Special archive of Kate Adie’s trailblazing career unlocked at University of Sunderland

Published on 11, April, 2025

A specially curated collection cataloguing the life and work of world-renowned BBC journalist and author, Kate Adie, has been unlocked at the University of Sunderland.

From her coverage of the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, through both Gulf Wars, to her work in trouble spots across the world, Kate donated a rich archive of notebooks, tapes, letters, pictures, video and even fan mail, to the University in 2005 to preserve a record of her professional career. 

As well as Kate’s early years growing up in Sunderland, the collection covers her trailblazing career at the BBC from 1968 onwards: her early years working at local radio in Durham and Bristol, her coverage of the student uprising in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and her appointment as the BBC's chief news correspondent, a role which lasted until 2003. During that time, Kate covered a raft of major world events and reported from several combat zones including the Gulf and the former Yugoslavia. 

Now that her life's work has been documented in her home city, Kate said: “My life was shaped by my childhood in Sunderland, and I’ve wanted to show some of the very happy memories, starting at home in Tunstall Park and including two bomb fragments, embedded in our sideboard, which thankfully arrived two years before my appearance. I attended Sunderland High School – and I’m still in touch with a dozen girls from my form – a tribute to our Wearside background. 

“A reporter does not usually have much time to collect souvenirs so it’s an eclectic collection, but I hope it represents the extraordinarily varied stories I’ve covered, from wars to royal garden parties.”

Last year, the University was awarded grant funding from Archives Revealed, to catalogue all of Kate’s work – held by the University Library as part of its Special Collections. The funding supported the employment of a dedicated Project Archivist, Dr Ellie Clewlow, who, for the last 12 months, has worked tirelessly to catalogue the Kate Adie Collection.

The University now has a comprehensive record of exactly what the collection contains, allowing much greater use of its materials for future teaching, learning, research, and the enjoyment of the wider community. 

Dr Clewlow said: “Cataloguing the Kate Adie Collection has been a fabulous experience. It is rare to have the opportunity to focus upon a single collection for a sustained period of time – and that focus has brought results.

“A catalogue is now in place that will connect local community groups, veterans and academic researchers to a collection that links people to moments of their past and offers ways into exploring developments in broadcasting and reporting over the latter part of the 20th century.”

Kate holds honorary degrees from a number of universities and is Honorary Professor of Journalism at the University of Sunderland. Her published works include Kindness of Strangers, Corsets to Camouflage, Into Danger, Nobody's Child and Fighting on the Home Front. 

She won the Richard Dimbleby Award from BAFTA in 1990 and three years later she was awarded an OBE. Kate received a CBE in 2018. 

The Kate Adie Collection was officially launched at an event at the University’s David Puttnam Media Centre, St Peters Campus, on Thursday 10 April. 

The evening included an ‘In conversation’-style talk where local media personality and Sunderland honorary graduate, Jeff Brown, asked Kate to talk through some of the artefacts from her collection and how they relate to her career.

The video below, shown at the event, contains images from the Kate Adie Collection as well as images of the Sunderland Shipyards and Town courtesy of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

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Sir David Bell, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland, said: “After 12 months of hard work and dedication by Project Archivist, Ellie Clewlow, we are delighted to launch this unique collection here at the University. 

“Kate Adie is one of the most talented journalists and broadcasters of her generation and, as a native of Sunderland, her collection will be of interest both locally and further afield.

“By unlocking Kate’s trailblazing career through this collection, we want to enrich the experience of our students and staff as well as foster engagement with a wide range of community groups and researchers in the years to come.” 

Kate gave her collection to the University in 2005 on indefinite loan, at a time when the University’s Special Collections was in its earliest stages of development. Since then, the Collection has expanded to include a mining archive (NEEMARC), The Lord Puttnam Collection and the Sidney Pollard Collection.

The University Library also has a strongroom with temperature and humidity controls, to ensure the Special Collections are protected from mould, dust, water, and fire. 

The Kate Adie Collection catalogue was produced with support from Archives Revealed and the University of Sunderland Development Trust. Archives Revealed is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.

Jack Butterworth, Head of Research, Grants and Academic Engagement at The National Archives, said: “Archives Revealed is proud to have supported the University of Sunderland in their mission to unlock the records of Kate Adie’s pioneering career. 

“It is wonderful to see how far our funding can go, in ensuring that significant archival collections are made accessible for the research and enjoyment of all.

“Congratulations to all involved and thank you to our Archives Revealed funding partners for making projects like this possible.”

The University now hopes to work towards digitising key elements of the Kate Adie Collection to create unique digital content packages which will be accessible from around the globe.

Plans are already underway to share the collection with community groups across the city. For more information on how you or your organisation can access the Kate Adie Collection at the University, click here.