Jeff Brown & Ian Payne appearing at North Shields Exchange 29 April 2025.
Two of the region’s most loved television icons will be appearing in North Shields this month on their regional tour. Jeff Brown and Ian Payne who between them presented award-winning local news on the BBC and Tyne Tees Television for more than 30 years will be sharing the stage at the Exchange Theatre.
People will get the chance to learn about the interests and lives of these TV personalities who have been welcome guests in our living rooms for decades.
Jeff, 62, joined the BBC over 20 years ago, co-presented Look North with Carol Malia until he left in May last year. Ian, 56, joined Tyne Tees in 1992 from Nova International where he worked with Brendan Foster on the Great North Run. Ian has presented with Mike Neville and the much-loved Pam Royle. He now shares news anchor duties with Amy Lea.
Despite once being on rival stations they are good mates – having worked together at Tyne Tees for six and a half years in the 1990s.
The compere for the evening will be South Shields playwright Ed Waugh (Wor Bella, Hadaway Harry, The Cramlington Train Wreckers) whose play Carrying David transfers to Newcastle Theatre Royal in June. Ed explained “I’ve worked with Jeff and Ian at various times, especially at Sunday for Sammy. They’re both really entertaining and interesting lads. Whenever we get together it’s one long laugh.”
He continued “We put them together a year ago at the Lit & Phil in Newcastle and the Customs House in South Shields where it sold out twice at both venues. It went down a storm.They are both cultural icons of the region, that’s why we are touring to The Exchange in North Shields, Gala Theatre Durham, Bishop Auckland Town Hall and Gosforth Civic theatre.”
Ed continued “Ian was a top trampolinist in his youth and appeared on the children’s television show Blockbusters! He’s also a creative writer, a budding artist and loves music. Likewise, Jeff is a creative writer. His excellent play – The Bench – is touring the region in June. He’s also a canny chanter. I’ve seen him sing live with a band and he rocked”
“It’s a cracking show their stories are captivating and hilarious. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know Jeff and Ian better.”
An Evening with Jeff Brown and Ian Payne will be at: Durham Gala April 24, North Shields Exchange April 29, Bishop Auckland Town Hall May 12, Gosforth Civic Theatre May 16. Contact the venues for details.
Marden High school in North Shields will host an evening of stories told by three Geordie voices. Founding member of Lindisfarne, Ray Laidlaw, BBC local news reader Carol Malia and international playwright Ed Waugh. Each have a connection to Monkhouse Primary, North Shields, so it’s fitting that all proceeds from the event go to the school.
As well as finding international fame with Lindisfarne, North Shields lad Ray Laidlaw is producer of Geordie institutions Sunday for Sammy and Christmas in the Cathedral. Ray was recently part of the creative team that won a Royal Television Society Award for the brilliant BBC 4 documentary, The Alan Hull Story.
Born in Tynemouth, Carol was a former Marden High school pupil. A regular on our TV screens since 1997, Carol has lots of funny stories to tell, a real Geordie institution.
Ed Waugh has produced 21 professional plays including Dirty Dusting (co-written with Trevor Wood). In January it’ll be performed at Whitley Bay Playhouse and his self-penned play Wor Bella will grace London and Newcastle Theatre Royal in April. Ed also writes comedy sketches for Sunday for Sammy and Christmas at the Cathedral.
Ed Waugh said“In April 2022 my lovely daughter in law Rachelle died aged 34. The school has been brilliantly supportive of my two grandchildren who have attended Monkhouse Primary. It’s an excellent school which thrives on developing the children and giving them new experiences either via extra-curricular activities like football, gardening and archery to name just a few examples, or encouraging them in school time to be active in the arts. I just wanted to do something as a thank you. Both Ray and Carol immediately said yes, which was brilliant of them. It’ll be a great night.”
The event will be held on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 @ 7.30pm at Marden High School, Hartington Road, North Shields, NE30 3RZ.
Just back after four days filming at the Mouth of the Tyne festival. The stage for the concert is fantastic, set in the grounds of Tynemouth Priory & Castle where the North Sea meets the river Tyne.
From Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th July headliners were The Proclaimers, Siouxsie, ex Housemartins/Beautiful South vocalist Paul Heaton, and on Sunday Gabrielle was on with Tyneside band Big Red & the Grinners. New post soon about the festival.
In September the prestigious Lit & Phil in Newcastle city centre will host two of the region’s most loved television icons for an evening of fun and laughter.
Jeff Brown and Ian Payne are well known North East newsreaders from BBC Look North and ITV Tyne Tees. Despite being on rival stations, Jeff and Ian are good mates.
