Toon boozer, The Egypt Cottage, became a focal point for Popstars during the early and mid eighties, when legendary music show The Tube was being filmed next door in Studio 5 at the Tyne Tees Television Studios.
The anarchic music show fronted by Music Journalist Paula Yates and Musician Jools Holland, made Newcastle the capital of Old School Cool and the Egyptian Cottage became a Green room for the Popstars to nip in for a quick bevvy after filming with the pub quickly being named Studio 6 by the Tyne Tees Television Staff.
‘Prince of Darkness’ Ozzy Osbourne, insisted on being interviewed by Yates for the show whilst sitting up in a coffin and leaning against the bar, resulting in two unsuspecting visitors leaving the pub in shock.
Iggy Pop was found walking around dressed as a mummy outside the pub one night after filming finished and Yates met INXS singer Michael Hutchence, whom she later began a high-profile affair with for the first time in the Egypt Cottage.
Paul McCartney, Boy George and Elton John also popped in for a pint over the years with McCartney apparently being pints for regulars, something Holland also often did.
The pub sat above the banks of the Tyne from the early 1700’s and was previously known as The Egypt Tavern and The Egypt Inn and was a popular jaunt for many Geordie’s.
When the TV Studios opened in 1959, the pub became a second home for many stars and TV execs but it was the eighties when the boozer entered its hey day.
However, after Tyne Tees Television shut its doors in 2005 and was later demolished in 2009, the future of The Egypt Cottage looked bleak, despite having been saved from closure in the mid nineties and Jools Holland campaigning to keep it open it finally went down the tubes in 2013 when it too was demolished.