Brian recounts the notorious visit by Bradford’s JB Priestley to Tyneside in autumn 1933 for his book English Journey. Dosed with medicine for a heavy cold and tired of travelling, Priestley described the Geordie accent as a “most barbarous, monotonous and irritating twang”. Gateshead, he added, was a town “carefully planned by an enemy of the human race”. Northerners also shows convincingly how the past echoes down the centuries. The devastation of factory and pit closures in the 1980s, for example, recalled the trauma of William the Conqueror’s Harrying of the North. The book charts how the north-south divide has ebbed and flowed and explores the very real divisions between northerners, such as the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Southerners, on the other hand, sometimes refer to people from the North as “northern monkeys,” which means they think northerners are uncultured. This one always baffles me, but some people from the south ask me what Greggs is?! I don't really understand how anyone from the south can have avoided the cultural icon that is Greggs by this point." – Rachel, Preston A work of unrivalled scale and ambition, Northerners is the defining biography of northern England.

Northerners: The bestselling history of the North of England

Brian, originally from Stretford, Lancashire, is a former assistant editor of the Financial Times and editor of Scotland on Sunday. He will be talking about his book and Northern history at Newcastle Lit & Phil on Thursday, May 26. Northerners: A History from the Ice Age to the Present Day (litandphil.org.uk) This authoritative new history of place and people lays out the dramatic events that created the north – waves of migration, invasions and battles, and transformative changes wrought on European culture and the global economy. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from the earliest times to the present day, the book shows that the people of the north have shaped Britain and the world in unexpected ways. It’s not just about stereotypes though; there are many different cultural practices in the two that creates this division. Like how it drives northerners crazy when southerners refer to dinner or tea as “supper.” It’s not hot, it's only 26°C.' Sorry that I'm not used to living on the surface of the sun." – Abbie, Newcastle

Tynesiders and other North East folk have played a crucial role in shaping modern Britain, according to a major new book. I just love pies and southerners don't get it." – Richard, Manchester Why do you love gravy so much?

What Northerners hate about the South | London Evening What Northerners hate about the South | London Evening

When I'm told I sound more southern when I return home to visit family and friends, that hurts." – Rachel, Preston Northerners are often depicted as being scruffy, dirty, rude, obnoxious folk. Unfortunatly, this is the way they are viewed and portrayed but it couldn't be further from the truth. It is assumed that, because of the northern accent, northeners are stupid and uneducated. This is yet again untrue, it is just an accent. A way of speaking. Would you call a texan an idiot for speaking in the way they do? of course not. Would you call a londoner an idiot for speaking the way they do? of course not. That is exactly the same. People say northeners should get a full grasp on the english language but the truth is that they do have a ful grasp on the english language, they just pronounce words differently. Yep, this is the classic, my friends always ask me why I'm putting gravy on my chips. They also have no idea what scraps are." – Abbie, Newcastle How can you be warm? It's freezing! This may seem like a silly thing to get irritated by because wrapping up in cold weather or on nights out actually makes total sense. You’re not wearing a coat? We’re going clubbing though…" – Abbie, Newcastle Why are you so friendly to everyone?

2. The weather

Northerners poke fun at the way southerners pronounce R’s in front of the A’s in words like bath and laugh. These words come to sound like “barth” and “larff.” And in reverse southerners take the piss out of northerners for changing words completely and having weird colloquialisms. If it sounds like a different language, it’s probably because it is. Who needs Queen’s English when you’ve got northern English? Northerners accuse southerners, especially Londoners, of being “southern fairies.” This means they think people from the South don’t know what an honest day’s work means and spend too much money in wine bars.