Alexander Millar and the Appeal of the Gadgie
Alexander Millar’s Gadgie, the Geordie working man clad in flat clap and creased suit jacket, crops up everywhere in his artistic work. In this piece I explore what exactly it means.
Author: Tom Draper
I write about North East England, film history and culture.
How the Metro Map Distorts Tyne and Wear
The Tyne and Wear Metro map has become the dominant way of visualising Newcastle, Sunderland and their suburbs. It does not offer us the full picture.
I, Daniel Blake’s Geordie in Crisis
Ken Loach’s latest film is set in Newcastle and stars Dave Johns as a traditional Geordie facing up to the challenge of living and getting by in 21st century England.
Four Visions of T. Dan Smith
T. Dan Smith remains as one of Tyneside’s most controversial political figures. Hero or villain? Visionary or crook? Smith’s legacy distilled into four narratives.
Joseph Cowen: Geordie Entrepreneur, Politician and Radical
At the foot of Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, stands a bronze statue of Joseph Cowen (1829-1900), strategically placed to remind contemporary Geordies of his influence as they travel up towards the Tyne Theatre and Opera House which was designed and operated under his guidance. Cowen dominated Tyneside politics between the years 1850-1900: as editor… Continue reading Joseph Cowen: Geordie Entrepreneur, Politician and Radical
British Cinema’s North-South Divide: In Conversation with Tom Jackson
Northern Realism versus ‘Southern Splendour’ – two common ways of imagining the geography and the stories of the United Kingdom.
Documentary Ethics and Aesthetics: In Conversation with Tom Jackson
How three new films – The Act of Killing, Waltz with Bashir and Leviathan – play with documentary history.
Newcastle Brown Ale: from Miners to Hipsters
For Geordies, Newcastle Brown Ale, Broon or dog – never Newky Brown – still remains as one of the defining icons of Tyneside’s culinary heritage. A dark brown, malty brew, said by some to work like rocket fuel, and said by others, to cause you to go on a mad one in Toon. While the… Continue reading Newcastle Brown Ale: from Miners to Hipsters
Toon on Television: Our Friends in the North
It would be easy to suggest that the major theme of Peter Flannery’s historical epic Our Friends in the North (1996) is corruption, as politicians, the police and seedy London gangsters are all seen to engage in dishonest activities, protecting themselves, bribing those in positions of power and selling out their friends in order to make a… Continue reading Toon on Television: Our Friends in the North
Summer Film Viewing
Followers of this site will already know of my love for Jafar Panahi and the Iranian cinema in general, so it is fairly straightforward that I would find Closed Curtain (Panahi, 2013) appealing in all of its postmodern, metatextual exuberance. It is a film which may seem unintelligible to audiences unaware of the director’s plight… Continue reading Summer Film Viewing
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