Hi
I did Biological Anthropology down in Stockton. I hated first year because it was way to social anth based. However because the course gets broken up into 3 degree courses in 2nd year you get a lot of freedom. In 1st year you get 2 social anth courses, 2 bio anth, 1 medical and 1 research methods. In 2nd year there are a ton more choices depending on which route you follow the majority take on social anth whilst only a handful take on medical and bio anth (I did it because I wanted a BSc, and i found bio anth far more interesting.) In 3rd year the choice gets even bigger as you can take Durham Anth modules which are also quite diverse.
I spent my first 2 years in Stockton then in third year me and a group of friends (3 other anthropologists and a biomed) moved to the viaduct in Durham.
First my time in Stockton, 1st year I was in Residential housing with other 1st year students because there wasn't anymore room in halls, it wasn't too bad except my fellow housemate turned out to be a raging psycho towards the exam period. As far as I know this system of housing doesn't exist as the uni has bought rooms in the Mezzino which is just halls with some 1st yr, 2nd yr and 3rd yr students. Stockton campus is well within walking distance from shops and what not about 10- 15 mins from halls. Plus if your really desperate to go to Durham its about 40mins on the bus but honestly your not missing much. I'd say both towns are equally as dull.
Stocky (as it is affectionately called by some of my friends) is a bit grim I won't lie, I didn't hate it as much as some of my peers but I didn't love it either. The locals are a lot nicer than Durham locals though. I would argue that the shops are slightly better.
Having said all of that my third year in Durham was by far my best year at university ever! We took all Durham anth subjects except for one which was a compulsory module based in stockton. We felt like part of the Durham uni community and we did make some really good friends up there. The night life sucks on both ends like really they are terrible. Middlesbrough is a hotspot in stocky and its shopping centres are great only £1 and 5mins on a train. Whilst its still possible to hit Klute, Hound (planet of Sound), Revolver, and Studio on fridays and saturdays and your still able to get back on the 2am bus although that is a bit of a burden. I hear they are extending the bus times on wednesdays.
I would say really look at the module list as it becomes more and more flexible as the years go on. So are your living arrangements. Plus I personally preferred the Stockton campus buildings as they were newer felt cleaner and nicer to be in. However nothing beats a view of the Castle and the Cathedral.