A DOCUMENTARY which takes a look at everyday life on the Tyne and Wear Metro is to be screened again on national television.

Metro: A Rail Life Story is a four-part ITV documentary series which gives a unique insight into day to day operations on the Metro system as it gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary – prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The programme, filmed in 2019 and first shown in early 2020, is getting a rerun on ITV1 over the next four weeks. Episode One is on tonight, Tuesday 6 April, at 11.40pm.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, gave unprecedented access to film crews over the busy summer of 2019.

Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “We’re delighted that the ITV documentary about Metro is to be screened again on national television.

“It was a huge honour for us to be part of this programme in Metro’s 40th anniversary year. It affords viewers the chance to see some of the challenges that we face to keep the Metro service operating for its passengers.

“The filming took place before Covid-19 had ever happened, so it’s a snapshot of what our lives were like before lockdown and social distancing.

“Metro remains part of everyday life and has become a regional icon over the last four decades. It is a service that belongs to the people, which is why we were keen to share these amazing stories about our passengers and our staff.

“I hope everyone enjoys watching the series just as much as they did the first time it that it was aired.”

The first episode features thousands of people using Metro to get the Spice Girls concert at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

The ITV series showed Metro staff dealing with day-to-day issues including fare evasion, customer services, infrastructure maintenance and managing its ageing fleet of trains.

Major events were also a big part of the series. This included thousands of people using Metro to get to the Spice Girls concert in Sunderland, and the 2019 Great North Run, Metro’s busiest day of the year.

In episode two features a visit from Britain’s first ever guide horse as his new owner gets him ready for a new life on London’s transport systems.

The series for ITV was the first commission for Leeds based production company Wise Owl Films, a Lime Pictures company that launched in 2018.