article by Alex from Newcastle

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Newcastle 

I come from Newcastle and I think it’s the best place in the world.  

I am a passionate supporter of Newcastle United.   I love my seat at the stadium.   The St James stadium holds 52,000.   I am in the John Hall Stand at the top of the back row.   There is some view from there.  

I love the atmosphere.   Alan Shearer is my hero.   We have not won a trophy in 35 years, but not for the lack of trying.   We came close a few times but blew it at the last moment. 

Ant and Dec are the celebrities Newcastle have got.   They are lifelong supporters of Newcastle.   I have met Ant and Dec. 

Lots of famous people come from Newcastle.   Jimmy Nail is another person I have met.   He did a two-part episode of “Auf Wiedersehen Pet” at Christmas but this will be the last ever according to what he said on Richard and Judy (Punch and Judy I call them). 

Robson Green is from Newcastle but hasn’t really got a Geordie accent.   Jill Hathaway, who used to be in “East Enders”, is also from the Toon.   She’s a bonny-looking Geordie! 

In Newcastle our paper is the “Newcastle Chronicle”.   That’s the equivalent of the “Evening Times” up here. 

Newcastle has lots of interesting places.   Byker is on the outskirts of Newcastle.   Ant and Dec are from there.   Byker is a real place where Byker Grove was filmed.   My aunt and uncle stay just two doors away from where Ant and Dec were brought up.   They (Ant and Dec) were up at Christmas.   They’re very down to earth.   Fame has not made them forget where they came from. 

Walker is another good place.   The Metro system is great.   It takes you from Newcastle to Whitley Bay in 20 minutes.   The Metro Centre is the biggest shopping centre in Europe.   It has three Newcastle United shops.   Newcastle United supporters are called “The Toon Army”, or “The Magpies”. 

People say how we have our own way of speaking in Newcastle.   In Newcastle fags is “tabs”.   Some of you will remember Tudor Crisps, which went off the market years ago.   Tyooder!   Splicer bars, also off the market, were from Newcastle too. 

In Newcastle you will often hear, “Ha way!   Ye gan doon the cloob.”   (“Ha way” means “Come on!”.)   They love the bingo down there.   They’ve got hundreds of clubs down there.   Guys go for bingo down there but you don’t see that up here. 

That reminds me of “When the boat comes in”.   (That was shot in Newcastle and Whitley Bay.)   There’s another two that come from Newcastle.   Rodney Bewes and James Bolan.   Rodney Bewes doesn’t have much of a Geordie accent – it was James Bolan I liked.   He played Andy Capp.   He was in the bookies  all the time – his wife could never find him.   James Bolan was also in Supergran with Iain Cuthbertson.   I met both Iain and the woman that played Supergran in the train coming up from Newcastle. 

Newcastle is easy to get to from Glasgow.   You leave Central now to go to Newcastle.   I don’t want to be cheeky but it’s a million times better than Glasgow.   In ten years’ time I’ll probably be down there permanently!

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