Newcastle to Hull
This stretch of coast lies between two great rivers - The Tyne and
The Humber. The industrial past of the area is clear for all to see. However,
what isn't obvious to the naked eye is the religious thread that has created,
inspired and shaped many of the people and areas along this coastline.
Jarrow - Venerable Bede 
The area around the Tyne was the birthplace and home of all-round genius
Venerable Bede. He was a scientist, historian, and geographer, but also
he was a monk. His work and his word spread right across the world.
In the 8th Century this coastline was an information superhighway, teeming
with new ideas, generated by its religious communities. It was Bede who
pulled them together at his monasteries in Jarrow and Monkwearmouth.
1,300 years ago he wrote the first history of England during a period
described as the Dark Ages. But his history was far from dark and  pessimistic.
It was a history that talked about how vibrant, rich and precious England
was with natural resources and wildlife.
Behind St Paul's Church in Jarrow, you can see the remains of the Benedictine
monastery from the Middle Ages which was re-founded on the site of Bede's
monastery - the area where he grew up.
The Durham Coastline & Coal Waste 
When The National Trust announced they were going to acquire thispart
of the coast, retired coal miner, Dennis Rooney thought they were mad.
After years of waste from the mines being dumped into the sea on this
part of the coast, it was going to be a big job. Little did he know that
he would end up helping to return this part of the coast back to its former
glory.
 Hartlepool
- HMS Trincomalee
The vast docks of Hartlepool were once the heart of an enormous ship building
industry. It is now home to HMS Trincomalee, Britain's oldest warship
still afloat. After forty years of service, the ship sailed into Hartlepool
over a century ago and now sits pride of place in Jackson Dock in Hartlepool.
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
There are many glorious bridges around the world - some built by local
bridge builders from this area.
On this part of the coast is one of the strangest and most peculiar designs
of all - the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.
Since 1911 it has been transporting people and machines across the River
Tees, but this isn't any typical bridge.It is strange not only in respect
of its height and shape, but also
in how it transports people across this important river.
Dick Strawbridge joins Alan Murray who keeps on top of the upkeep of
the bridge. He discovers that part of the bridge crosses the river more
like a ferry. A 65 ton gondola is suspended from the track at the top
of the bridge, which moves back and forth across the Tees transporting
people and machines.
But why is this bridge so big when something half its size could have
 supported
the gondola? Dick meets up with Ian Stubbs and finds that such a massive
structure was required to allow headroom for passing ships. Tall ships
used to come up the river - and one even lost its mast by hitting the
top of the bridge.
Info: Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge Visitor centre - tel: 01642 247563.
Saltburn - the dream of Henry Pease
 The
Town of Saltburn would not exist if it wasn't for one man - Henry Pease.
It is said that he built the town from scratch after having an apparition
of a heavenly city above the cliffs. Pease had a strong religious sense
and was a Quaker.
He set up The Saltburn Improvement Company to help create his vision
of the town which is largely unchanged today. The town is clad in  hundreds
of tonnes of distinctive white bricks - made in a factory in Durham and
were transported to Saltburn via railway - both owned by the Pease family.
Neil Oliver joins Sheila Davies who lives in what was once the jewel
in Henry Pease crown - the former Zetland Hotel, which is now converted
into flats.
Staithes - Artists Commune
 One
hundred years ago artists came to Staithes to capture the beauty of the
small fishing town and the vibrancy of this coastline. These Northern
Impressionists created their own artist commune here but religious traditions
ran deep. If artists didn't respect the Sabbath, they were likely to have
a bowl of rotting fish heads tipped over their heads to teach them a lesson.
Whitby Jet 
Jet has been used to make jewellery since the Dark Ages. When Queen Victoria
wore jet as part of her mourning clothes after the death of Prince Albert,
it became a 'must have' fashion accessory. The number of Fishermen in
Whitby was outnumbered by people carving jet.
But what is jet and why can it only be found here on the coast? Alice
Roberts joins local geologist Will  Watts
and discovers that jet is a lump of Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana)
buried deep below the bottom of the sea. 180 million years ago there was
an abundance of them here when the coast was much nearer the equator.
Jet can only be found along this stretch of coastline because of the
way rocks are laid out in the world - not horizontal, but  dipping
slightly. The further south you go the jet is beneath you, and further
north the jet would have been further up in the cliff and has eroded.
Jet isn't mined much in Whitby today so some jet is imported. Mike Marshall
carries out a simple test and shows Alice what to look for when buying
authentic Whitby Jet.
