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Genre | Variety |
---|---|
Running time | 30 minutes |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English - Geordie dialect |
Starring | Varying week by week |
Opening theme | Whereivvor ye gan ye’re sure te find a Geordie |
Ending theme | Whereivvor ye gan ye’re sure te find a Geordie |
Wot Cheor Geordie was an early attempt by the BBC to produce a radio variety programme broadcast from Regional Studios and in a local dialect. Wot Cheor is a greeting in Geordie dialect.
Wot Cheor Geordie was a radio variety programme broadcast from the BBC Regional Studios in Newcastle. It began in the early 1940s and continued until 1956. [1] It featured songs, plays and sketches, all in dialect; some were only moderately successful, while others were considered outstanding. Generally, the programme was a great success.
In 1948 the programme title was included under the "variety" category in the BBC publicity file and it this fact brought it to the notice of London, who requested a recording. A tape was sent from Newcastle with an assurance that the dialect would be toned down and this could be done without losing its humour, [2]
Prior to this, in the 1930s the BBC attempted to expand into the regions by using local materials and local dialects (but very carefully and gently). The North East of England was no exception, and on 9 June 1937 a sketch was broadcast. It utilised the fictitious character "Geordie Marley" who had been created by Newcastle comic writer Captain Walter Dierecx . The sketch was as follows :-
Programme announcer – This is the Northern Programme. Here’s a tale about the day the Marleys spent going to the place where the Blaydon Races were run. The famous races that the song was written about were held seventy-five years ago today…....
Marley – (after humming the concluding bars) Hillo!, ah’ll back ye knaa wat the tune is? Ay hinnies, "Blaydon Races", Tyneside’s National Anthem. Did any owlder folk ivor gan te the Blaydon Races? Ah ownly went theor wance, an’ that was the day the ninth o’ June, an’ it wes some race an’ all mind ye. Ah’ll tell ye aboot it" [3]
The cast of entertainers, writers etc. varied from week to week. These are some of the regulars :-
The programme was inspiration for Jez Lowe's album Wotcheor! [5]
Northumberland is a ceremonial county in North East England, on the border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumbria to the west, and the Scottish Borders council area to the north. The town of Blyth is the largest settlement. Northumberland is the northernmost county in England.
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, 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 an English dialect spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England, especially connected with Newcastle upon Tyne, and sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. The Geordie dialect and identity are primarily associated with a working-class background. A 2008 newspaper survey found the Geordie accent to be perceived as the "most attractive in England" among the British public.
Pitmatic – originally 'pitmatical' – is a group of traditional Northern English dialects spoken in rural areas of the Great Northern Coalfield in England.
Mackem, Makem or Mak'em is a nickname for residents of and people from Sunderland, a city in North East England. It is also a name for the local dialect and accent ; and for a fan, of whatever origin, of Sunderland A.F.C. It has been used by the people of Sunderland to describe themselves since the 1980s, prior to which it was mainly used in Tyneside as a disparaging exonym. An alternative name for a Mackem is a Wearsider.
"Blaydon Races" is a Geordie folk song of 1862, with lyrics by George Ridley written in a style deriving from music hall. It celebrates the horse races held at Blaydon in North East England that year, although mostly composed in advance of the event. The words were inspired by the American ballad "On the Road to Brighton", to the tune of which they are set. The song has become a local anthem, and is frequently sung by supporters of Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle Falcons rugby club, and Durham County Cricket Club.
The Blaydon Race is a 5.8 miles (9.3 km) athletics race from Newcastle upon Tyne to Blaydon, in England, that is steeped in local tradition. It takes place on 9 June every year and starts off with the singing of the "Blaydon Races" -- with the words as the basis for the race.
Esther Helen McCracken was a British actress and playwright.
Northumbrian dialect or Northumbrian English is any one of several traditional English dialects spoken in the historic counties of Northumberland and County Durham. The term Northumbrian can refer to the region of Northumbria but can also refer specifically to the county of Northumberland. This article focuses on the former definition and thus includes varieties from throughout the wider region.
James Cosgrove was an English humourist and concert hall singer whose career spanned the 19th and 20th centuries.
"Cushie Butterfield" is a famous Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Geordie Ridley, in the style of the music hall popular in the day. It is regarded by many as the second unofficial anthem of Tyneside after Blaydon Races.
Rowland "Rowley" Harrison (1841–1897) was a Tyneside poet and singer/songwriter, from Gateshead in County Durham. Possibly his best known work is "Geordy Black", an example of Geordie dialect.
Eric Boswell was an English composer of popular songs and folk music, most famous for writing the children's Christmas song "Little Donkey".
Scott Dobson was an English art teacher, art critic and writer. His works were influential in North East England.
John Gair Robson was an English schoolmaster, musician and songwriter. Many of his 40-plus songs are in Geordie dialect. His most famous song must be "Whereivvor ye gan ye’re sure te find a Geordie".
John William Chater (1840–1885) was a prominent 19th-century Tyneside publisher, printer and bookseller, with premises in the centre of Newcastle.
Chater's Annual was a book, published annually, between 1861 and 1882 by John W. Chater. It contained a mixture of songs, poems, humorous tales, jokes, conundrums, tongue twisters and other items of frivolity.
Norman Turnbull was born in Tyneside and lived for a good part of his life in Gosforth, Newcastle with his four west Highland terriers peter, John, phylis and brown teeth.
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