Tyneside Cinema

Tyneside Cinema is an independent cultural cinema based on Pilgrim Street in central Newcastle upon Tyne. Its programme combines independent British production, international and world cinema, repertory titles, documentaries, artist moving-image work, special events, and community-oriented film activity. The organisation is distinguished by the historic building in which it operates: opened in 1937 as the Bijou News-Reel Cinema, it is regarded as the last newsreel theatre in the United Kingdom to remain in full-time operation. The building is Grade II listed and retains elements of its Art Deco-inspired interior, including decorative features influenced by founder Dixon Scott's travels in the Middle and Far East. The venue began as a news cinema, commonly called the News Theatre, screening short news, travel, sport and cartoon films. In the same year, it became associated with the Tyneside Film Society, which later developed into a major regional film institution. By the late 1950s the society had become the largest film society in the United Kingdom outside London. The rise of television reduced demand for cinema newsreels, and the venue closed in 1968. It subsequently reopened under British Film Institute involvement as a film theatre, closed again in 1975, and was restored to operation in 1976 following campaigning by the Tyneside Filmgoers Group. Tyneside Cinema's cultural remit is overseen by trustees and has supported funding relationships with bodies including the British Film Institute and Arts Council England. In addition to ticketed screenings, the organisation has offered free daily presentations of archival newsreel footage, building tours, film education, professional networking, and opportunities for emerging producers and digital artists. Filmmakers Mike Figgis and Mike Hodges and musicians Neil Tennant and Paul Smith have been associated with the cinema as patrons. By the late 1990s, the building had deteriorated significantly and faced a serious financial and structural challenge. A major restoration and expansion programme, costing approximately £7 million, ran from 2006 to 2008. The project protected and revealed historic features while adding modern projection infrastructure, two new screens, a bar and the Tyneside Studio film-learning centre. The cinema operated temporarily from Gateshead Old Town Hall and presented off-site screenings during the works. It reopened in May 2008 with a combination of restored heritage spaces and contemporary facilities, including digital and 3D projection alongside traditional film capability. The organisation expanded again in 2014 with the Tyneside Bar Café in an adjoining former bank premises and The Gallery, a flexible space for artists' moving-image exhibitions by day and cinema use by evening. The Gallery presented commissioned and existing work by artists including John Akomfrah, Aura Satz, Phil Collins, Rachel Reupke, Ursula Mayer, John Smith and Oreet Ashery. The cinema faced severe financial and organisational pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. It closed indefinitely in March 2020, launched a public donation appeal, and warned that its future was at risk. Redundancy consultations were subsequently opened for the workforce. The same period also brought public allegations concerning workplace harassment, bullying, sexual misconduct and management culture, leading to an independent review and senior resignations. In June 2024, a £700,000 loan from the North East Social Investment Fund helped support the organisation's immediate financial future. Tyneside Cinema remains positioned as a locally rooted, culturally distinctive independent cinema whose value derives from both its programme and its rare historic building.

