

Alikivi   October 2025

Link to July 2021 interview >>>

TAKE A BOW – writer, actress & theatre producer, Leah Bell | ALIKIVI : NORTH EAST UK CULTURE

KNOCKOUT with former boxer Terry Patterson

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Terry Patterson had one foot considerably smaller than the other so wore a calliper.

“It’s known as a clawfoot. I was bullied by school gangs so decided to fight back”.

From gutting fish, to boxing to heartfelt poetry – this is Terry Patterson’s story.

Born in North Shields in 1956 Terry attended Ralph Gardiner Secondary modern school, he left with no qualifications but was taken on as an apprentice fish filleter at North Shields fish quay.

“Working on the fish quay was hard but good fun. Weighing, icing and boxing salmon to begin with, then learning how to fillet various types of fish and how to drive a popper lorry. I tell ya’ the smell took some getting used to”.

With school bullying still fresh in his mind, Terry joined North Shields Boys Boxing Club where he was taught by ex-professional Joe Myers.

His boxing career lasted a total of 22 years, in that time he worked in the shipyards and had been a school caretaker.

A couple of years ago I interviewed ex-boxer now coach Preston Brown from Sunderland.…”Yeah I know Pasty Brown very well” said Terry. “Over the years I fought a few Sunderland lads. Derek Nelson was a classy boxer who turned pro. I fought two ABA finalists in Gordon Pedro Philips and Willie Neil. I fought Pedro in the North Eastern Counties final but lost. Both lads were well schooled”.

“Willie’s coach asked if I’d fight him one evening because his opponent hadn’t turned up. I weighed in at 10st 6lbs (welterweight), he was heavier than me by 6lbs. I knew his reputation for knocking people out. Norman Fawcett negotiated with his team and £50 was slipped into my hand for taking the fight”.

“Willie could bang a bit – so could I – but he had me down three times during our bout. We set about each other unleashing hell for three fierce rounds. I had him going at one point after landing a good left hook but the bell sounded and my chance to finish him had gone”.

“Gordon and Willie are still good to this day – it’s been 36 years since we shared a ring. I see them at boxing dinners and  Boxing Club Reunions. Both of them bought my novel ‘Like Mother Like Son’.

In over 200 bouts Terry won national honours and passed the advanced ABA coaching exam plus he was involved with coaching youngsters until 1986.

After an industrial accident left him unfit to continue his love of boxing, Terry was determined to focus on another sport and won the Disabled Sport England Snooker Championship five years in a row.

“I qualified as a UK professional snooker referee and got a call up to referee the Maltese open in 1997” said Terry.

In 2002 he became North Tyneside’s first World Professional Snooker Coach. He coached at Wallsend Supa Snooker for disabled and able-bodied youngsters, but after a fall on icy roads, not only had he injured his back, he suffered from a dark depression.  

Terry added “I was diagnosed as clinically depressed. It’s something I just try to get on with. A surgeon advised me to take up knitting – no I didn’t – but I was determined to excel at something.”

Throwing himself into a number of academic courses at North Tyneside College Terry volunteered at Newcastle’s Percy Hedley training centre working for clients who had cerebral palsy.

He spent over five years working in various care homes until the injuries he sustained over the years got the better of him.

“Depression is something I’ve dealt with my whole life but I feel life still holds challenges for me”.

With an interest in poetry and short stories he began to spend his time writing. To date Terry has produced 46 novellas and three novels ‘Like Mother like Son’, ‘He Who Rides a Tiger’ and ‘Living with Grandpa’. His writing is free to read on Movellas.com.

“I’ve also written plays – two of which have been staged in various theatres. ‘Reaping the Benefits’ and ‘The Redundant Blade’ which was written as a tribute to Tom Hadaway”.

“We were only four days from staging ‘The House Across the Road’ when covid broke and we lost cast members. Eighteen months later we tried again and two days before the production two young cast members took ill. My producer and I lost a lot of money and we decided to walk away and the group disbanded.”

Prolific North East Writer and theatre producer Alison Stanley and cast will be reading one of Terry’s plays at Laurels in Whitley Bay, at 2pm on Thursday 22nd August. ‘A Home for Willie’ raises awareness of dementia.

Terry explains “At 68 years of age I’ve never done any for personal gain, never made anything from it but would love to have one of my books or plays made into a television programme or series”.

“I would like to follow where Catherine Cookson and Tom Hadaway left off. I hope that one day when I’m no longer around I’ll be remembered like the people who inspired me”.

Alikivi   August 2024



250,000 MILESTONE MESSAGES #2

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And the messages keep coming in to celebrate the quarter of a million milestone of the North East Culture blog.

Dave Curry ‘Congratulations on the fantastic milestone you’ve achieved. I would like to say that without your interest and drive the photos that were recently included in the 40th anniversary of Motorhead’s ‘No Sleep’ CD would still be sitting in the loft. Keep up the excellent work’.

Julie Clay (Promoter) ‘Wow what a milestone, 250,000 hits on your blog….well done Gary! Great to meet you and be part of such a great blog. Good luck and all the best for 2022.’ 

