07/10/2013 Inside Out North East and Cumbria

In the next half an hour, the secret weapon that helped track down a

killer. It was getting health and safety silly — so I said to them,

"Give me a gun, and I'll go and get him!" They had a good laugh. It

broke the tension. Can the rough and tumble of rugby tackle depression in

the typical Northern male? A guy came up to me after the match and

said, "I was going to kill myself tonight but I saw you and changed my

mind." And the Teesside club that brought the stars to Stockton. It

was the nearest thing to playing Las Vegas. Stories from the heart of the

north—east and Cumbria. Rothbury hit the headlines when It's

now more than three years since one of the biggest manhunts in British

police history Rothbury hit the headlines when

Raoul Moat went to ground here. Now in a first interview about the

events, survival and tracking expert Ray Mears reveals his role behind

the scenes. He is clearly extremely dangerous. Members of the public are

advised to remain indoors. Tracking is tracking whether it is a leopard

of antelope or man. Ray Mears, outdoor survival expert and

television presenter. When he took to the woods, I thought, I'll make

the call. I said if I can help you I will and on that basis they asked me

if I would go up. Some of them did not want you there at all. Some of

them, but others said it was an resource they should try. There were

more armed police officers than I have ever seen before in my life.

You would have been keen to maintain anonymity. We did the element of

surprise. I had been told he would be scanning the airwaves. We didn't

want him sitting in ambush of making preparations. My assessment was that

in the woodland at night the only thing confining him was his

psychological state. A massive police operation continues: we could

not go to the tent site. It had already been released to the press.

Was that a mistake? From my perspective as the track it was a

mistake. It is an obvious point to start from. But tracking is not

normally a police tool. So from the prospect of it was a waste of

resources. He could be anywhere. These officers are searching for a

man who says he wants to kill them... Officers surrounded a remote

farmhouse, sending any police dog 1st... Tracking can be passive

aggressive. This needed to be aggressive. We may determine the

open. What was the plan? They didn't want me at the front. But if I'm not

at the front I am no use to you. It was getting health and safety silly

— so I said to them "Give me a gun, and I'll go and get him!" They had a

good laugh. It broke the tension. He had won them over and out they could

get going. Describe what you are looking for. Damage to vegetation.

But anything less than an hour old and we would follow. How do you know

that? You can tell. Anything that has aged. Even dry twigs. It is an

imprecise science. I did find evidence, places he had been

collecting materials, a place he had slept, food remains. Indications he

had been pacing back and forward, a trail he had concealed. He had gone

to great lengths. At one point he had been moving back and forward in

a state of anger and confusion. A mutual respect soon grew between the

presenter and the police. They had a clear sense of duty to protect the

public. And also to protect him. The dogs give us the indication the Met

have been something. I have been told that when the police were

negotiating with them he told the police he was visited by one of our

dogs. So you were within?? 20 metres. Really? I am convinced he

saw us at one point. But the tracker said the biggest obstacle was the

media. The police were relying on the press to help. You did not see

it like that? I didn't see it like that at all. They were getting in

the way. They were trying to get into the woodland. Resources had to

be diverted to draw them away — it could have been a pressman who was

next shot. You can see all the police on the embankment. I don't

think I will ever trust 24 hours news again. Because of what you saw?

