Everything But A Beach

About Everything But A Beach

Exploring Manchester’s hidden history. Dr Dean Kirby, author of best-selling book, Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s Most Savage Slum, and journalists Chris Osuh and Yakub Qureshi delve into offbeat, hidden and unreported stories from the past. Discover compelling stories about the world’s first industrial city, from its Roman origins to the present day, and how its inhabitants created a template for modern music, sport, and culture.

Publisher

Everything But A Beach

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 May 2024

Latest episode

25 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Jul 2026

   John Dee's Manchester (Part 2)

   John Dee - the "arch conjurer of England" - was to spend ten years in Manchester. This is the story of his decade in the modest market town - an exile from Elizabeth's court and a time marked by great personal tragedy. Chris, Dean and Yakub discuss the jealousy, local rivalries and petty rows that John Dee was forced to arbitrate during his time in the North of England. We'll also uncover the sights, sounds, and entertainments of life in Manchester during the Tudor and Jacobean eras.

2. 

   27 Jun 2026

   John Dee's Manchester (Part 1)

   Conjurer, scientist, schemer. John Dee was the most learned man in Tudor England. An advisor to Queen Elizabeth and an ambitious diplomat who coined the phrase 'British Empire'. He also had an unquenchable thirst for the occult, conducting secret experiments to speak with angels, using magic to solve crimes and travelling across Europe in search of forbidden knowledge. Chris, Dean and Yakub discuss the life of this mysterious polymath and the decade he spent in Manchester during a time when there was no distinction between magic and science.

3. 

   23 May 2026

   The Battle of Piccadilly

   "The worst night of violence and destruction suffered by Manchester city centre since the Blitz”, according to a senior judge. The 2008 Uefa Cup final between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg should have been a showcase for international football - but instead ended up in a night of shame. By some estimates, 200,000 Rangers fans traveled to the match - cited as one of the largest travelling contingents in football history. A day that promised to cement Manchester's reputation as a sporting capital instead saw the city transformed into a battleground, with dozens injured and shops and businesses damaged. Yakub, Dean and Chris talk about their memories of the day and night, the lessons that were learned from the event and hear one fan's recollections of the events.

4. 

   24 Apr 2026

   The Mills - Death

   Death was everywhere in Victorian Manchester. In this episode we discuss the dangers of factory life and beyond, as well as the traditions for remembering the dead. Dean talks about the grim legacy of mass graves around the city, including sites (some now in city parks) where the dead were buried 18 deep. We also look at the Coffin Flood, which saw bodies torn from the ground and float down the River Medlock to the horror of passersby, and the running battles between Catholic priests and local families to stop raucous 'whisky wakes'.

5. 

   21 Mar 2026

   The Mills - Life

   What was life like for the thousands of people who worked in Manchester's cotton mills in Victorian times? We discuss how young couples might tie the knot in mass 'penny weddings', often with disastrous results. We'll talk about the immense pride many working families took in their homes - and how 'donkey stones' were an essential part of the weekly cleaning ritual. We'll also delve into the precarious conditions of factory life - and the impossible choices that women faced of going without work or leaving newborn infants in the care of nurses all too eager to pacify them with 'Mother's Blessing'. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Image: Lancashire Creative Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

6. 

   21 Feb 2026

   The Mills - Love

   Manchester's cotton industry created a blueprint for modern, industrial life. But who were the men, women and children that lived in the shadows of the city's towering brick factories? Chris, Dean and Yakub focus on the human stories from inside the mills - contrasting the uncompromising hardship of factory life in Victorian Manchester with the flickers of hope that kept people going. We discuss how ordinary people enjoyed their time off, found friendship and sought love and marriage - despite exhausting shifts, crushing poverty and treacherous conditions, where danger lurked in every corner. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Image: Lancashire Creative Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

7. 

