Everything But A Beach

11/09/2024

Getting there.

13/08/2024

Huge fun writing this MEN piece on the evocative language from 200 years ago.

The honest truth: we were braced to be a little bit bored ploughing through these 19th century books. But the more we immersed ourselves, the less of a chore it became.

Words such as 'wambly' and 'cowking' must surely deserve to be in a future Corrie episode?

We looked back at the lost words phrases used in Greater Manchester during Victorian times - many of them would still work today, writes Yakub Qureshi

10/08/2024

Knobsticks 🚪🏑.

We weren't just making that one up. It really was an old Lancastrian (Greater Manchester) word.

By the way, Hebden Bridge Mill is worth a visit - a crazy jumble of second hand shops, boutiques and galleries.

Plus... don't fear: we are beavering away on new podcast episodes for you to enjoy.

03/08/2024

A listener in California has flagged this fascinating podcast with Norman Foster.

One of world's greatest living architects - responsible for the Gherkin, the redesigned Wembley Stadium - he discusses his childhood in Reddish, Levenshulume and Burnage during the 1930s.

It was fascinating to hear about his years working in Manchester town hall, sketching the city's industrial surroundings, and grafting away at various jobs (including Wall's ice cream factory) to put himself through university.

He also told the San Francisco Standard about early memories of the Halle Orchestra and his favourite pieces of music (spoiler alert: no Elephant Stone or Wonderwall).

The 89-year-old architect's formative songs range from Chubby Checker's "The Twist" to Andrea Bocelli's "Bésame Mucho" to John McCormack's "I'll Walk Beside You."

27/07/2024

Exciting news - our second series will be coming later this year.

We’re really looking forward to researching and recording further episodes after the brilliant response we’ve had from you, our listeners, to our first series.

We will be continuing to share updates, news and behind-the-scenes insights until the next season drops.

Our mission is to celebrate the hidden histories of this great city - looking at characters and stories which are distincly Mancunian.

We’re thrilled that so many of you have got in touch to tell us you've enjoyed the episodes so far and what what future topics you'd like about.

Thanks for giving us your time and support. We hope you’ll continue with us on the journey.

And, yes, that is a beach (not in Manchester obvs 🐝).

26/07/2024

It was a delight to catch up with Rob Parsons on the Northern Agenda podcast.

Chris and Yakub discussed some of the things that make Manchester so great and historically significant (although, nowhere near enough time to go through the full list!).

We also talked about what inspired us to start delving into the city’s past, some of the hurdles we overcame, our favourite episodes and the plans for the future.

It’s the first time we’ve been invited to guest on another podcast - so very much appreciate the opportunity.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of the Northern Agenda - it’s a superb, weekly political podcast rounding up all the news, gossip and issues from across the north of England. Definitely worth a listen! 🎧

‎Show The Northern Agenda, Ep Matt Vickers: the last remaining Tory MP in the North East | The fascinating hidden stories of Manchester you won't have learned about at school - 26 Jul 2024

20/07/2024

At the highest level of government, a single question is being asked: 'Has the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police lost his mind?'

James Anderton has just declared that people with AIDS are 'in a cesspool of their own making'.

Days later, he appears to accept a suggestion he could be a modern prophet, being directed by God to address moral concerns.

Across Whitehall and the corridors of Downing Street, his comments unleash a storm of ridicule and alarm, threatening to shake the foundations of Margaret Thatcher's government.

In this final episode of our first series, we look back to a time of fear, misinformation and controversy - when Section 28 laws will collide with a protest movement seeking to change the face of Britain.

Will James Anderton survive the crisis - or will he be swept away by a decade of change?

13/07/2024

Britain's most hated woman. Families desperate for answers. And a bleak, unforgiving wilderness.

It's November 1986, over twenty years since Myra Hindley and her lover Ian Brady were jailed for their horrific crimes, but two of the victims are yet to be found.

Perhaps it's remorse, perhaps it's a cynical desire for reprieve, but Hindley has finally broken her silence. She's agreed to help find the lonely graves of those innocents on the windswept upland of Saddleworth Moor.

James Anderton, chief constable for Greater Manchester Police, has approved a clandestine operation.

Roads are closed. Officers deployed in their hundreds. Marksmen stand vigilant over the snow-topped wastes of the moor.

Will Hindley end the nightmare for the families of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade? Or will the vengeance of a city, disgusted by her crime, catch up with her first?

Join us for the next instalment of God's Cop, exploring a dark, disturbing episode that still haunts Manchester's streets.

10/07/2024

The frustration has been building for years. Crippling unemployment, police brutality - and no one in authority wants to listen.

On July 8, 1981, a protest will boil over - and one community, in the heart of Manchester, will be engulfed.

Those 48 hours of violence will shine a light on the dark side of a decade - its inequality, its violent prejudices and its social divides.

From the moment the first bricks are thrown in Moss Side, one man seizes the mission to stamp out the disorder - by any means necessary.

Join us as we explore a moment in time that gives an extraordinary insight into the battlelines of Thatcher’s Britain - from social unrest, to National Front marches, to the policing of strikes.

You can listen to our latest episode on all major podcast players.

03/07/2024

James Anderton was the most controversial policeman in modern British history.

His uncompromising religious views shaped public life in Manchester - just as the city's most famous bands, musicians and artists found their voice.

His comments on AIDS and sexuality prompted a crisis for Margaret Thatcher's government. His decisions during the Stalker Affair caused an international scandal.

In our next few episodes, we journey to an extraordinary period which placed Manchester on the frontline of a battle that would define Eighties Britain.