The Erosion of Filey Bay
 In
1993 the Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough was destroyed in a landslide
down the cliff edge. This part of the coast is very unstable. Forty miles
of this coast line is made of soft and shifting clay, resulting in erosion
rates varying between 25cm and 1Β½ m each year around Filey.
Previously it could take months to survey the cliffs to measure erosion
rates, but now it can take minutes thanks to a new science that  can
help predict land slips before they happen - geomatics.
Mark Horton meets up with Pauline Miller and David Barber from Newcastle
University who show him how it works.
This area is very difficult to survey. With the aid of a scanner, geomatics
can accurately plot an area in specific detail. The scanner measures the
distance and sends back a signal.  It
captures many measurement points, up to 60,000 reference points a second.
These coordinates can build a three dimensional model, making a very
detailed map of what's there at moment. By carrying out surveys they can
pinpoint any movement in the area.
Hopefully this will prove to be a key weapon in the battle of coastal
erosion.
Bempton Cliffs - Kittiwakes
Miranda Krestovnikoff is on the trail of a real sea bird - the Kittiwake.
They spend half the year out at sea, but come the breeding season hundreds
of them can be found crowded on the Bempton Cliffs.
RSPB expert Trevor Charlton explains to Miranda what is very special
about the Kittiwake compared to other sea birds.
They have a yellowy green bill and  distinctive
tail that looks like it has been dipped in ink. They also build a nest
- very different from other sea birds who tend to just lay eggs on the
cliff.
But the sight of Kittiwakes on these cliffs could soon be a rarity. The
fish that they live on are in decline in the North Sea, so the Kittiwakes
could be on the move.
Bridlington - Self Righting Lifeboat
Safety of sea farers on this coast has been the responsibility for the
RNLI for over 200 years.
 One
of Bridlington's first lifeboats was 'The Seagull' - paid for by a local
clergyman in 1871. The design was based on the heavy wooden fishing boats
but in stormy seas, the constant fear was of capsizing - as once turned
over these boats were very difficult to 'right'.
With the aid of the RNLI, Neil Oliver gets his feet wet and attempts
to right a small boat, discovering it's not that easy - even in ideal
conditions.
 But
how do lifeboats manage to maintain buoyancy and upright themselves? And
what about their distinctive shape?
Neil joins design expert, Andrew Ashton, who illustrates how lifeboats
manage to self right if capsized. This has helped make their distinctive
shape, whereby airtight compartments at each end of the boat help maintain
buoyancy.
Withernsea Lighthouse
The position of the lighthouse at Withernsea could come as bit of a surprise
- as tucked away in the middle of the town you will find the
lighthouse landlocked.
The lighthouse was built in 1894. The town planners had it built several
hundred yards from the sea to allow for erosion. However, the land did
not erode as much as they had predicted and the lighthouse now lies in
midst of residential streets in the town.
Easington - North Sea Gas
Easington saw the birth and introduction of an industry to the nation.
When gas was discovered in the North Sea in 1965, pipes were laid under
the sea to Easington to bring gas ashore.
 Alice
Roberts meets Michael Welton who worked offshore and at Easington during
these pioneering days.
Previously built-up areas had their own gas works and used town gas,
a product of burning coal, which was very smelly and caused pollution.
Natural gas was sold as being cleaner and not as smelly. But how simple
was it to implement this new gas? Engineers were sent out to 13 million
homes to covert them to what they called clean gas and replace the coal
gas that had been used since Victorian times. 
Every cooker in the country had to be converted, but not everyone loved
it. This new fuel may not have enthused everyone initially, but one group
that was inspired was a band of Oil workers called The North Sea Gas Folk
Trio, who produced a record about North Sea Gas.
However, this new fuel wasn't meant to last. It was thought that reserves
would run out after 12 years. Forty years later it is still supplying
gas, but by 2020 we'll be buying almost all of our gas from abroad.
Kingston upon Hull - Abolition of Slavery
A native of Kingston upon Hull is one of Britain's greatest ever social
reformers - William Wilberforce.
 In
his day the slave trade was big business with up to 50,000 slaves a year
being shipped cross the Atlantic.
Wilberforce led a movement to abolish slavery throughout the Empire and
after thirty years of perseverance he succeeded.
His epitaph reads: No Englishman has ever done more to evoke the
conscience of the British people, and to elevate and ennoble British life.
Would you like to find out in this programme?
Newcastle to Hull: Thursday 30 Nov, 8pm on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO
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