Tyneside Cinema occupies a purpose-built cinema at Newcastle upon Tyne's Pilgrim Street. Local entrepreneur Dixon Scott conceived and designed the building, drawing on his travels in the Middle and Far East when developing its Art Deco-influenced decorative scheme. Scott was the great-uncle of film directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. The venue opened on 1 February 1937 as the Bijou News-Reel Cinema. It was widely known as the News Theatre and presented short-form news, travel, sporting and cartoon films rather than the feature-film programme associated with a conventional multiplex. In the same year, the Tyneside Film Society made the venue its home. The society grew substantially and by the late 1950s was the largest film society in Britain outside London. Television's expansion undermined the newsreel business and reduced audiences. The cinema closed in 1968, then reopened for a period as a film theatre with British Film Institute involvement. It closed again in 1975. A campaign by the Tyneside Filmgoers Group helped secure a further reopening in 1976, by which time the venue was known as the Tyneside Film Theatre. Its later identity as Tyneside Cinema developed from this continuing role as a specialist film institution. Although the building remained historically important, its condition had deteriorated by the late 1990s. The site faced substantial maintenance needs and a serious financial deficit. Trustees concluded that approximately £7 million in capital investment was required. Support was secured from organisations including One North East and the Northern Rock Foundation. A restoration and redevelopment programme began in November 2006 and continued until May 2008. The project sought to preserve the building's heritage while making it viable for contemporary cinema. Original interior elements were protected, and work revealed stained-glass windows and mosaic flooring that had been concealed. Because the city-centre site offered little room for horizontal expansion, additional accommodation was built upward and in the space between the cinema and a neighbouring property. During construction, the organisation used a temporary lease at Gateshead Old Town Hall, where it operated one screen under the Tyneside Cinema name. It also staged special off-site events, including screenings at the Discovery Museum and St Mary's Church. The restored building reopened in May 2008. Fletcher Priest Architects and engineering consultants Cundall were involved in the redevelopment. Two new screens, the Roxy and Electra, were placed on new upper levels and served by a shared projection block. The additional capacity made it easier to move titles between screens and respond to demand. The project also introduced a bar, digital projection, 3D capability and the Tyneside Studio learning centre, which was partly designed with filmmaker Mike Figgis. The cinema broadened its premises in 2014 by taking an adjoining former bank site for the Tyneside Bar Café. The same expansion included The Gallery, a dual-purpose space used for moving-image exhibitions during the day and cinema screenings in the evening. Curated by Elisabetta Fabrizi and supported by Arts Council England, the Gallery commissioned and showed work by established and emerging artists, including John Akomfrah, Aura Satz, Phil Collins, Rachel Reupke, Ursula Mayer, John Smith and Oreet Ashery. Alongside its feature-film programme, the cinema has maintained its historical identity through free daily newsreel-archive screenings and guided tours. It has also provided space for learning, networking and presentation by emerging filmmakers and digital artists. Its trustees set a cultural remit linked to continued support from public and cultural funders, including the British Film Institute and Arts Council England. The organisation experienced a major crisis in 2020. It closed in March because of COVID-19 restrictions, appealed for donations and warned that permanent closure was possible. Redundancy consultations followed. At the same time, allegations involving sexual harassment, bullying, alleged sexual assault and workplace safety were raised publicly. The board commissioned an independent review by Turning Moment and reported itself to the Charity Commission. The review's published executive summary described longstanding failures in addressing sexual harassment, bullying, inadequate respect, loss of trust in senior leadership, avoidable safety risks and significant stress among some staff. Chief executive Holli Keeble and chair Lucy Armstrong resigned in September 2020. In 2024, the cinema received a £700,000 loan from the North East Social Investment Fund. The financing was reported as helping secure its immediate future. The venue's continuing identity rests on the combination of independent exhibition, international film, public cultural programming and stewardship of one of Britain's rare surviving full-time newsreel theatres.

• 2024

  Social investment loan supports immediate future

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema received a reported £700,000 loan from the North East Social Investment Fund.

• 2020

  COVID-19 closure and organisational crisis

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema closed during the pandemic, launched a donation appeal, entered redundancy consultations and faced a public workplace-culture crisis.

• 2014

  Bar Café and Gallery expansion

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema expanded into an adjoining former bank site, adding the Tyneside Bar Café and The Gallery for moving-image art and cinema use.

• 2009

  Restoration wins RICS North East awards

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The restoration won the Building Conservation and Tourism and Leisure categories and the overall Project of the Year at the RICS North East Renaissance Awards.

• 2008

  Restored cinema reopens

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The venue reopened in May with restored historic areas, two additional screens, digital and 3D projection, a bar and the Tyneside Studio.

• 2006

  Major restoration begins

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A roughly £7 million restoration and redevelopment programme began in November, supported by public and philanthropic organisations.

• 1976

  Venue reopens after local campaign

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Following campaigning by the Tyneside Filmgoers Group, the venue reopened as the Tyneside Film Theatre.

• 1968

  Cinema closes after audience decline

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The rise of television contributed to declining newsreel audiences and the venue closed.

• 1937

  Newsreel cinema opens

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The Bijou News-Reel Cinema opened on 1 February on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle, later becoming known locally as the News Theatre.

• 1937

  Tyneside Film Society establishes its venue relationship

  [1]Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The Tyneside Film Society began using the cinema, laying the foundation for the organisation's later specialist and cultural-film identity.

A non-profit-oriented, independent cultural cinema combining international and specialist film with heritage interpretation, education, artist development and community activity. Its distinctive proposition is the preservation and active use of a rare 1930s newsreel-theatre building.

• Film exhibition · 1937

  Independent and international cinema programme

  The core offering is a curated programme of independent, international and world cinema, complemented by documentaries, repertory titles, special events and culturally significant releases. The programme differentiates the venue from mainstream multiplexes by prioritising films from across the globe and maintaining a specialist cultural remit.

