Tom Hadaway (18 March 1923 – 3 March 2005) [1] was a writer for stage and television, born in North Shields in North East England. [2]
Hadaway was born on Howdon Road, North Shields on 18 March 1923. [3] After leaving school, aged 14, [4] he worked on the North Shields Fish Quay where the characters of fellow workers made a strong impression on him. [5] Their characteristics and experiences would later be recalled in his writing.
Encouraged by the writer C. P. Taylor, who lived in nearby Newcastle and had heard his natural flair for storytelling on the radio, Hadaway began writing plays based on his experiences and observations of the region. [5] Taylor would become a friend and mentor, advising him to write about the places and characters he knew.
Later in his career he worked on television scripts, most notably God Bless Thee Jackie Maddison (1974) as well as episodes of the drama When the Boat Comes In (1976). [2]
He worked with Amber Films and was a key writer for Newcastle's Live Theatre Company featuring local actors including Tim Healy and Robson Green. [6]
In 2002 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Sunderland. [7]
His Prison Plays were published in 2004, edited by Val McLane. [8]
In March 2018, on what would have been his 95th birthday, a blue plaque was unveiled at Hadaway's birthplace by Tim Healy. [3]
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.
Geordie is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitutes a Geordie. The term is used and has been historically used to refer to the people of the North East. A Geordie can also specifically be a native of Tyneside and the surrounding areas. Not everyone from the North East of England identifies as a Geordie.
Tyne and Wear is a ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Jarrow is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tyne, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the east coast. The 2011 census area classed Hebburn and The Boldons as part of the town, it had a population of 43,431. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne Tunnel and 5 mi (8.0 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
South Shields is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Once known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. It is the fourth largest settlement in Tyne and Wear; after Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland and Gateshead.
Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around 10 miles (16 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne. Two notable landmarks are the Spanish City and St. Mary's Lighthouse, the latter on a small island near the town.
Tynemouth is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is best known for Tynemouth Priory.
Dame Catherine Ann Cookson, DBE was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while she retained a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers. Her books were inspired by her deprived youth in South Shields, North East England, the setting for her novels. With 104 titles written in her own name or two other pen names, she is one of the most prolific British novelists.
North Shields is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth.
James Alan Hull was an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the Tyneside folk rock band Lindisfarne.
Tynemouth is a constituency in Tyne and Wear represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Sir Alan Campbell, a member of the Labour Party.
Sid Chaplin was an English writer whose works are mostly set in the north-east of England, in the 1940s and 1950s.
Michael Chaplin is an English theatre, radio, television and non-fiction writer and former television producer and executive. He grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne where he now lives and works again.
Val McLane is an English actress, scriptwriter, director and teacher. Her younger brother is actor and musician Jimmy Nail.
Shaun Prendergast is an English actor and writer.
Sean O'Brien FRSL is a British poet, critic and playwright. Prizes he has won include the Eric Gregory Award (1979), the Somerset Maugham Award (1984), the Cholmondeley Award (1988), the Forward Poetry Prize and the T. S. Eliot Prize (2007). He is one of only three poets to have won both the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for the same collection of poems.
Jim Slater was British trade union leader.
Hebburn is a BBC television comedy series set in Hebburn in Tyne & Wear. The six-part series commenced broadcasting on BBC Two on 18 October 2012 starring Kimberley Nixon and Chris Ramsey. The show is written by Jason Cook and Graham Duff and follows the recently wedded couple Jack and Sarah alongside Jack's family.
Brendan Healy was a British entertainer from North East England. Beginning as a musician, he worked in television, becoming an actor, theatre writer and producer, and, later, a comedian.
Peter Mortimer is an English poet, playwright and journalist, as well as an editor and theatre director. He has been living in North-East England since 1970 and much of his work has been devoted to that area. However, a series of 'extreme' travelogues have given him a wider focus and made him known elsewhere. In 2001, he received a Northern Arts Award.