With apologies to anyone who does not make this list – and we accept it is far from definitive – here are just 21 of our more recognised sons and daughters.
5. Eric Idle
Comedian and actor Idle, pictured second left with his fellow Monty Python members, was born in Harton, South Shields, in 1943 after his family had been evacuated here during the Second World War. They soon moved to the North West. Photo: Ian West
6. George Irving
Born in 1954, stage and screen actor Irving is perhaps best known for playing Anton Meyer in medical series Holby City. Photo: Customs House
7. Kevin Maguire
Born here in 1960, Maguire attended South Shields Grammar Technical Boys School before becoming a journalist and is now associate editor at the Daily Mirror newspaper as well as a regular political commentator on television. Photo: Kevin Maguire
8. Sarah Millican
Millican, a successful comedian who has proven with stage, radio and TV audiences alike, was born in South Shields in 1975 and attended Mortimer Comprehensive School. Photo: Press Association