The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
28 June 1967: Town Moor Hoppings
A rap on rain and rates with Britain’s first black British broadcaster and the travelling showpeople at the Hoppings funfair in Newcastle.
From the collection of:
Overview
Britain’s first black TV news reporter, Clyde Alleyne, interviews showmen and women during a wet week at the annual Hoppings funfair in Newcastle. He talks to live novelty act Davey Jones, exhibiting in the 1960s with Florence and Robert Campbell and billed as a ‘Living Leprechaun – the World’s Smallest Man’. Mute footage of the fairground in action suggest that salacious showgirls and the nostalgia of curiosity driven sideshows still intrigue the crowds.
Born in the early 1900s in Lisburn, County Antrim, Davey Jones travelled around Britain’s fairs with Bostock and Wombell’s Menagerie from 1928 to 1933. He worked with Bertram Mills for one year before leaving to tour with the Barnum and Bailey Ringling Circus in the United States. He returned to Northern Ireland before the outbreak of World War Two. This Tyne Tees TV news footage records Jones during his final years with the Campbells, performing his show with a custom made miniature motorcar shaped like an E-type Jaguar. Clyde Alleyne is a forgotten pioneer in black British broadcasting. He joined Tyne Tees Television in May 1967, working on both the Six Five and Late Look news programmes.
Related
Watch for free
Sixty-four Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale Sixty-four Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale
Biopic 1985 94 mins
The turbulent life and death of championship boxer Randolph Turpin.
Watch for free
Caribbean Restaurant Caribbean Restaurant
Magazine and Review show 1986 7 mins Location: West Bromwich
Bringing the tastes of Montego Bay to a wintry West Bromwich.
Watch for free
Burning Cross Race Attack Burning Cross Race Attack
News 1965 5 mins Location: Handsworth
A stark reminder from Handsworth of the intolerance and hatred that darkened the streets of 1960s Britain.
Watch for free
Gay Black Group Gay Black Group
Magazine and Review show 1983 25 mins Location: Bloomsbury
The Gay Black Group - reasserting culture and identity on two levels.
Watch for free
13 November 1967: Martin Luther King Interview 13 November 1967: Martin Luther King Interview
News 1967 2 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
A rare interview with Dr Martin Luther King casts fresh light on black British broadcast history.
Currently unavailable
Tiger Bay and The Rainbow Club - I Tiger Bay and The Rainbow Club - I
Home movie 1960 39 mins Silent Location: Butetown
Tiger Bay in Cardiff's docks area: a successful, multi-cultural community, providing a variety of activities, but which is threatened by 'slum' clearance.
Watch for free
V.T.O.L V.T.O.L
Amateur film 1969 8 mins Location: Town Moor
Jet set thrills at a 1969 Royal Air Force Exhibition on the Town Moor in Newcastle.
Watch for free
Bingo Bingo
Amateur film 1965 9 mins Silent Location: Jesmond
A business man’s luck runs out when he tries to lose a kitsch bingo prize at the Hoppings fair.
Watch for free
Bridges on the River Tyne Bridges on the River Tyne
Amateur film 1957 5 mins Silent Location: Town Moor
A pleasure flight from Newcastle Airport wings its way along the Tyne in the 1950s.
Watch for free
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
Watch for free
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
Watch for free
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Watch for free
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Watch for free
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Watch for free
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.