IF you went to school on Teesside, you could have sat next to one of these famous faces. 

These days it's hard to remember what you had for breakfast or did last week, never mind who you sat next to in school or partnered with science class.

But you never know who might have gone on to be a trend-setting model, create musical masterpieces or represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

Here are some of the famous faces that attended schools on Teesside:

Bob Mortimer - Acklam High School, Middlesbrough 

The Northern Echo: HE WOULDN'T LET IT LIE: Middlesbrough comedian Bob Mortimer received an honorary degree from Teesside University.  Picture: CHRIS BOOTH

Best known for his part of the comedy duo with Vic Reeves, Vic and Bob, Mr Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough and attended Acklam High School on the site of Acklam Hall.

More recently known for his Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing series with comedian Paul Whitehouse, Mr Mortimer was once in papers as 'The Cockroach King' after his work as a lawyer saw him take on cases about cockroach infestations of council properties.

Paul Daniels - Sir William Turners Grammar School, Redcar 

The Northern Echo: Magic man - Paul Daniels

Magician Paul Daniels, born Newton Edward Daniels, rose to international fame through The Paul Daniels Show.

He went on to be named "Magician of the Year" by the Academy of Magical Arts in 1982, becoming the first from outside the US to do so. He was later described as 'The Godfather of Magic'.

Before finding fame, Mr Daniels attended Sir William Turners Grammar School in Coatham and landed his first job as a junior clerk in the treasurer's office of Eston Council. 

Jamie Bell - Northfield School & Sports College, Stockton

The Northern Echo: GUERILLA TACTICS: Jamie Bell stars as one of two Jewish brothers, the Bielskis, who helped thousands hide from the Nazis in Lithuania

Billy Elliot star turned Hollywood actor Jamie Bell bagged the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in his 2000 debut and has not left the stage since.

Mr Bell attended Northfield school and early dance classes at Maloney Stage School on Borough Road, Middlesbrough. 

He's taken on leading roles such as Tintin in The Adventures of Tintin and as Ben Grimm/Thing in Fantastic Four. The Billingham man is also well known for performances in King Kong and Jumper. 

Chris Rea - St Mary's College, Middlesbrough

The Northern Echo: Chris Rea will return to Bournemouth on UK tour

Musican Chris Rea, known for his husky singing and slide guitar, is not short of well-known songs including The Road to Hell (Part 2) - his 18th chart entry where he finally made it into the UK Top 10.

Mr Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Previously, he was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1978.

He attended St Mary's College in Middlesbrough.

Wayne Sleep - Hartlepool Baltic Street Junior School, Hartlepool

This dancer, director and actor attended ballet in Hartlepool in 1955 with Muriel Carr before being awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in 1961.

On screen, Wayne Sleep is known for The Real Marigold on Tour and The Real Full Monty and has appeared on various celebrity editions of game shows like The Chase, Come Dine With Me and All Star Family Fortunes. 

Mr Sleep attended Baltic Street Junior School then Hartlepool Technical High School and was also a choirboy at St Hilda’s Church.

Preeti Desai - Nunthorpe School, Middlesbrough

The Northern Echo: Preeti Desai wearing the 2006 crown

An actress and model, Preeti Desai made history by becoming the first woman of Indian origin to ever win the Miss Great Britain title in 2007.

Ms Desai, who previously won Miss Cleveland, attended St Augustine’s RC Primary school in Coulby Newham, Nunthorpe School and then Middlesbrough College.

Known for starring in Damien Chazelle's 2020 film The Stunt Double and has taken on roles in various productions by Amazon, Apple and Netflix.

John Baines - Ormesby Primary School, Middlesbrough 

The Northern Echo: John Baines, pictured, has stepped in to fill Craig Pickering's place in the two-man bobsleigh

Olympic bobsledder John Baines went to school at Ormesby Primary School in Middlesbrough. 

While Mr Baines who competes for Team GB, he is also a comms specialist in the Royal Air Force. He first tried Bobslaigh after joining the RAF and signing up for the team.

In his youth, he competed locally in 100m and 200m track events.

Chris Tomlinson - Nunthorpe Secondary School, Middlesbrough 

Retired long jumper Chris Tomlinson attended Nunthorpe Secondary School before going to Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough.

Mr Tomlinson still holds many of Nunthorpe's year group records for triple and long jump, which is no surprise as he is the former British long jump record holder and competed at the Olympics of 2004, 2008 and 2012.

James Arthur - Rye Hills School, Redcar

The Northern Echo: o-JAMES-ARTHUR-570.jpeg

Saltburn singer and songwriter James Arthur first attended Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar before moving to Bahrain, where he lived for four years. When he returned to Teesside, Mr Arthur went to Rye Hills School in Redcar.

He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. 

Richard Griffiths - Our Lady & St Bede School, Stockton

The Northern Echo: OBE: Richard Griffiths

Richard Griffiths is probably best known today as Harry Potter’s uncle Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, but the actor has taken on many roles across film, television and stage. 

Mr Griffiths won much acclaim and received many awards including, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for the stage play The History Boys. The film adaptation bagged the Thornaby-born man a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Dropping out of Our Lady and St Bede School at 15 years olf, Mr Griffiths was eventually persuaded to go back to school by his boss at Littlewoods, where he worked as a porter. He decided to go to drama class at Stockton & Billingham College.