They have been guests in our living rooms presenting award-winning local news for years – but how much do we really know of them?
Ian & Jeff (pic March 2023)
Ian, 55, originally from Ipswich, came to study in Newcastle in 1986 and never left! He joined Tyne Tees in 1992 and has shared news presenting duties with Mike Neville and the much-loved Pam Royle.
Jeff, 61, who hails from Roker, was a journalist on local newspapers and joined Tyne Tees in 1996 where he worked with the legendary Mike Neville. He has just celebrated 20 years at the BBC.
“Me and Ian spend most of our lives reading out other people’s words, so it’ll be a nice change to tell folk a bit more about ourselves. It’s not just a talk show, though – there’ll be music and all sorts going on”.
Jeff added “We’re hoping it’ll be fun. We’ll certainly enjoy ourselves!”
Both TV personalities agreed to do the talks after being approached by playwright and producer Ed Waugh.
“They are cultural icons of the region, that’s why I suggested this event, so people can get to know them better” explained Ed.
Ed, whose hit plays include Wor Bella and Hadaway Harry, explained “I’ve worked with Jeff and Ian at various times, especially at Sunday for Sammy and the Laffalang. They’re both great lads, really entertaining. Whenever we get together it’s one long laugh. Their stories are captivating and hilarious”.
Ed continued “Ian was a top trampolinist in his youth and appeared on children’s tv show Blockbusters! He’s also a creative writer, a budding artist and loves music”.
“Likewise, Jeff is a creative writer, with a new play on at the Customs House in September. He’s also a canny chanter. I’ve seen him sing live with a band and he rocked!
We’ve already had to add an afternoon talk because of popular demand. It’ll be a cracking show with those canny lads off the telly!”
The event organised by Wisecrack productions will take place on Wednesday, September 6, at 2pm and 6.30pm. Tickets cost £6 and are limited to 80 per performance.
They can be purchased via Eventbrite or available to buy direct from the Lit & Phil or telephone (0191) 232 0192.
Jeff Brown has been a familiar face on North East TV for 25 years, delivering news and sport in his calm and self-assured way. I arranged to meet him in The Customs House, South Shields to find out what makes him tick.
Everyone is good at something it’s just finding it, it gives you tremendous focus and peace of mind and I was lucky to find mine at a young age.
I was also very lucky having supportive parents so when I said at 14 that I wanted to be a sports reporter they never said everyone wants to get into football matches for nothing, why not be an accountant.
Journalism was all I wanted to do. My Dad said let’s see what we can do to make it happen. He suggested looking in the Sunderland Echo every night to see what sports stories they don’t cover and go and cover them.
First thing I did was follow some friends up to Edinburgh for a Table Tennis tournament. I wrote it all up and sent it in. It was used in the Echo and it was an absolute wow seeing it in print. This was around 1976.
I also followed Newcastle Diamonds speedway, wrote up the reports in longhand and my Dad drove miles out of his way to work to drop them off at the Echo office.
After having three or four printed and not being paid my Dad said why not drop them a line and say you are happy to supply them but payment would be good.
I eventually got £1.25 for each report printed and after a few of these they started putting my name on them – giving me a by line. I knew then this is what I wanted to do.
I was desperate to start work straight after school but a teacher advised me to go to University because it would help get me further and faster in a career. Unfortunately no Media courses then so it was Economic and Social History at York.
Jeff at the Birmingham Post & Mail.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS
In my third year I wrote off to fifty newspapers and got six replies, two interviews and one job offer. So that’s how I finished up at the Birmingham Post and Mail in 1982 as a trainee at a time when newspapers had a bit of money so they were putting you on training courses.
I did my two and a half years training and everyday I would go over to the sports desk and ask if there’s a job nobody wants to do – maybe on a weekend or evening – I’ll do it.
As my training finished a job came up on the sports desk as a junior, so I became sports reporter in January 1985 and after a year a job came up on the North East Journal.
I thought I had left the North East and wanted to go to Fleet Street in London, but after talking to friends and looking at the opportunity of writing about North East sport, I came back and did ten years on the Journal.
That was mainly football, boxing and speedway plus Durham cricket who became a first class county and I got the job covering them home and away for not just the Journal but the Chronicle, Sunday Sun and the Pink. I always loved writing and did fourteen years in all on papers.
Jeff interviews cricketer Ian Botham for the Journal, 1993.
SPIRIT OF RADIO
When Durham were playing first class county matches BBC Newcastle wanted news reports from matches that I was covering. So at the end of the game I’d pick up a phone and talk about the game for a minute – and that was it.
