The Journal Tyne Theatre in Newcastle on Tyne

There are a few other theatres in Newcastle apart from the more well known Theatre Royal, Today I had to go to The Journal Tyne Theatre to pick up a ticket which I had ordered online, ( Ticket is for Agatha Christie's Murder on The Nile in July 2012 )

The Journal Tyne Theatre originally opened as the Tyne Theatre and Opera House in 1867 and although the theatre has had many changes over the years, externally the frontage remains much in its original 1867 condition.

In 1919 the theatre became a Cinema, known as the Stoll Picture House. It was the first cinema in Newcastle to show 'talkies'. The number of people going to the cinema declined during the 1960s and the Stoll cinema attempted to counter this by cornering a select market showing 'X' rated films. This did not help maintain the cinema and it closed on 23rd March 1974 after a bill of 'Danish Bed and Board'.

It remained closed for a few years but re-opened as a theatre in 1977.

Newcastle today was packed - lots of Christmas shoppers. The Christmas Lights were being switched on this evening by Joe McElderry. He was due on stage at 6.30pm but the crowds were forming at 3pm. My own Christmas shopping went well - got quite a few things ticked off my list.

Got on the bus to come home around 5pm- roads were really busy and it was a slow journey. Trouble on The Tyne Bridge as we passed over - a woman was sitting on the railings presumably threatening to jump. Loads of policemen around, police cars, ambulance and fire engine. Usually when incidents like this happen ( and they do happen fairly regularly ) they close the bridge to traffic so we were lucky that both sides of the bridge were open. Maybe they intended closing the bridge a bit later when they had assessed the situation. Hopefully the woman was OK - even if it was just a cry for help and she didn't intend to jump she must be in a bad place in her life.