Sharon Heal travels to South Yorkshire to meet Victoria Ryves, Doncaster Culture Services' learning and community development manager.

Radical Museums podcast - Episode 1: Victoria Ryves

Our J-Lab guest this episode is Hannah Barnes, investigations producer for the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

Hannah’s reports with science correspondent Deborah Cohen and her subsequent book about the rise and fall of the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) for children at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London are the result of intensive reporting, carried out across several years and based on more than 100 hours of interviews with Gids’ clinicians, former patients, and other experts.

Gids was established to provide talking therapies to young people who were questioning their gender identity. But 15 years after the service was founded, staff began expressing concerns about the rapid rise in patient referrals to endocrinologists who would prescribe hormone blockers designed to delay puberty. Many young people with complex case histories of autism, eating disorders or histories of family abuse were being referred to the service, then given puberty blockers.

Clinicians interviewed by Hannah for her Time to Think book compared it to East German doping scandals in the 1970s or failings at the Mid Staffs hospital in the 2000s. The clinic will shut later this year, to be replaced by a number of regional centres that will aim to offer more holistic treatment.

This has been a difficult subject for Hannah to report - some trans people see criticism of Gids as attempts to stop children transitioning at all; some gender-critical campaigners treat its closure as vindication of wider arguments.
Hannah’s book makes the point that this isn’t a culture war story. It's a medical scandal. And yet while her scrupulous and meticulously researched journalism – with 70 pages of notes and references – has been widely praised in reviews from the Guardian to the Telegraph, more than 20 publishers passed on the chance to publish her book. Her eventual publisher, Swift Press, struggled to find people who would even copy-edit the book or design its cover.

In this conversation, Hannah outlines her analytical, source-based methods, and offers advice on how to retain a questioning approach during reporting, while always treating contributors and interviewees with decency and respect.

J-Lab is a podcast by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University.

J-Lab Episode 38: Analytical journalism with BBC Newsnight's Hannah Barnes

Toad (2010) - Iain Wheeldon (iainwheeldon.com)

Today's guest is Dave Johns, one of the most respected and best loved stand up comics working on the British comedy circuit. 

Dave is also a multi-award winning film and stage actor and is probably best known for his breakthrough role in Ken Loach's critically acclaimed film 'I, Daniel Blake' which won the coveted Palme D'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival and was also winner of the BAFTA for the Most Outstanding British Film. 

In this episode, we talk about Dave's early life as a bricklayer, his love of improvisational comedy and how after a visit to the Comedy store in London in the late 80's,  he started his own comedy club in Newcastle, booking the likes of Jo Brand and Steve Coogan who were on their own ascent at the time.

We also talk about Dave's role in the Edinburgh Fringe production of 12 angry men in 2003 (which starred fellow comedians Bill Bailey, Stephen Frost and Jeff Green), his West End stage run in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, alongside Christian Slater and his own stage adaptations of Stephen King's 'Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption' as well as 'I, Daniel Blake'.

There are some great anecdotes, particularly around Dave's experiences at the Cannes Film Festival, including conversations with Donald Sutherland and Stephen Spielberg.

I had about 90 minutes with Dave - but I genuinely think we could have easily recorded 4 or 5 episodes worth of material and we would still only have scratched the surface of Dave's amazingly rich life in comedy, stage, television and film....but, I hope this captures a flavour of both his career and life outlook.

Thanks to Dave for the time and generosity and a special thanks to Joyce Jobe for helping set up this chat and I hope you enjoy the episode.

Dave Johns: https://davejohns.net/

Ken Loach: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Loach

I, Daniel Blake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Daniel_Blake

I, Daniel Blake (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahWgxw9E_h4

Melbourne Festival: https://www.melbournefestival.co.uk/

Edinburgh Festival: https://www.eif.co.uk/

Edinburgh Festival Fringe: https://www.edfringe.com/

Whose Line is It Anyway? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163507/

Sarah Millican: https://sarahmillican.co.uk/my-tour-has-started/

North East Culture Award: https://necultureawards.com/northeastcultureawards2024/en/page/home

Cannes Film Festival: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/

B.F.G (Film): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ0Bey4YUGI

Sunday for Sammy: https://www.sundayforsammy.org/

Norther Stage: https://northernstage.co.uk/

The Comedy Store: https://thecomedystore.co.uk/

Friday Night Live: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Live_(British_TV_programme)

Ben Elton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Elton

Jo Brand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Brand

Frank Skinner: https://www.frankskinnerlive.com/

Amando Iannucci: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armando_Iannucci

Guy Masterson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Masterson

12 Angry Men: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Angry_Men_(1957_film)

Nica Burns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nica_Burns

Christian Slater: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000225/

Stephen King: https://stephenking.com/index.html

Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption: 

Olivier Gaumet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Gourmet

23 Walks: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9699620/

Episode 45 - Dave Johns (Comedian, Actor & Writer)

This episode is a chat with Simon Thompson, Head Gardener at the National Trust Property, Wallington. 
Simon has worked for the National Trust for over 25 years, and we thought we would approach this episode in the spirit of the work of a gardener – through a walk around the estate. 