Jon De Ville (actor, ex-vocalist Tygers of Pan Tang) ‘I spent some of my best years of my life in the North East and I love returning. My very best wishes to everyone and here’s to a rockin’ 2022’.

Alison Stanley (Actress, Writer & Theatre producer) ‘I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Gary on a couple of occasions, both of which have been thoroughly enjoyable. Gary’s blog has been an excellent means of telling everyone about my work as an actress/writer and has allowed me to reach a much wider audience.

I love reading Gary’s pieces and was really chuffed to join the ranks and be interviewed myself. I would definitely recommend reading’.

Carol Nichol (Lowfeye) ‘With social media there is often an overload of mundane feeds, so when you see an Alikivi review you are keen to hit that button with interest, whether it be a review of a band, a character from local history, there is always something brilliant in the creation of these blogs/reviews, through the research and the way they are written and presented, they are a little jewel in the world of social media today. It’s very evident how passionate Gary is in seeking out these largely unknown stories. Fantastic stuff!’

Garry Hunter (Creative Director) ‘This resource is key to continuing and reaffirming Tyneside as a cosmopolitan centre, with quarter of a million views it’s testament to Alikivi’s global reach, proving that Geordies get everywhere in the world, whether as engineers, artists or musicians, our impact is immense.’  

Tom Noble (Music manager & Promoter) ‘Gary’s blog has contributed significantly to the promotion of culture in the North East at a time when it’s increasingly difficult to get coverage for anyone but the most successful acts, he has supported local music admirably.’

Par Can (former stage technician) ‘A few years ago I had a major health issue which left me with time to read and take proper notice of things I’d previously just skimmed over. One of those was a site run by Film Maker Gary Alikivi.

If you can’t find a plethora of interesting, amusing, informative articles to entertain you then you have somehow ended up on ‘The Wit and Wisdom of Boris dot com’ ! Thank you for all your hard work Gary. Look forward to many more great articles’.


Tony Hodge (The Pirahana Brothers) ‘Great news hitting 250,000 views of your excellent blog. I love reading the stories you feature covering many aspects of the North East especially its huge contribution our entertainers make. Keep up the good work and here’s to the million mark’.

Jon Dalton (Jazz guitarist & Composer) ‘Thanks for all the work you’ve been doing here and particularly your focus on the NWOBHM. Not just music from the North East but also bands like ours from the opposite corner of the country. That was an important time for so many of us and it’s great to see those stories recognized and remembered’.

Sam Blewitt – aka Sam Blue, (singer for Ya Ya, Ultravox, The Streets, The Young Punx, Dizzee Rascal, The Attention Seekers). ‘The history of North East music is a very important piece of cultural history, Gary chronicles it beautifully. His interviews and historical pieces are carefully and thoughtfully put together, making them a joy to read.

I really enjoyed being interviewed by Gary, his questions allow scope for a wider answer. I had to really dig deep to remember dates and locations, but it was great fun and brought back some wonderful memories. Great Job Gary, keep up the good work’.

Jeff Brown (BBC Look North) ‘Enjoyed being a part of the project, Gary – keep telling the world about the region’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.’

Antony Bray (Abaddon/Venom Inc) ‘After forming Venom Inc I was lucky enough to begin touring in Europe again followed by the Far East and USA, this continued and we toured the world for three years. Of course many, many interviews went hand in hand, but none more satisfying and relaxing than the one I did with Gary Alikivi right on my doorstep.’

Micky Crystal (Tygers of Pan Tang/New Breed Revolution) ‘Huge congratulations on a quarter of a million readers Gary. Honoured to be part of the Alikivi North East blog’.

Quentin Kopp (Chairman, The Orwell Society) ‘Gary continues to do a wonderful job of keeping aspects of the history and people of South Shields alive. For me, as Chair of The Orwell Society, a highlight was Gary’s evocative film Wildflower about Eileen O’Shaughnessy, Orwell’s first wife who grew up in South Shields where her Father was the Chief Customs Office.’

Richard Blair, Patron of the Orwell Society and son of George Orwell ‘Since the start of 2017 I have been amazed by the number of people who have shown so much interest in both my father and mother. Eileen was a child of South Shields, who fell for an impecunious and relatively unknown young author, but she had great faith in his ability. The tragedy was that she was to die before the publication of Animal Farm, a book that she contributed so much to when George Orwell was writing it.

The Orwell Society has identified with the Tyneside area with the help of interested people from the North East, and from time to time we are able to bring some of the members up to see her birth place, the area she was brought up and also buried. I hope that we might meet some of you when the Society visits in March to unveil a plaque to Eileen.’

Joe Peterson (Big Red & the Grinners) ‘I love reading posts on ALIKIVI the North East culture blog, it’s the only true record of what it was like to be a musician in bands in the North East, it’s a great piece of archive for future musicians too who will be able to look back and get a sense of what it was like for us.’

Big thanks to all you lovely people for the messages…keep spreading the love !