Writing a report, you’d spend all day crafting eight hundred to a thousand words then ring the office, asking them to change a comma or paragraph – it was so much easier just talking! So I did a bit more radio broadcasting, before a job came up at Tyne Tees in 1996.
The boss, Roger Thames, got in touch and asked if I wanted to come in for a chat ? I was a bit naïve, because it was an interview really – and he asked me to do a screen test there and then.
I thought I had my best tie on, but is my hair ok ? Maybe I should say I’ll come back tomorrow, when I would have had time to prepare. But as he was talking I thought: no this is TV – it’s what you’ve got to do and be ready at a minutes notice.
I still have a copy of the screen test on tape, and if you saw it you would say ‘How did that bloke ever get on TV!’ I’m reading a news bulletin and it’s awful! I’m tense and moving nothing but my lips.
Then they asked me to talk about a sports topic for two minutes. I was wired up (through a headpiece) to the gallery and they let me know when there was a minute left, 30 seconds left, and then there was a countdown from ten seconds to zero.
Timing is all important – especially on ITV, because you have to hit the advertising breaks.
For the two minute sports topic I talked about Durham cricket, and as I wound the piece up I came out bang on zero. That’s when Roger Thames said ‘that’s the guy for the job’. Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat and think what if I did say I’ll come back tomorrow?
You’ve got to take opportunities when they come along. What’s the worst that could happen ? Changed my life that did – and that was twenty five years ago this month.
BIG PICTURE
The Kevin Keegan and Peter Reid times were great for sport in the North East. ITV had Premier League rights to use the football highlights, and at its height we had a team of eleven in the sports department.
We did sport every night on Tyne Tees, and on a Monday and Friday there were separate sports desks in City Road, Newcastle and at the Belasis studio in Billingham.
We did a Saturday tea-time results service called ‘Full Time’, a weekly magazine programme called Café Sport, and Football Flashback – an archive programme.
We had our own football shows with studio guests, built around Highlights of big Cup ties, and I even travelled to do features in Italy, Holland and the States – it was a great time.
I had six and a half years at Tyne Tees, but then in 2003 I had an appraisal with Roger where he asked what do I want to do? I said ‘I want to do your job, Head of Tyne Tees Sport.’
But he told me his job would be gone in a few years and there wouldn’t be a separate department – it will all be under one roof. It was just the way ITV was developing.
Instead of eighteen separate regions – Tyne Tees, Yorkshire, Granada etc – it would all be just one big ITV company.
It broke my heart to leave but BBC Look North were looking to compete by having a sports night every night. And everything Roger said about the way ITV was changing came to pass.
Onthe BBC sofa with Carol Malia.
LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN
In 2008 our main Look North news presenter, Carol Malia, went on maternity leave and a national advert went out for the post. I thought ‘I’ve done sport for around twenty years now – I might just give it a go’. I was in my comfort zone, and thought I should try something different.
I had been doing sport on Look North five years so knew I wouldn’t be a new face to viewers. My boss said, ‘You didn’t give the best but we’ll take a chance!’
So, I started on news, and when Carol came back, I filled in on some days. Now she does three days a week hosting Look North and I do two, plus two days of sport.
Most of the programme is done in advance with a planning team. The order of news stories is decided on the day. On Monday we spend most of our time churning out the weekend sport.
But we also plan ahead for the rest of the week, so we know we have something every night. At the same time, you’re always ready to drop everything and go chasing after a breaking news story.
There is a high degree of flexibility because of the way the industry has changed. Initially it would take five people to put a story on telly. When I started there was a cameraman, sound engineer, reporter, video editor and another sound engineer for recording a voice over.
Now I can be a video journalist (VJ) where I film something, digitize it, choose the pictures, write the voice over and record that, then edit the whole package and finally present it – which is why there aren’t as many jobs as there used to be, despite there being loads more channels!
Being able to edit pictures can give you great flexibility. If a story breaks at 6pm I can write it, choose the pictures, edit it all together then bang – it’s there to use at 6.30pm.
One time I was just putting my phone in the locker and I picked up a text that the Sunderland manager at the time – Steve Bruce – had just been sacked.
We had half an hour to reshape the whole programme, which began with Carol asking me questions while we floated in some pictures of Steve, and I talked about it for 2-3 minutes. It’s that immediacy which makes it so exciting.
The day after this interview Newcastle United were sold to new owners becoming one of the richest football clubs on the planet.
Jeff was called in for a special live broadcast from St James’ Park and Newcastle manager Steve Bruce again was in line to be sacked.
Read part two about Jeff’s involvement in theatre and arts and what he is doing now.
ALIKIVI : NORTH EAST UK CULTURE 