Made in the Midlands
Loftus Media
Adrian Goldberg interviews famous Midlanders asking what part the region played in their success.Made in the Midlands is a podcast which investigates the cultural foundations of the UK’s most populous region. More than ten million people call middle England their home yet it’s a part of Britain which often seems little understood by our fellow Brits. Northerners are sure we’re southerners. Southerners are equally sure we’re northerners.Made in the Midlands is a chance to set the record straight and to increase awareness of the talent the region has produced. In each episode Adrian asks his gues...
Henry Normal
Henry Normal is anything but normal. A prolific poet and writer, he grew up in a poor part of Nottingham and nearly killed himself, after putting on a World War 2 gas mask he found while playing in the rubble of a city bombsite.Before he became a teenager his mother died, after which he became more introverted, learning to “escape” day-to-day life by reading and watching films. He was set for a prosperous and successful career in the insurance industry but gave it all up to take to the stage. “W
Bonus Episode: A brief debrief
Adrian's mission to find out what defines our region and what makes a Midlander comes to an end, for now... He's spoken to 9 famous folk from central England - five men, four women, one novelist, two musicians, a pair of film directors, a couple of sports stars, one actor, one MP. It’s been quite a journey - so here’s a brief debrief.Commissioned by Coventry City of Culture 2021 and proudly produced by Loftus Media. Music by Maia Miller-Lewis. Image Credits: Lee Child - Brian Aris Pauline Black
Ellie Simmonds
Paralympian Ellie Simmonds is starting a life away from the Midlands but still lives close enough to the motorway to be able to get to the place she will always call home: “To be that poster girl for the Midlands... It makes me so proud because I love the Midlands. I love going back home. I love being able to talk about the Brummie accent and all those amazing things that Birmingham has to offer.” Midlands Hero: Dave Heeley aka “Blind Dave” - a phenomenal charity fund raiser from Birmi
Jess Phillips
Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015, Jess has lived her entire life in the city. She did study at Leeds University. But came home every weekend. “I belong here. I belong in Birmingham,” she says, “ I can feel it when I'm on the train on the way back from London every week. My shoulders start to relax when I get through the Chilterns.”Jess is best known for her campaigning to end violence against women and, as we’ll hear, campaigning is in her DNA. As a child she used
Steve Ogrizovic
Coventry City goalkeeping legend Steve Ogrizovic tells the hair-raising wartime story of how his father came to be a miner in Nottinghamshire, the “embarrassment” of queuing for school dinner tokens during a strike, joining the police force and bowling out Viv Richards in a lesser known cricket career. As a footballer he sat on the bench while Liverpool won Europe’s most prestigious trophies, but spent the rest of his life at Midlands clubs - including a remarkable 16 years as Coventry’s number
Tom Clarke
The frontman of The Enemy was born in the heart of the West Midlands. “I grew up in Castle Bromwich, which is Solihull or Birmingham, depending on who you’re trying to impress.” He talks to Adrian about his love of manufacturing, especially cars, and of family plus his determination to offer a leg up to other young Midlands artists.Midlands Masterpiece: “My Land Rover 1966 Series 2A. On the Land Rover badge it says Solihull, Warwickshire. I feel immensely proud of that.”Commissioned by Coventry
Debbie Isitt
Film director Debbie Isitt played truant after making her mind up at an early age that she wanted to be involved in the arts. A slot on a children's Saturday morning TV show sealed it. “I went on Tiswas as part of my dancing school. I just thought, what do I need school for? I'm on my way, I'm on the telly.” Debbie reveals to Adrian how she could have gone to Hollywood to ply her trade, but instead, she stayed in the Midlands and makes internationally acclaimed films at her house in th
Nitin Ganatra
Actor Nitin Ganatra (EastEnders, Bride & Prejudice, Charlie & the Chocolate Facotry) was a shy, overweight immigrant boy with a stammer and was subjected to horrific bullying and racial abuse while growing up in Coventry. Two teachers persuaded him to audition for a school play, helping him overcome his low confidence and gain a place at Bristol University to study drama.“I opened my mouth, everything started to flow, no stammer, no insecurity, nothing. I just began to speak in character
Ken Loach
Award-winning film director, Ken Loach, talks to Adrian about his Midlands identity. Recorded at a sold out event in Coventry Cathedral, Ken becomes emotional as he recalls hearing the news from a neighbour that the building had been bombed during the Second World War. “A neighbour came in and said they'd destroyed the cathedral. I remember the smell of the night air and the horror... and, of course, we knew there were many killed as well.”Midlands Masterpiece: Coventry Cathedral. “These two chu
Pauline Black
Pauline Black, pioneer of Two-Tone and lead singer of groundbreaking ska band, The Selecter, talks to Adrian about her connection to the Midlands and Coventry in particular. She talks about, amongst other things, the first time she came to the Midlands as a student. “I got off the train in Coventry and I felt immediately at home.” Pauline studied at Lanchester Polytechnic and went on to work in Coventry hospitals. She kickstarted her musical career playing folk gigs in Coventry pubs. “Nobody ask
Lee Child
Lee Child, the prolific author of the Jack Reacher detective novels, talks to Adrian about his Midlands upbringing and its lasting influence. He talks of his early years in Coventry before moving to Birmingham where two libraries gave him his love of books. He describes the smell of the dusty shelves and the voracious appetite he developed for reading, so much so his parents obtained extra library cards in the name of visiting relatives.“Even our dog had a library card,” he says. “Without t
TRAILER: Series 1: Welcome
Welcome to the Made in the Midlands podcast…a journey to celebrate and excavate the cultural identity of a region which is home to 10 million people. We love it here…but we also think the Midlands can be a part of the world that’s all too easily forgotten, ignored even. Northerners seem to assume Midlanders are southerners. Southerners think we’re northerners. And even people who come from round here struggle to define what unites us. So who are we? Adrian Goldberg asks some