It's the story of music, drugs, power, sexual revolution and secrecy. It's the story which tells us about the present day, as much as the past.

Join us as we chart the rise and fall of God's Cop.

29/06/2024

Britain is in the grip of revolution.

Strikes, riots and an explosion of music and drugs.

One man stands between the old world and the new.

That man is Greater Manchester Police chief James Anderton - a hero to some, to others a dangerous reactionary.

The most controversial policeman in modern British history, he sparked a crisis at the heart of Thatcher's government - and became an unlikely celebrity.

Find out how Manchester became the frontline of a battle for the soul of Eighties Britain.

It's a story of power and secrecy that speaks to our times. It's the story of God’s Cop.

26/06/2024

Surrounded by the Enemy was a 6ft 7ins Sioux warrior; a gun-slinging and horse-riding stuntman.

Sadly his journey across Europe was cut tragically short due to a sudden illness.

This report from the Manchester Courier on December 17, 1887 broke the news of his untimely death, as Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show camped by the banks of the River Irwell during the winter months.

The paper reports: "It is stated by Broncho Bill, the camp interpreter, that the deceased attained his name from his parents, who, when young, conveyed him safely through fire and smoke, when surrounded by enemies. He was 22 years of age, and took part in the performances."

If you're interested in finding out more about this unusual story, please have a listen to our latest episode using the links below.

22/06/2024

Perhaps it was a weariness from war that drove Black Elk to leave everything he knew and travel the many miles to Victorian Britain.

A veteran from the Battle of Wounded Knee, he was one of nearly 100 Native American performers who joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show on a tour of Europe's great cities.

But Black Elk (pictured on the right) faced losing everything after being left behind when the show packed up and left Manchester.

“We could not talk the language and we did not know what to do, so we just roamed around. After a while we found two other Lakotas who had been left behind and one of these could talk English.

“He said, if we went to London we could get money in another show that was there, and then we could go home. We were all sick to go home. So the English talker got some tickets with the money we all had together, and we went to London on the iron road.”

Black Elk's long journey home is just one of the many stories we cover in our next episode on this extraordinary chapter of Manchester history and its lasting legacy.

Join us as we explore the mystery which has endured two centuries, the legend of the Salford Sioux.

21/06/2024

Hey, can you help us out?

Anyone that's met us in real life knows that we are totally useless when it comes to self-publicity - but we're really keen to get the word out there.

If you've been enjoying the episodes so far, please do let others know by leaving a review on your podcast player and telling friends, family and colleagues who might be interested in something new.

We read every piece of feedback we receive - and are grateful to everyone's taken the time to comment, share their own recollections or suggest topics for future episodes.

We'll be taking all these on board as we begin plan for our next series of episodes - so please do keep the feedback coming 🎧🐝👍

19/06/2024

Crowds gathered in awe as a ‘vast amphitheater’ took shape next to the banks of the River Irwell.

The mammoth stage, constructed for the US showman known as Buffalo Bill, included immense painted scenes of the American prairies - the backdrop for set pieces with 250 performers on horseback.

According to one newspaper: “The theater, brilliantly lighted and well warmed throughout, is like nothing else ever constructed in this country.

“The boundless plains and swelling prairies are so vividly counterfeited, that it is difficult to resist the belief that we are really gazing over an immense expanse of country from some hillside in the far West.”

The US troupe, including nearly 100 Native American performers, spent the entire winter camped in Manchester - thrilling audiences with their stunts and leaving a lasting mark on the public imagination, as well as a mysterious legacy.

Join us in our latest episode to travel back two centuries and discover how this local legend still lingers today 🎧

15/06/2024

Taylor Swift fever is sweeping the UK, but in this week's episode we investigate a very different type of stadium show.

Life in Victorian England was turned on its head when William 'Buffallo Bill' Cody brought his Wild West Show to Manchester.

An army of performers, including Native American warriors fresh from the battlefields of Little Bighorn, travelled across the Atlantic to thrill audiences in Europe's greatest cities.

Thousands flocked to Manchester Racecourse, where Cody's crew erected the 'largest theatre ever seen in the world' to watch peerless displays of horseriding, trick shooting and largescale replica 'battles'.

But strange stories linger on about the enduring legacy of this once-in-a-lifetime show - ones which still survive on the streets of Salford today.

Journey with us to this incredible period of history, as we try to solve a puzzle dating back two centuries: The legend of the Salford Sioux.

12/06/2024

Writer and activist Samuel Bamford famously provided an eyewitness account of the Peterloo massacre.

But he also devoted many years to collecting expressions from his native Lancashire, including in and around the growing city of Manchester.

His writings were actually used for the 2018 film Peterloo as a way of reconstructing the Lancastrian dialect of the time.

If you'd like to discover the meanings of the words 'wamble', 'choughin yed' or 'Dule' and many other strange sounding words from the time, don't forget to check out our our latest epsiode 🎧

09/06/2024

"Poo that cricket to'th foyer."

It might sound fanciful, but listen hard enough and you might just hear echoes of Victorian Manchester in the lyrics of Shaun Ryder and Mark E Smith, in the snappy dialogue of Coronation Street and the sharp wit of Victoria Wood and Caroline Aherne.

Words like 'flother' and 'arsewood' may no longer be around, but the cadence and speech patterns of Northern voices are surprisingly familiar.

This episode will look at how Mancunians used to speak, the words that have survived today and the stubborn, enduring power of local dialect.

Go on, get your ears around it! 🎧🐝