Tyneside Cinema nears a century in its Art Deco home on Pilgrim Street

Few buildings in Newcastle hold as many memories as Tyneside Cinema. It opened on Pilgrim Street on 1 February 1937 as the Bijou News-Reel Cinema, better known as the News Theatre, screening newsreels, travel and sport films and cartoons. Its builder and designer was local entrepreneur Dixon Scott, great-uncle of the film directors Ridley and Tony Scott, whose Art Deco interiors were shaped by his travels in the Middle and Far East.

The cinema has survived closures and campaigns to become the city's much-loved independent. A £7m restoration between 2006 and 2008 uncovered original stained glass windows and mosaic floor tiling, and added two new screens, the Roxy and the Electra. The restoration won Project of the Year at the 2009 RICS North East Renaissance Awards. A bar cafe and an intimate screen called The Gallery followed in 2014.

Today Tyneside Cinema is a registered charity that describes itself as the home of great film in the North East and the region's leading independent cinema. As it approaches 100 years in its historic home, it remains committed to offering the most varied film programme in the region.

Each screen has its own character. The Classic is the most famous, wrapped in Art Deco design with vibrant red curtains. The Roxy is packed with character, the Electra has the largest screen and stadium seating, and The Gallery, with just 33 seats, is the most intimate. Film lovers can even dedicate a seat with a hand-engraved brass plaque, helping to preserve the building for future generations.

The programme mixes new releases with special events, opera and ballet screenings, and themed seasons. This autumn it is hosting two Halloween All-Nighters, on 24 and 31 October, alongside an interactive Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.

The cinema also invests in the next generation. Its Talent Unit, funded by the Sir Graham Wylie Foundation, aims to inspire young people in the North East towards careers in film and television, and since 2025 it has hosted a screenwriter-in-residence each year, supported by New Writing North and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.

Listings, membership and seat dedications are on the Tyneside Cinema website.