What links TV star Denise Welch with football managers Bryan Robson and Sir Bobby Robson? According to the national press, they’re all famous Geordies. But is this true?

In fact, all three are from County Durham – Welch from Ebchester and the two Robsons from Chester-le-Street and Sacriston respectively. They are part of a growing trend for geographically-challenged Brits to confuse Geordies, County Durham and Sunderland residents (Mackems) and Northumbrians.

All are roped together with personalities born much closer to the banks of the Tyne, such as Ant and Dec and Cheryl Cole.

So what exactly do we call the denizens of County Durham? There’s no collective term in popular usage, although they were called “Pit Yakkers” in the 20th century, after the residents of mining villages in Durham.

Many Mackems will remember all the times they’ve been mistaken for Geordies. The Collins dictionary describes a Geordie thus: ‘A person who comes from or lives in Tyneside.’ But others will happily slap the label on to almost anyone from Berwick down to Middlesbrough.

Some academics think the name dates back almost 300 years to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, when thousands of Scots backed by Frenchmen tried to invade England to re-install the Stuarts to the throne. But the citizens of Newcastle didn’t back the rebellion and instead threw their weight behind King George. Some say that’s when their loyalty earned them the nickname.

Distinctive and colourful dialects are disappearing fast across the UK. In London ‘Estuary English’ is quickly replacing Cockney and its rhyming slang. Thankfully, a few parts of the country are holding out. And Newcastle and Sunderland stand out as areas where local words and pronunciations still dominate. Howay man!