Filmmaker Jim September takes us on a trip across the River Tyne on the Shield Ferry from North to South Shields.

Records show there has been a ferry service crossing the River Tyne from North to South Shields and back again since at least the 14th century. The service as it is known today began in 1829 when the North Shields Ferry Company received a charter to operate a ferry on the Tyne. The company quickly expanded to include new routes crossing the river mainly to transport workers to and from the various shipyards which were being constructed along both sides of the river. By 1967 the service was transporting around 400,000 cars a year, but with the opening of the Tyne Tunnel the same year it's time as an important route was at an end. By 1986 all routes but the Shields Ferry had been axed including the service between Hebburn and Walker/Wallsend which featured in the film 'Get Carter.' Lasting a mere seven minutes, this service known locally as the 'Shields Ferry' still operates today by Nexus and carries around half-a-million people each year.

"Forty-eight hours is just a moment in time in the social history of a nation. However, over 26 and 27 August 1988, the people of the North East England have produced a significant record of their lives, their time and their country." These are the words of HRH Prince Charles in his introduction to the book '48hrs: Two Days in the Life of the North East', published by BBC Books and containing hundreds of original and unique photographs taken by people across the region that, according to David Cox, producer of 48hrs, "Create a true reflection of how people feel about their area and their lives' at a specific moment in time."

'48hrs: Two Days in the Life of the North East' began as a collaborative project between the BBC in Newcastle, local production company Filmnova and the Tyne & Wear Development Corporation. The BBC were able to promote the project and along with Filmnova provided curatorial assistance in witling down the thousands of submissions to those that would eventually make up the book. The Tyne and Wear Development Corporation provided financial support with the books publishing.

While the book went onto become a success, what is less know is that twenty film submissions in the form of video tapes were also submitted by for consideration. Sadly, none of these films made it into the final publication and for the next thirty they sat on the shelves of Filmnova until being donated to the Yorkshire & North East Film Archives in the early 2010s. Now, thanks to the support of BFI Heritage 2022 these tapes have been digitised and made available here for you to view and look back on the people of the North-East of England over a summer Bank Holiday more than thirty years ago.