Rock musician Sting tonight expressed his pride at being able to return to his roots for the staging of his Geordie musical The Last Ship. The Grammy-winning star spoke as some of TV and music’s biggest names arrived at a glittering, red carpet event to attend a special, gala performance of his play at Newcastle’s Northern Stage...

“When I see a film of a ship being launched, for some reason I tear up,” says Sting. “I can’t explain why. There’s something about the profound, symbolic nature of a ship which is deeply rooted within me.” The son of Tyneside fought against his roots for many years, putting thousands of miles between his Wallsend childhood and his multi-millionaire superstar life as an Englishman in New York...