10 Awesome Movie Facts About Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

5. It Inspired One Of The Worst Movies Of All Time

One of Newcastle's key contributions to British life is its homegrown publication Viz. Such narratives as Sid The Sexist, Roger Mellie The Man On The Telly and Biffa Bacon provide a contextual counterpoint to working class stereotypes, and create a playful yet rapier-like metaphor through whose prism the erosion of the nation's collective moral compass can, definitively, be judged. Having said that, they made a f*cking awful film version of The Fat Slags in 2004. Handing over the keys of the rusty Cortina to Bottom director Ed Bye, the team at Dennis Publishing could only watch in horror as a number of epic mistakes were made, chief of which was the casting of slimline actresses Sophie Thompson and Fiona Allen in the roles of colossal cock-seekers Tracey and Sandra. Possibly the world's most eclectic cast was assembled - Anthony Head, Dolph Lundgren, Eamonn Holmes, Naomi Campbell, Jerry O'Connell and Geri Halliwell were lumped together in a desperate attempt to attract any and all comers. It sealed the coffin on any future Viz movie endeavours in one foul-smelling swoop.