   20 Jul 2024

   God's Cop (Part 4)

   James Anderton has declared that AIDS patients are ‘swirling in a cesspool of their own making’. Days later, he makes cryptic remarks that he might be a prophet ‘being used by God’. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government scrambles to deal with the fallout. In this episode, we discuss how civil servants and fellow police chiefs were openly questioning his sanity - and the documents that show how Mrs Thatcher directly intervened in his case. We also explore the background of prejudice and fear which existed in 80s Britain - and how controversial Section 28 laws, coupled with Anderton’s incendiary remarks, saw Manchester stage one of the largest LGBTQ+ rallies ever seen in Britain. In this final episode, Chris, Dean and Yakub also discuss the legacy of James Anderton’s tenure - and whether his hardline policies inspired Manchester bands, artists and social movements in opposition. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

8. 

   13 Jul 2024

   God's Cop (Part 3)

   A public figure like no other, James Anderton is a household name in 1980s Britain. Satirised on TV comedy shows for his conservative Christian views. Celebrated by government ministers for his robust approach to crime. He is rarely out of the headlines for his clashes with Manchester’s political leaders. But the crisis of the Stalker Affair is about to propel both Anderton and his force onto an international stage - prompting a series of scandals which derail a major inquiry in Northern Ireland and dim hopes of a peaceful end to the Troubles. We’ll also explore the reopening of the investigation into the Moors Murder case - and James Anderton’s decision to greenlight the clandestine operation to take killer Myra Hindley back to Saddleworth Moors to trace unfound victims. Content: This episode contains descriptions of the Moors Murder case, which, while avoiding graphic detail, some listeners may find disturbing. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Music; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

9. 

   6 Jul 2024

   God's Cop (Part 2)

   God's Cop James Anderton has brought his crusade to the streets of Manchester. His officers have launched a crackdown on pornography, gay bars and clubs, and businesses selling ‘immoral’ material. But the new chief constable faces opposition at every turn. Running battles with the city’s politicians, the unruly threat of National Front marches, the explosive unrest of the Moss Side riots. We to explore the controversial early years of Anderton’s tenure in the Manchester of the 70s and 80s - including his force’s crackdown on independent publisher Savoy Press, ultimately leading to an extraordinary case of Lord Horror, Britain's last banned book. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

10. 

    29 Jun 2024

    God's Cop (Part 1)

    James Anderton was the most controversial police officer in modern British history. A hero to some. A reactionary menace to others. This is the story of how the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police brought a moral crusade to the streets of 1980s Britain, becoming an electrifying public figure famed for his outspoken views and religious zeal. His outrageous comments about AIDS and cryptic remarks about being ‘used by God’ - prompted a crisis for Margaret Thatcher’s Government and brought the police force to breaking point. In this episode, Yakub, Dean and Chris discuss James Anderton’s childhood in a Wigan mining community, the origin of his profound religious worldview, his early years as a beat cop in south Manchester and meteoric rise to become chief constable of Britain’s largest provincial police force. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Music; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

11. 

    22 Jun 2024

    The Salford Sioux (Part 2)

    Buffalo Bill has packed up his travelling show, taking hundreds of performers back on the road. But what legacy has been left behind in Greater Manchester? Historian Dean delves into the truth of whether Sioux performers from North Dakota slipped into the Salford streets and ended up make their homes in Victorian England. Using archive material and family records, we close in on the truth to this enduring local legend - making a surprising discovery. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

12. 

    15 Jun 2024

    The Salford Sioux (Part One)

    American promoter Buffalo Bill Cody brings the greatest show on earth to a racecourse ground in Salford, where an army of performers and crew construct ‘the largest theatre ever seen in the world’. The Wild West show thrills England’s Victorian millworkers and is remembered for decades to come.  But did, according to local legend, hundreds of native American performers disappear into the smog-cloaked streets of Victorian England, never to be seen again? In this episode, we explore the legend of the Salford Sioux. We’ll discuss the performers who took part in the show, the tumultuous and violent period in American history, and the impact this enormous wild west touring performance had on the imagination of workers in Victorian England’s powerhouse city. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Music: Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

13. 

