The Commonwealth Games arrive in Birmingham - hear the stories from the Second City
And tuck into a bonus episode of our food and drink podcast, Scran!
There is often a heated debate at Laudable HQ on which city deserves the ‘Second City’ moniker: Manchester or Birmingham.
Myself, Dan McLaughlin, believes that Manchester is not only the Second City - but has the rightful claim to being number one.
As Manchester legend Tony Wilson was once reported to say, and I certainly hope that it is true:
“I’m not worried about the ‘second city’ tag. We’ll let London and Birmingham fight that out between themselves.”
But if we have to settle for Second City, so be it.
Whereas Matt Millard believes that the title belongs to Birmingham.
I will concede that for the next week or so, the First City is where our Brummie friends reside. Why? Because they are throwing one heck of a party and one heck of an athletic competition as the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
You’ll hear from Matt about the podcast that he and the BirminghamLive have created in time for the Games.
And producer Kelly Crichton takes us to another of Britain’s incredible cities, as Scran travels to the Edinburgh Food Festival for a bonus episode.
Commonwealth Stories: celebrating Birmingham’s diversity, cultures, and communities
Hi, Matt Millard here, producer of Birmingham Live’s new eight-part limited series Commonwealth Stories (and a proud Brummie!).
The Commonwealth Games are now well underway in Birmingham, with the ‘second city’ hosting an incredible opening ceremony - and the Games kicking off last week.
The opening ceremony - held at the Alexander Stadium - was an absolute spectacle, celebrating Brum’s industrial heritage and culturally diverse communities.
There was everything from musical performances from the likes of Duran Duran and Tony Iommi, comedic interludes from Lenny Henry and Joe Lycett, a powerful speech from Pakistani activist Malala Yousafza, dancers, firework displays, the Red Arrows and more.
Not to mention the 72 national teams entering the stadium and a humongous mechanical bull (the highlight of the show for many).
My social media feeds have been filled with positivity and rave reviews of both Birmingham and the performances, from Brummies and non-Brummies alike; something I’ve not witnessed much in my nearly 30 years of living in this often misunderstood city.
As great as the ceremony was, and as much as we are all looking forward to the Games taking place here, Birmingham Live felt there were some questions that weren't being asked about the Commonwealth, and its roots in the British Empire.
And this is the time and place to ask them, so we created the Commonwealth Stories podcast to do just that.
Laudable production Commonwealth Stories looks to delve into the history of the Commonwealth, exploring what life is like for Commonwealth citizens living in Birmingham today, and ask what legacy we’d like to see the Games leave on the city.
The podcast shares the real stories of migrants from across the Commonwealth, largely Africa and Asia, about their lives, experiences and feelings with the Commonwealth Games heading to Birmingham.
BirminghamLive editor Graeme Brown said:
“We are so excited to see the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham — giving us an opportunity to show off a city we are all proud of.
“However, we felt it introduced an opportunity to spark a debate about the nature of empire and commonwealth in 2022, which frankly wasn’t really being debated.
So we did it ourselves. Three of our young, exciting journalists have been out talking to people for months, and we are proud of what we’ve created.”
The podcast takes in a host of considerations, from food, with reporters heading out to Birmingham’s famous Balti triangle, to sport with former Team England netball captain and Commonwealth Games board member Ama Agbeze among those to take part.
Another episode focuses on the incredible women paving the way for South Asian women in sport, including Bangladeshi cycling coordinator Meena Bibi, while legendary photographer, artist and activist Dr Pogus Caesar, and history teacher and Black Heritage Walks organiser Marcia Dunkley are among others heard from.
For me, producing the project over the last nine months or so has been both a memorable and thought provoking experience, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a host of incredible, inspirational people from across the city, all with their own unique stories, feelings and thoughts towards the Commonwealth and the Games.
When putting the project together I’ve learned a lot about my home city, and the people that call it home.
I urge you to set aside some time (between watching sporting events, of course) and listen to Commonwealth Stories to hear the thoughts, feelings and stories of some of Birmingham’s Commonwealth citizens.
I’d like to thank Migrant Voice, Saathi House and Birmingham City University for their contributions to the project and I’d also like to congratulate Birmingham Live reporters Nathan Clarke, Anisah Vasta and Aida Fofana, who worked tirelessly on ensuring the project achieved what it set out to.
Have a great week and enjoy the Games!
M
Bonus Scran: Edinburgh Food Festival
We now travel further north from the Midlands, crossing the border to Scotland, where Producer Kelly was sampling the culinary delights in Edinburgh.
She went along to the Edinburgh Food Festival to record a special episode of Scran, our hit food and drink podcast.
The festival is returning to its home in Assembly George Square Gardens and features a plethora of amazing food and drink experiences.
Kelly speaks to some of the vendors to see how their festival is going and what they have on offer.
She also speaks to Alex Fitzhowle who produces the event and The Kilted Chef, aka Craig Wilson, who is doing some cooking demonstrations as part of the festival.
Craig speaks about his role as a Scottish Food Ambassador and about how his role as a Chef has taken him to places all around the world.
Bon appetit!
Sports, athleticism and culture in Birmingham, plus amazing food and drink in Edinburgh, as well as the amazing stories from the diverse communities involved. Not bad listening at all!
Good luck to the competitors in the Midlands and sláinte to those north of the border!
And as always, stay safe, stay positive, stay informed, and stay tuned.
- Daniel J. McLaughlin, Matt Millard, and Kelly Crichton