Here then is our tribute to just some of the town’s acclaimed sons and daughters. It does not proclaim to be the definitive guide – there would be just too many names to cram in – and is merely a flavour of what we have had to offer the worlds of sport, music, broadcasting, fashion, film and beyond.
29. Reg Smythe
The creator of Daily Mirror cartoon layabout Andy Capp never forgot his home town and returned to live here before his death in 1998 at the age of 80. His comic creation turned 65 in 2022. Photo: Other 3rd Party
30. Jeremy Spencer
Born in Hartlepool in 1948, guitarist Spencer is pictured centre here in an early line-up of rock legends Fleetwood Mac. Photo: submitted
31. Jeff Stelling
Born in 1955, the Sky Sports Gilette Soccer Saturday anchorman, Hartlepool United fanatic, charity fundraiser and former Hartlepool Mail journalist has never forgotten his roots and is an honorary freeman of the town. Photo: JPIMedia
32. Wincey Willis
Willis, pictured far right with TV-AM colleagues in 1984, is a former weather forecaster and television presenter who spent part of her life growing up in town. Her first name is apparently short for Winsome. Photo: PA