• Archive cinema

  Newsreel archive screenings

  Daily free screenings of archival newsreel footage connect the current organisation with the building's original role as a 1930s news cinema. The screenings form part of the venue's heritage interpretation and help preserve public access to its historical identity.

• Artist moving-image space · 2014

  The Gallery

  Added in 2014, The Gallery is a flexible space that operates as an exhibition venue for artists' moving-image work during the day and as a cinema in the evening. Its programme has included commissions and presentations by established and emerging artists, supported by Arts Council England.

• Film education · 2008

  Tyneside Studio

  The Tyneside Studio is a film-learning and creative-development facility introduced through the 2006–2008 redevelopment. It supports education, networking and opportunities for producers, filmmakers and digital artists to develop and present work.

• Hospitality · 2014

  Tyneside Bar Café

  The Tyneside Bar Café occupies an adjoining former bank premises acquired as part of the 2014 expansion. It extends the venue beyond screening rooms and supports the cinema's role as a social and cultural destination.

• 2020

  Workplace harassment and governance allegations

  Public allegations concerning sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying and workplace safety led more than 200 current and former employees to challenge the organisation's initial response. Trustees commissioned an independent review by Turning Moment and reported the organisation to the Charity Commission. The published summary found longstanding problems with harassment, bullying, respect, safety, staff trust and stress. Chief executive Holli Keeble and chair Lucy Armstrong subsequently resigned.

  Source

• 2019

  Employment tribunal finds disability discrimination

  An employment tribunal found that Tyneside Cinema had discriminated against a former employee with mental-health disabilities by failing to make reasonable adjustments. A subsequent remedy hearing ordered compensation under the Equality Act 2010.

  Source

Read more

• 2020COVID-19 emergency donation appeal

  United Kingdom

  After closing indefinitely during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tyneside Cinema appealed to the public for donations to offset losses and help prevent permanent closure.

  Outcome. The organisation remained under severe financial pressure and began workforce redundancy consultations.

  Source
• 2007Off-site cinema programme during redevelopment

  Newcastle upon Tyne · Gateshead

  During restoration, Tyneside Cinema used a temporary lease at Gateshead Old Town Hall and arranged themed screenings at other Newcastle venues, including the Discovery Museum and St Mary's Church.

  Outcome. The campaign maintained audience access and preserved the Tyneside Cinema identity while the main building was unavailable.

  Source
• 2006Tyneside Cinema restoration campaign

  Newcastle upon Tyne · North East England

  The cinema raised support for a major heritage restoration and expansion project estimated at £7 million. A temporary operating arrangement and off-site screenings helped maintain public activity while the historic building was closed for works.

  Outcome. The restored venue reopened in May 2008 with additional screens, modern projection, education facilities and hospitality space.

  Source

• 2024

  Social-investment financingOther

  Background

  The cinema required additional financial support following pandemic disruption and longer-term operational pressures.

  Action taken

  The organisation received a loan from the North East Social Investment Fund.

  Aftermath

  The reported financing helped secure the cinema's immediate future.

  Loan. £700,000 (June 2024)

  Source

• 2020

  Emergency response to pandemic closureStrategy

  Background

  COVID-19 restrictions forced the cinema to close and created a severe threat to its revenue and viability.

  Action taken

  The organisation launched a donation campaign and began redundancy consultations after warning that permanent closure was possible.

  Aftermath

  The cinema continued to face financial and organisational pressure, later receiving social-investment support in 2024.

  Source

• 2014

  Expansion into hospitality and moving-image artStrategy

  Background

  The cinema sought to extend its cultural and social role beyond conventional screening rooms.

  Action taken

  It added the Tyneside Bar Café and The Gallery in an adjoining former bank premises.

  Aftermath

  The organisation gained a flexible exhibition and event space alongside additional hospitality capacity.

  Source

• 2006

  Commitment to heritage restoration and digital expansionStrategy

  Background

  The historic building had deteriorated and required substantial capital investment, while the cinema needed facilities suited to contemporary exhibition.

  Action taken

  Trustees pursued a major restoration that protected original features while adding screens, digital and 3D projection, a learning centre and hospitality facilities.

  Aftermath

  The venue reopened in 2008 with increased capacity and a broader cultural and educational offer.

  Restoration and redevelopment cost. Approximately £7 million (2006-2008)

  Source

1. 1Tyneside Cinemaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tyneside Cinema official websitetynesidecinema.co.uk