00:00Across the North East, Geordie culture is being celebrated on music, on screens, in
00:04film and on the streets. The Mercury Music Prize is returning to Newcastle and its previous
00:09winner, local lad Sam Fender, has just had his first UK number one single after the song
00:13spent weeks climbing the charts. On TV, Geordie show has returned with its 26th series in
00:19January marking more than a decade of the reality show's presence on UK screens. Meanwhile
00:24city tours and local experiences introduce visitors and residents alike to what it means
00:29to be Geordie.
00:30If you're watching the football, you'll hear the commentator say the tune, the Geordie's,
00:37don't hear that anywhere else. Even if you're a Scouser, they don't say Scousers, they just
00:43say the Liverpool fans. You know, it's its own family, if you like. And it's very, very
00:50proud to be part of that. Very proud.
00:53I do like Newcastle a lot. There's a lot of things to do. I used to live in like a
00:58small
00:58village outside of London and it's like a big step up of that. The people are much
01:04nicer than in London though. You can smile at people and they'll smile back, surprisingly.
01:09No hate in London. I love London.
01:10We're from Derry and Northern Ireland. So we come from a very, very friendly place and
01:16I find coming here is very, very friendly as well. It does seem home from home. Though
01:21there's no real, I don't feel as if there's real difference, just the accent. Don't understand
01:26anybody.
01:28Recently, Sam Fender, the North Shield singer-songwriter, achieved his first number one single in the
01:33UK with Rain Me In, a collaboration with Olivia Dean reaching the top after a record-long climb
01:38up the charts. In music, the Mercury Prize, which celebrates the best British and Irish
01:43albums each year, is set to take place in Newcastle again in October after arriving in
01:47the city for the first time last year. That was an event won by Sam Fender. While major
01:52Hollywood productions, including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Transformers The
01:57Last Knight, have both chosen the region for key scenes.
02:01People are very friendly, quite outspoken really. Calm people, good to speak to, quite friendly
02:08as well. But I'd say in general, the vibe's quite good, it's quite clean. You know, the
02:12people are not very noisy and they're not rude.
02:17You've also got not just the city, you've got the coast. Up the coast as well, it's got some
02:22fabulous beaches, some beautiful towns. You can see houses in Barmburgh. Absolutely love
02:28it up there. Love it up there.
02:29It's quite nice being able to be like an hour away from a lot of really nice places. And
02:35then if you don't feel like seeing nature, you can just come back to the city and just
02:38scroll around for 20 minutes.
02:40From global charts to national television, Hollywood blockbusters and community-rooted walking
02:46tours, Geordie Culture is finding new audiences and renewed attention in 2026. As events and
02:51experiences continue through the year, locals and visitors continue to be captivated by
02:57the region's identity.
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