An experimental mix of thriller and documentary exploring the scandal centred on the one-time Newcastle Council Leader, aka The Mouth of the Tyne, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment in 1974 for corruption. A dynamic and visionary politician, Smith collaborated closely as Amber unpicked the story of a leftwing group of ex-war resisters who took control of the city council in 1960, the socialist and civic ambitions and the betrayals; the claims of MI5 involvement, of ministerial cover-ups and the unseen role of the Privy Council. With Smith appearing as himself and filmmakers Murray Martin and Steve Trafford as two journalists, the film interrogates the interviews and archive footage, weaving them together with a fictional scandal unfolding on the streets around them…
T. Dan Smith
Dennis Skinner
Murray Martin
Jack Johnson
Ken Skethaway
Dave Hill
Art Davies
Christopher Northey
Steve Trafford
Martin Murray
Ralph Nossek
Harry Herring
Cilla Mason
Elizabeth Mansfield
Amber Styles
Kay Wight
Norma Day
Gwen Doran
Brian Hogg
Mike Mason
Dick McCullough
Joseph Neatrour
Max Roberts
Bob White
Lee Ross
Paul Heslop
Alan Twelvetree
Nigel Stanger
Ray Stubbs