Out on the Toon as New Year closed in
THESE revellers were enjoying a night out in Newcastle in the run-up to New Year 10 years ago.
It doesn’t seem THAT long ago, does it? But we recall what was going on as 2007 drew to a close.
It was the year Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley bought Newcastle United; Girls Aloud featuring Geordie superstar Cheryl Cole appeared in concert at Newcastle Arena; and Newcastle-based building society Northern Rock - the fourth largest in the UK - had to be bailed out by the Bank of England as western economies were consumed by the worst financial crisis for decades.
At the cinema, Spider-Man 3, I Am Legend, and Transformers were big hits, while the world of pop was dominated by the likes of Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, and Nelly Furtado.
Meanwhile, on TV, we were tuning into new shows such as Celebrity Apprentice, Who Dares Wins and Inspector George Gently, which was set in the North East.
And for Harry Potter lovers, it was the end of an era as the final book in the saga - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - was published.
Back in the real world, threeyear-old Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal while on holiday with her family; work on the new Wembley Stadium was completed; and Gordon Brown became Labour Prime Minister when Tony Blair stepped down after a decade in number 10.
Meanwhile, as we closed in on 2008... ■■IN THE POP CHARTS:
At number one was Leona Lewis with Bleeding Love. Other big hits included Eva Cassidy & Katie Melua with What A Wonderful World, and Take That with Rule The World. ■■ON TELEVISION:
For BBC viewers on New Year’s Eve, which fell on a Monday, the evening schedule included the likes of Celebrity Mastermind, The Vicar of Dibley Story, and New Year Live with Katie Melua and Richard Fleeshman. ■■AT THE CINEMA:
Showing in the region were some of the year’s biggest films, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; Spider-Man 3; and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. ■■TOP TOYS:
10 years ago, must-have Christmas pressies included miniature characters from the children’s TV show In The Night Garden, and board games Golden Balls and Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? ■■IN LOCAL NEWS:
December 2007 saw a VIP party saying farewell to the Tuxedo Princess nightclub on the River Tyne. ‘The Boat’ would finally raise its last gangplank in early 2008. ■■PRICES:
This was a time you’d pay 45p for a can of Coca-Cola, £5.98 for 20 cigarettes, 41p for a Mars Bar, £2.80 for a pint of beer and 36p for a pint of milk. ■■SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
The new Nintendo Wii system with its motion sensitive features was a must for kids, young and old. And the introduction of Apple’s first iPhone took the world by storm. ■■DEATHS:
This was the year we said goodbye to Russian politician Boris Yeltsin, Italian singer Luciano Pavoratti, and American actress Anna Nicole Smith. ■■NEWCASTLE UNITED:
With Sam Allardyce in the managerial hot-seat, United endured a dismal festive programme, suffering successive losses to Wigan, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
The Toon began 2008 in 11th spot in the Premier League, but in early January the Magpies suffered a 6-0 mauling at Manchester United.
Big Sam was out, and Kevin Keegan returned to Newcastle United for a third time.
What could possibly go wrong?