I was on both sides of the fence — I would like journalists to say "I

haven't got anything to tell you at the moment." The viewers aren't

stupid! With the Keller just out of reach the search party called it a

day. Within minutes of returning however, what came in over the

radio. He had emerged. The media was made to move back. Eyewitnesses

could see a man with a gun pointing at his neck. Potentially you helped

flush him out. Potentially. But we will never know. That is a

frustration. He was a physically strong individual. I think it would

have gone on. There was a real risk that he would have gone in search of

hostages taken some of them. Do you think they were correct to bring

your own? I was able to confirm he was still in the area. That was

important. He had been denied access to a support network. But then he

vanished from the radar. You have all these resources, where do you

deploy them? Knowing he was still in the area meant that, yes, he was

still bottled up. The fugitive has turned the gun on

himself. He is now dead. This is a notorious case. Is this a case of "I

And profiting from it? No that's not my interest. I am not trying to sell

a book. I just want the story told accurately and honestly. Last

weekend saw the climax of this season's Rugby Super League. But

away from the glamour of the Grand Final, this tough sport has taken on

a tough battle. Tackling high suicide rates. We sent BBC 5Live's

Rugby League reporter George Riley on a journey — to find out if

sportsmen can really hold the key to better mental health across the

north. It got bad. To the point it decided I did not want a beer. —— to

be here. I was gobsmacked. He had made so many plans. For so long this

has been heading away and unspoken of. Suicide is by far the biggest

killer of young men. It's become a talking point in rugby league — and

even more so across our towns and cities. I'm going across the north

to try and find out WHY we're being hit harder than other parts of the

country. And whether Rugby League can show the way in preventing

suicide. Leeds, Wigan, Bradford, Great Britain. Terry Newton was a

massive name in Rugby. What happened to him three years ago, shook the

sporting world. I got a phonecall off Brian Carney who was also a good

friend of Terry. He told me the news. He said, "I don't know for

definite but I think there's been a terrible incident. I think Terry's

hung himself." Terry Newton had been banned from Rugby after taking

growth hormone. He had been banned from rugby for taking growth

hormone. But still, not even his best friends, had any idea. Terry

was very good at hiding his problems and his feelings and if you spoke to

him you'd think nothing was wrong. Rugby had to change. And tackle

mental health problems head on. Bishop Burton college. Base for Hull

FC's academy. They're only just starting out. This could be the most

important piece of training they'll get. A talk from the charity State

of Mind. The focus for is if you get mentally fit, deal with ups and

downs of life, the potential is you may not feel overwhelmed and feel

there's no way out. Phil's an NHS practioner. Jimmy Gittins a former

professional player, who was initially paralysed after breaking

his neck. His physical injury led to a psychological battle. It were just

more the fact that what I'd been given as the prospect of life, I

didn't want. I don't suppose anyone would. The darkest point for me is

when I asked my brother to put a pillow over my face — I wanted out.

Clearly my situation was horrendous, I wouldn't wish it on my worst

enemy, but that's the cards I've been dealt so I've just got to get

on with it. But even without an horrific injury, professional sport

brings huge stress. Many suffer from depression. I did not realise it was

the stress of the job. We live in a match your, tough, aggressive game.

It is almost taboo to show any weakness, physically or emotionally.

Suicide. Depression. Issues that are now being openly discussed within

Rugby League, and are mirrored in Northern communities. When we first

began, we noticed that suicide rates in all Super League areas are higher

than the national average, when that's the case you realise there's

a potential problem. What are those facts? I have come to

the north—east where there is a higher rate of suicide in men than

any other part of England. I'm meeting one mum who, overnight,

became an expert. Daniel was 19. He had a job, he was very popular. We

went shopping one day, left Daniel at home. He'd taken his own life. He

was just an ordinary, happy young man who was down in the dumps

sometimes, but nothing that you'd think he was suicidal. That they

will stay with us for ever. Some days it's easier to manage than

others but fundamentally it destroys who you are and your outlook on

life. Daniel never spoke about his

feelings. So his family set up a charity to break the taboo of

talking about suicide. If you care, share. Unfortunately the numbers

increase that we are supporting and although we're only small we'll hit

over the 200 mark for people who've been touched by suicide. Why is

there such a high number of suicides in this area? A lot of people say

it's employment or men's roles are changing, but I think predominantly,

the main reason we have this problem is it's still a case of real men

don't cry and show their emotions. It is seen as a weakness to talk

about your feelings and emotions. I think we are still seeing

repercussions of that. Because in areas like this, the

Rugby League town of Gateshead, those jobs have gone. Ronnie's had

depression for more than 50 years. I was in such a state, I just wanted

to stop it. I ended up where I took an overdose. I can tell that you

think it is good to speak, you are speaking about something that is not

easy to speak about. I am not shy about telling people that I've tried

to kill myself. I'm a believer you should get it out of your system.

How honest are you with nearest and dearest about how you're feeling —

if you want to be on your own, do you tell them or do you make up an

excuse? I make up an excuse, mainly because I'd rather they weren't

worrying about me because they've got their own lives to lead. One of

the things talking to Ronnie was finding someone so willing to talk

so frankly about something so personal to a stranger like me yet

at the same time struggling to open up to his family. So there still

does seem to be some stigma attached to talking about mental health. So

can professional sportsmen finally help remove that stigma?

These are iconic figures in their community and if those figures talk

about mental health and talk about their own mental health challenges,

it can give the OK to everybody else to feel they can talk about it.

It's August. Game 25 of the Super League season. State of Mind is

targeting a number of high profile games, to attack high suicide rates

in the North. The SOM rugby website, it gives you all the details about

services in the area. It's a brilliant campaign this, it's been

recognised by all kinds of famous people on Twitter. They're all

recognising it. Talking about it breaks so many boundaries down. My

dad used to sit beside my bed and say, "penny for 'em." He knew what I

were thinking but he needed to get it out of me so he could help.

We were at one of the games that weekend and a guy came up to me

after the match and . We discussed it with them. They

came back at the end of the game and said "I was going to kill myself

tonight, but I saw you and changed my mind." that is quite a powerful

thing for any project to achieve. Now, if you want to see the world's

top acts on stage it could set you back hundreds of pounds for a ticket

these days. Back in the 60s, you could get up, close and personal

with stars who flocked to Teeside. Club Fiesta brought a touch of Las

Vegas. It was the back end of the swinging

sixties and Michael Jackson, the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder and Roy

Orbison were just a few of the stellar names who flocked to play

here in Sheffield. And here in Stockton on Tees. It was the nearest

thing to blame Las Vegas. This man turned down Frank Sinatra

because he wanted too much money. I want to know how he opened the

Fiesta and turned it into the biggest nightclub in Europe. Back in

his prime, Keith Lipthorpe and his late brother, Jim, toured with their

band and their experiences on the road inspired them to want more for

audiences and artists alike. I'm on my way to where it all

started — Stockton. Robert Mundy used to play in Roy

Orbison's band. The superstar recorded a live album at the

Stockton Fiesta club and would play there for weeks at a time. We were

going there with Roy. Mostly, we stayed at the hotel, we did not go

out much, but one time we went out with him and Barbara and we went

down to Redcar Beach and took him along there. It was really unreached

—— unusual. He had never been to a northern beach. I think people were

around. When they saw him, they thought he was an impersonator.

