We are looking at where our hometown famous faces are now while looking back at their careers.

Charlie Mackesy

Charlie Mackesy, 60, won an Oscar last year for best short animation for the BBC film adaptation of his book, 'The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse'.

The illustrated book explores the friendship between the four titular characters as they journey together in search of a home and features voice acting from top stars.

British actors Tom Hollander and Idris Elba voiced characters in the film, as did its composer, Isobel Waller-Bridge, sister of Fleabag star Phoebe.

Mackesy attended Queen Elizabeth High School.

  • Where is he now?

Charlie co-runs Mama Buci, a honey social enterprise in Zambia that helps families of low and no income become beekeepers. He lives between Brixton and Suffolk with his dog Barney. 

Robson Green

The Hexham-born actor and one-half of Robson & Jerome still lives nearby in the surrounding area and has regularly visited the North East for several TV projects.

In addition to becoming a well-established face on our screens in the mid-1990s, he also secured three numbers, including hit singles What Becomes of the Broken Hearted and Unchained Melody alongside Jerome Flynn.

  • Where is he now?

Robson continues to play Geordie Keating in Grantchester and has expressed his contentment of playing him and has no desire to leave the show. He also continues to explore the UK and Northumberland in Robson Green's Weekend Escapes and is hinting at the latest series of Extreme Fishing in Amazon Forest.

Pete Doherty

Pete is most famous for being one of the co-frontmen of the band The Libertines.

Doherty has often been in the press for his music and work away from the stage, although many people forget he was born in Hexham in 1979.

The singer has been a regular on the indie music scene and has often toured as a solo act and with his side project, Babyshambles.

  • Where is he now?

Doherty and his new wife Katia De Vidas welcomed Billie-May, Doherty's third child, last year.

The couple married in a private ceremony in France in September 2021 where their respective bands, The Libertines and Puta Madres, performed.

The announcement of De Vidas' pregnancy was made public during a show in Strasbourg in December 2022.

Before his relationship with De Vidas, Doherty was romantically linked with supermodel Kate Moss.

He has also been highlighted in a documentary about The battle against drug addiction in Sky's Pete Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin via Now TV.

 Gary ‘Gaz’ Beadle

Former Geordie Star Gaz Beadle grew up in Prudhoe before appearing in the Newcastle-based reality series for six years between 2011 and 17.

Further TV appearances include him going on to appear on both Ex on The Beach and rather bizarrely the Australian version of Hell’s Kitchen also in 2017.

  • Where is he now?

According to the Sun, Beadle will be returning to MTV's Geordie Shore after six years now that he has split with his wife of two years - who he has two children Chester, five, and Primrose, three, with.

Although he lived in Leeds with his ex- girlfiend, it is believed that he is now back in Newcastle.

Pete Graves 

Pete, who was born in Hexham is mostly recognised for being a Sky Sports presenter and some of his books.

In 2017  he agreed to be a patron of PROPS – Positive Response to Overcoming Problems of Substance Misuse – which is a North-East-based support service for individuals living with alcohol and substance misuse and their families and carers.

  • Where is he now?

 Graves has just launched a new book ‘Here To Compete’ which is the inside story of Newcastle United and the Howe era so far. He is also still a presenter at Sky.

 Peter Beardsley

The former Newcastle and England footballer was another surprise name to be born in the town before he grew up in Forest Hall.

In two spells as a player with the Magpies, Beardsley scored a total of 108 goals in 276 appearances for the club before then going on to be a coach for the club at the end of his career in 1999.

He also played for several other teams as part of a long and distinguished career including Liverpool, Everton and Carlisle United.

  • Where is he now?

 According to John O'Groat Journal and Caitness Courier, Beardly went to Caithness last summer as part of Thurso Football Academy's 10th anniversary programme of activities.

Beardsley was joined by former Newcastle player and academy director Kenny Wharton and coached over 100 children at the Naver all-weather pitch over the weekend.

This year, he will be appear along with John Barnes in the ultimate ‘an audience with’ in Liverpool's stunning St George’s Hall.

The mighty Red men will take to the stage in the ornate Concert Room at the Grade I listed Lime Street venue on Wednesday, 8 May.

Kevin Whately

Another famous TV actor, Kevin was a regular on our TV screens from the 1980’s until he retired from acting in 2013.

He is most famous for staring in both Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Inspector Morse, but also went on to star in another detective programme in the form of Lewis for seven years between 2006 and 2013.

Born in Hexham, Kevin then grew up in nearby Humshaugh and also graduated from Newcastle polytechnic in the late 1960s.

  • Where is he now?

Recently Kevin has appeared in Robson Green's Weekend Escapes series 2 and the pair danced together on the beach to create stunning sand art.

Last year he also discovered a successful singer and a slave trader in his family history when he appeared on Who Do You Think You Are?