Remembering North East legend Catherine Cookson 120 years on from her birth day

She is one of Tyneside’s most famous names and her work still receives adoration all over the world.

Today, we pay tribute to Catherine Cookson who was born 120 years ago with a look back at her life, including the day the ‘man with the red book’, Eamonn Andrews gave her the shock of her life.

She was born Catherine Ann McMullen but registered as Catherine Ann Davies at Leam Lane, Tyne Dock. Dame Catherine first took up writing as a form of therapy to help her deal with depression after she suffered four miscarriages late in her pregnancies.

Her first book, Kate Hannigan, was published in 1950. She went on to write nearly 80 more and they were translated into 17 languages , selling more than 100 million copies.

Her fame grew even further when 18 books were adapted for TV between 1990 and 2001. The first was The Fifteen Streets, starring Sean Bean, which was nominated for an Emmy award in 1990.

It was no surprise to many, then, that Eamonn Andrews came calling with his famous red book in 1982.

South Shields General Hospital was the scene for one of the tributes, where her pal Anne Robson was filmed.

Anne and Catherine had worked in the laundry together, back in the days when it was known as Harton Workhouse, decades before.

Mrs Robson told the Gazette all about her experience of being on This Is Your Life. She said in 1982: “I was very nervous, having to appear before the cameras, but everyone seems to think I did all right.

“Considering Catherine has not been too well, she looked very fair indeed.”

By the 1980s, Catherine was living in Hexham with husband Tom. The Shields Gazette caught up with her and she told us she intended to spend Christmas as “quietly as possible”.

She said: “Tom is a marvellous cook. He takes care of everything.”

Catherine died in Newcastle in 1998 aged 91. We would love to hear from anyone who got to meet her.

Share your memories of her by emailing [email protected]