This is the Club Fiesta today. It's now a church. Once, the North East's

music fans came here to worship the stars.

And the man who started it all has made a nostalgic trip back to tell

me all about it. I decided that I wanted to run a business by my own.

I thought of opening... Maybe a nightclub. We tossed a coin and

luckily it came down on the nightclub side. I enjoyed it, but I

realised that out of all the places I went to, there was no at this ——

atmosphere, so I thought if we do it properly, it would make a

difference. The Fiesta experience wouldn't have been complete without

the fawns — the glamorous hostesses who served the punters their food

and drink. Sandy Whyte was a fawn and she never knew just what a night

at work would bring. Some weird and wonderful things went on. There was

a leopard involved in one act. I took the Leopard onto the stage, he

ripped the jesting room chair to bits and the carpets. I had to

literally grip drag him across the stage. That was our life. Rock and

roll, without the other bits. It was boomtime. 7500 cabaret was not their

medium. Wonderful on television think they died a death, but I pay

to see them, I was going to ask for my the best attack was a boy

Alderson, really. He at least 80 evenings.

The Lipthorpes planned to expand their empire beyond Stockton. Five

years later, the Sheffield Fiesta opened. It was lavish, costing

£500,000. There was to be a casino, a staff of 50, a resident band and

even an in—house newspaper. No more cabaret. Nowadays, here, all

the stars are all on screen. In Sheffield, this is what's left of

the Fiesta club. Sat here it's difficult to imagine that Michael

Jackson once strutted his stuff just yards away while people ate chicken

in a basket. But this is what it looked like in here all those years

ago. At its height, the club's ambitions

knew no bounds. They wanted the biggest stars in the world. And they

didn't come any bigger than the King himself. Todd Slaughter's been the

president of the Elvis Fan Club of Great Britain since 1967. This

footage shows him meeting his hero just before his final concert, in

the early 70s. Todd tried to persuade Presley to play at the

Sheffield Fiesta. Not only did the Fiesta want Elvis to come to

Britain, but the record company did as well. RCA were selling many

copies, they knew that if he touched our soil and appeared here, that

number would increase. Todd met Elvis' manager and father to discuss

the Fiesta's offer. But it was never to be. Presley died weeks after this

film was shot having never set foot on British soil. —— he would never

play in Britain. For a young, aspiring local singer, playing at

the Fiesta was the pinnacle of his ambitions.

I used to drive home and drive by the Fiesta. I used to see these

great big lights and I used to think, one day, one day, I hope that

I can play there. That would be making it. It would be like doing

the Palladium. Every week, there was a world—famous act there, from Tommy

Cooper to the Beach boys. Ella Fitzgerald. Some people would be

including Tony Christie on that list, you actually recorded a live

album there. Someone came to see me from the label. He came back and

said, you know, we should record this as that is part of your

history. This is what I carried around the club for five years, up

and down the stairs in my shoes. Pat Bennett was a Fiesta Fawn in

Sheffield. J cloth on here, 20 drinks, working hard seven hours a

night, six nights a week. I went in on the seventh as a customer. I

lived and breathed it until it closed down. Many couples got

together with their husbands and wives at the Fiesta club, not to

mention other peoples'. Pat Bennett met Patrick Wainwright while he was

a doorman there, but it wasn't until 35 years later that they actually

got together. We quite soon had a mutual attraction between us. We

couldn't quite get off the ground at the time. Wrong place, wrong time.

But it was something that I never forgot. By the time we got back in

touch, we had both been single with our kids for six years, so we found

each other at the right time, as it were.

But, in Sheffield, all was not well. After six glorious years, the

financial backers had their say. If that wasn't bad enough, the staff

went on strike, too. I said, you can't expect... It is sold out.

Unfortunately, I crossed the picket line and did my gig. All empires

crumble. The Fiesta was no different. Gambling laws, financial

demands of the stars and the economic climate meant the club was

no longer viable. After 11 years, the sums didn't add

up and Keith parted company with the club Fiesta. He went back to

accountancy. Partly because the costs were so high, in all of the

years I was in that business, I think we only had about two dozen

nights where we were really busy. At one point, there were losses of

£86,000 on Sheffield alone. For a while, the Stockton Fiesta

staged the World Darts Tournament. The clubs limped on for a few more

years, but cabaret had had its day. It must have been great while it

lasted. That is it for tonight. Don't

forget, there is more of my interview with Ray Mears on my blog.

I will be setting up shop to ask just how safe street food is. I will

see you next Monday. Until then, good night.