James Bond and American Beauty director Sam Mendes confirmed for South Shields Lecture 2016

Director Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli at a James Bond launch at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Picture by Ian West/PA Wire

The Hollywood director, most famous for his films American Beauty, Skyfall and Spectre, will be joining former South Shields MP David Miliband for the lecture, sponsored by the Port of Tyne, on Saturday May 7 at Harton Technology College.

Mendes will speak about his career and answer questions from former Foreign Secretary Mr Miliband and the audience.

Sam Mendes. Picture by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Mr Miliband said: “I’m delighted to be returning to South Shields, it’s always great to be back in the town and I’m honoured that Sam Mendes will be joining me, he has an incredible story to tell – from the world of film and stage.

"Sam has worked with some of the biggest names in the profession so will have lots to talk about. The lecture will be a fantastic evening and I’m looking forward to Sam bringing a bit of Hollywood to Harton on May 7."

The director won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Director in 1999 for American Beauty, and has had more recent acclaim for work on James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).

Mendes is also known for his re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver (1994), Company (1996), Gypsy (2003) and he directed an original stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).

Sir Ken Gibson, executive head-teacher of Harton Technology College, said "We are absolutely delighted to be hosting the South Shields Annual Lecture for the eighth consecutive year. Previous speakers have been absolutely superb and it is always nice to welcome David Miliband back to Harton.

"I am sure that the evening will be a huge success and we look forward with great interest to meeting and hearing from Sam Mendes CBE. As a massive Bond fan myself, I am particularly interested in his role as director working on Skyfall and Spectre."

Andrew Moffat, Port of Tyne's chief executive officer, said: "We are delighted once again to sponsor an event that brings national attention and acclaim to South Tyneside. It is a great coup for the school to welcome the world class stage and film director Sam Mendes this year.

"The Port of Tyne is committed to supporting activities like this that support arts, business and local communities. The South Shields Lecture is inspiring for all of us, but most importantly for young people who can hear first-hand the stories of people who have gone on to achieve great things.”

The South Shields Lecture was established by David Miliband when he was the town’s MP. Previous speakers have included Sting, Patrick Stewart, Alan Bennett, Jo Brand, Bill Bryson, Tony Blair and David Walliams.

The lecture will start at 7pm. Tickets are free, but demand is expected to be high, so priority will be given to those with a South Shields postal address, starting with NE33 or NE34. Tickets are limited to two per household.

Requests for tickets should be made by e-mail to [email protected], including your full address and contact telephone number.