The best Sammy Johnson’s movies

Set in working class Newcastle, the Stott family fight their private battles against the backdrop of the conflict of World War II. Helen Stott, over thirty and with a limp, is resigned to being left on the shelf until she meets and falls in love with Norman, a serviceman from London. In contrast, her younger sister Joyce has quite a way with men, and finds herself a little too popular with the troops, especially when her husband pops up on leave from his regiment.

Spender Christmas Special: Spender is sent to France to escort Tommy Thornton who has been extradited to the UK.

In amongst the fishing quaysides of the North East of England, manipulative Bob is first able to wangle his way into a prominent position within a fish distribution firm. It isn’t long before he has his sights not only on the boss’s job - but also his wife as well. Part of the BBC Play for Today strand.

Viz magazines 'Sid the Sexist' comes to life in this animated version of the exploits of 'Tyneside's silver tongued cavalier'

Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole snoops and School Board men and the ever encroaching regulations of a hostile council, their lives retain a kind of anarchic romance, which is reflected in the film's lyrical style.

A feature drama set in the declining fishing industry in North Shields, the film centres on the upheaval caused in a traditional fishing community by the unexpected arrival of a young woman.