Tourism and travel

Following another explosive performance live in Newcastle in November 2011, WWE will return to the Metro Radio Arena with WWE Wrestlemania Revenge Tour 2012 on Friday 20th April 2012.

Tickets costing £20, £30 and £45 will go on sale on Friday 18th November 2011 at 9am online, from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666, and in person at the Metro Radio Arena Box Office.

The madcap comedian Freddie Starr is back on tour with another unpredictable evening of madness and mayhem as he brings his own brand of outrageous humour back to the North East at The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre in 2012.

Freddie is no stranger to this theatre and is pleased to be back very live and very dangerous! Over the last 40 years, Freddie Starr has established himself as one of the true comic geniuses of all time, with his place in the comedy 'Hall of Fame' now assured he's back treading the boards.

Come and see the legend in person.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Joe Longthorne has released eleven critically acclaimed albums and wowed audiences all over the world. Early booking is strongly recommended.

The veteran Labour politician Tony Benn will talk about his life in politics and what he thinks about the changes in the Labour party. Expect an evening of frank responses and entertaining political anecdotes.

Winner of 19 Major Awards
The National Theatre Production, directed by Stephen Daldry

From Stephen Daldry, the Oscar nominated Director of The Reader, The Hours and one of Britain’s best-loved films, Billy Elliot, comes the magnificent production of J.B. Priestley’s classic thriller, An Inspector Calls – direct from its fourth West End season.

Hailed as the theatrical event of our generation and winning more awards than any other play in history, this landmark production from the National Theatre has thrilled audiences in the West End, on Broadway and throughout the world with its epic and wildly imaginative staging, raw emotion, evocative score, lashing rain and chilling suspense.

When Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home, their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. His startling revelations shake the very foundations of their lives and challenge us all to examine our consciences.

Note: Some pyrotechnics

Audiences all around the world have been roaring with laughter since Monty Python’s Spamalot, by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005.

Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and features a bevy (or possibly a brace) of beautiful show girls, witch burnings (cancelled too expensive) not to mention cows, killer rabbits and French people. The show features the hilarious songs He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights Of The Round Table, Find Your Grail and of course the Nation’s Favourite Comedy Song (Reader’s Digest Poll 2009) ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.

Starring Todd Carty as Patsy.

Don’t miss your night with the Knights of The Round Table at the most infectiously funny musical of the millennium.

This powerful play with music is a hilarious romp through the bubble-gum years of teenage life. Angela and Maxine - two sixteen year olds - attack life with laughter, vibrancy and excitement. Besotted with Madonna they truant from school, form a band, attempt to write pop songs - and with hairbrushes in hand they live out their adolescent dreams of become famous.

Discover what's new in the garden this month - from blooming plants to growing tips - and all the latest progress on restoring our shrubbery walk to its 18th century glory. Normal admissions apply.

Keith Nichols performs an evening of piano jazz ranging from the Ragtime to Stride.

Friday 13 – Sunday 15 April 2012
Performance Times: Friday 7.30pm, Saturday 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday 1.30pm
After wowing more than a million people across the country in previous years with stunning ice performances, skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will headline the sixth live UK tour of Dancing on Ice and lead an all-star celebrity line-up to arenas across the country, starting on Friday 13th April 2012 in Newcastle at the Metro Radio Arena.
All of the celebrities will be trained and choreographed by Torvill & Dean, who will also perform on the tour.
The three-and-a-half week UK tour will travel to arenas in Newcastle, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow. At each performance the audience can vote for their favourite celebrity skater. Using the same format as the hit ITV1 show, spectators can use their mobile phones to text vote for their favourite celebrity. Audience votes will then be added to scores from the judges to decide the overall celebrity winner. The winning couple then take to the ice for a magical finale performance. As with previous tours, all profits from text voting will go to charity. An impressive £106,475 has been raised to date and has been donated to the Royal London Society For The Blind and Demelza Hospice Care for Children.
This year the Dancing On Ice Tour has started the DOI Super Fan initiative where ticket holders will be given a web address through which they can upload their name and image. Their name will then appear in the tour programme and their photo will form part of a unique tour poster for the show!
The seventh series of Dancing on Ice starts on ITV1 in January 2012.
Tickets are available priced from £32.50 from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666, in person at the Metro Radio Arena Box Office and online from Ticketmaster.
Family Ticket Offer – Available until 31 December 2011 (subject to availability) 2 adults and 2 children under 14 years old (must be under 14 years on the date of the show)Not available on any rink-side premium seats.£125 in the £42.50 seats and £90 in the £32.50 seats
Pensioner Ticket Offer – Subject To AvailabilityHalf price on £42.50 (£21.25) and £32.50 tickets (£16.25) for matinee performances
Group Bookings - Subject To Availability1 in 10 tickets free (in £42.50 and £32.50 price bracket only). Available for all shows EXCEPT Saturday performances.
Booking offer - Subject To Availability.Available through Ticketzone. Buy your ticket by midnight on 4th December 2011 and pay £10 now and the balance on 29th February 2012. Please note remaining payment will be taken automatically on 29th February 2012.