24 Reasons Newcastle Is Definitely The Happiest City In The UK

6. Alan Robson's Night Owls

If you think Geordie Shore is the craziest portrait of Newcastle life, you need to turn off your TV and tune in to Metro Radio any weeknight from 10pm to have your eyes and ears opened to the true delights of the city's characters. Far from the scripted macho fights and slut-drops of the Shore gang, Alan Robson's Night Owls is an explosion of real life, as the legendary host balances agony aunt-like advice with sexual health stories, fan favourite hauntings and the wild ravings of the kind of people who stay up to ring radio stations at 1am. It's like brilliant car crash radio.

5. Saveloy Dips

Forget your steak and cheese and your Reubens, the real king of the sandwich hails from the North East, marrying lashings of pease pudding and stuffing with smokey saveloys and crowned with a gravy bath to make it as unctuous and delicious as it is impossible to eat without slopping everywhere.

4. The Superior Night Life

The great benefit of Newcastle being a "15 minute city" is that the furthest bars are never more than a couple of minutes walk away; and with the variety of watering holes throughout the city that spells good news for revellers. It might not be everyone's cup of tea to fight for elbow room with the hundreds of stag dos who flood to the city every weekend, but there are pockets of far classier (and lesser known) bars like the Head Of Steam group, the Bodega, Lady Grey's, No28 and the Bridge Tavern that should scratch other more refined itches. And for an entirely different authentic Geordie nightlife experience you could always go to Sinners for a vodka and vimto, Label for a cocktail in a tea pot and Pop World for a fight. But you probably shouldn't.