Simon welcomed me to Wallington back in September 2024 on a glorious sunny morning before the site was open to the public. We set off from the Mansion house on a ramble through the woodlands and the walled gardens discussing what his job looks and feels like on a day-to-day basis, the work that goes into designing and maintaining a historic house estate, and how he became a gardener. 

We were accompanied by a huge variety of wildlife including insects, birds and some very tiny ducklings which you can hopefully hear as part of our recording! 

The episode works as a standalone chat, but if you’d like to see images of the different spaces, sculptures, ponds and gardens we discuss, then please visit the episode page on the Cultural Peeps WordPress site.  

I loved making this episode – and I hope you enjoy listening!

Links: 
Wallington: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/wallington

Wallington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallington_Hall

Gardens and Parkland Jobs in the National Trust: https://www.nationaltrustjobs.org.uk/where-you-could-work/gardens-and-parklands/

RHS:  https://www.rhs.org.uk/

RHS Qualifications: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/qualifications-and-training/rhs-qualifications

Chelsea Flower Show: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show

Episode 46 - Simon Thompson (Head Gardener at Wallington, National Trust)

Eileen Simpson and Ben White 
Ghost Trace Stellar, 2009 (Live event)
Cover versions of copyright-expired music 
Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

Brakeman’s Blues – The Fishery Commission (5:42) 

Brakeman's Blues by The Fishery Commisson

The second of two rambly conversations with artist, musician, producer and polymath, Brian Eno. 

Visit adam-buxton.co.uk for links to some of what we spoke about.

Music and jingles by Adam Buxton.

Thanks to Seamus Murphy Mitchell for production support, Matt Lamont for convo editing and to Acast for hosting this podcast. Download their app and check out their many other excellent shows.

EP.38 - BRIAN ENO PART TWO

As I travel home, gazing out of the metro window, the seagulls cross the sky reminding me of things I once thought and people I once knew.

The Letraset Set

Fly Steady

THE FISHERY COMMISSION - Fly Steady

Cultural Peeps Podcast Episode 10: Elanor Johnson & Pearl Saddington

For further information about Elanor, please visit:

Elanor Johnson (Twitter): 
https://twitter.com/ElanorMJohnson

For further information about Pearl, please visit:

Pearl Saddington on Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/pearlsaddington?lang=en

Follow Hylton Castle on Twitter at: 
@_hyltoncastle

Links to the Podcast content:

Hylton Castle: 
https://hyltoncastle.org.uk
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hylton-castle/

Bowes Museum:
https://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk/

Northumbria University:
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk

Discovery Museum:
https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/

Whitby Abbey:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/whitby-abbey/

Whitby Abbey Excavations:
https://historicengland.org.uk/research/support-and-collaboration/research-and-english-heritage-trust/whitby-abbey/

English Heritage:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

Heritage Lottery Fund:
https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/

Heritage Studies at Newcastle University:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/degrees/heritage-studies-ma-pgdip/#profile

Tynemouth Priory:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/

Helen Berry: 
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/hca/staff/profile/helenberry.html#background

Nottingham University:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ 

Creswell Crags: 
https://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/

Derby Museums:
https://www.derbymuseums.org/ 

Old Low Light Heritage Centre: 
http://oldlowlight.co.uk/

Arts Council National Portfolio 2018-22:
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/how-we-invest-public-money/national-portfolio-2018-22

North of England Civic Trust:
https://www.nect.org.uk/

Bede’s World (Now Jarrow Hall):
https://www.jarrowhall.org.uk/

Newcastle University Archaeology Department:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/hca/archaeology/

Durham University Department of History:
https://www.dur.ac.uk/history/

Tynemouth Priory & Castle: 
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/

North Tyneside Wagonways: 
https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/144/walking

Ourprice/Virgin Records: 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21040026

Don’t forget you can follow the Podcast at:

Twitter: 
Https://twitter.com/culturalpeeps

Instagram: 
www.instagram.com/culturalpeeps/

SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/culturalpeeps

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/culturalpeeps/

Blog: 
www.culturalpeeps.wordpress.com/

Episode 10: Elanor Johnson & Pearl Saddington (Learning Manager & Learning Officer - Hylton Castle)

Hello and welcome to the Cultural Peeps Podcast. My name is Iain Wheeldon and I’m a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University.

This Podcast series is part of an ongoing project which explores different careers across the cultural sectors.

I really want this series to do three things;

The first aim is to help people understand the huge range of ever-changing job profiles that now exist across these complex and interconnected sectors.

The second is aim is to help people interpret job titles in the context of different venues and organisations – often, jobs with the same title can be radically different depending on the organisation.

The third aim is to help listeners understand that the people that make up any field of work are all human and are ultimately making human decisions, and that in turn plays a significant part in their unfolding careers and decision making processes.

Episode 45 - Dave Johns (Comedian, Actor & Writer)

The Cultural Peeps Podcast

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