    8 Jun 2024

    Elizabeth Gaskell's Guide to Manc (Part 2)

    Which Manc words have survived over time? We look at the work of journalist and poet Samuel Bamford, who created an ambitious collection of words from the Victorian city and its surrounding towns, and we also make some surprising discoveries about expressions that are still used today. We’ll talk about the poets, actors, comedians and singers - from Gracie Fields to Victoria Wood to Liam Gallagher - who have kept Greater Manchester idioms at the forefront of popular British culture. Finally, Chris, Dean and Yakub also try to separate stereotypical expressions (do people still say ‘mad for it’?) from the real language used by Mancunians in the 21st century.. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Music; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

14. 

    1 Jun 2024

    Elizabeth Gaskell's Guide to Manc (Part 1)

    Are you a choughin-yed? Do you feel wambly? Does someone you know talk too much flother? In this episode, we look back at the language used by 19th century Mancunians, whose dialect was championed by novelist Elizabeth Gaskell in her novels Mary Barton and North and South. We’ll discuss how Gaskell challenged lazy stereotypes about women writers, becoming a literary superstar and important social campaigner. Dean, Chris and Yakub discuss how she introduced expressions used by everyday working people to a wider Victorian audience - as well as delving into the meaning of words used in the thriving industrial city of Manchester - including ‘nesh’, ‘frabbit’ and ‘baggin-time’. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

15. 

    25 May 2024

    Football - how Manchester created the modern game (Part 2)

    Today Manchester City and Manchester United are sporting superpowers with supporters around the globe. But both clubs can trace their origins to the industrial boom of the late 19th Century and workers craving respite from drudgery of mills and factory life. In this episode, we discuss the early stars, sponsors and business interest that propelled these clubs to professionalism - including the role of tenacious social reformer Anna Connell in creating the club that would become City. We also discuss how the intense rivalries between the two Manchester has grown over time, what the atmosphere was like in the Victorian terraces, and the influence of rail, road and transport links in fuelling fan culture. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

16. 

    18 May 2024

    Football - how Manchester created the modern game (Part 1)

    Manchester is home to some of the biggest sports brands on the planet. In this episode, Chris, Dean and Yakub argue the city is also the birthplace of modern football as we understand it. We tell the story of the city's economic boom and the grinding factory conditions which saw the working population turn to sport for recreation and escape. We'll talk about how the city played a key role in pivotal decisions about the early game as well as introducing some of the game’s first superstars, including coal miner turned football hero Billy Meredith. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

17. 

    11 May 2024

    Scuttlers

    Welcome to Victorian Manchester, where the streets throb with violence and teenage gangs are waging war. The Scuttler gangs pose a menace unlike any England has seen before. Groups calling themselves the Bengal Tigers and Meadow Lads prowl the cobbled streets, marked by their distinctive clothes and vicious weapons, including brutal brass belts. Battling for status, territory and bonded together by crushing poverty, the gangs of lads and lasses fight pitched battles of such intensity that the authorities fear the violence will spill into open warfare. In this episode, Dean, Chris and Yakub talk about the rise and fall of the Scuttlers, their fascination with fashion (including why they put butter in their hair), how the 19th century phenomenon sparked the birth of sports and social clubs (including Manchester City FC and Salford Lads Club) and the cult youth movement’s possible inspiration for Anthony Burgess' dystopian A Clockwork Orange. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC Music; Image: Hardman Creative; Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

18. 

    4 May 2024

    Hangman - the double life of Albert Pierrepoint

    As Britain’s official executioner, Albert Pierrepoint hanged notorious murders, spies and war criminals. But he also lived a seemingly ordinary life as a grocery man and pub landlord in Greater Manchester, balancing his work behind the bar with grim professional duties as a Home Office hangman. As his fame grew, so too did doubts about the death penalty and Pierrepoint becomes unwillingly tangled in some of Britain’s most controversial and notorious criminal cases. Chris, Dean and Yakub discuss the peculiar double life and legacy of this enigmatic public figure. Content: this episode contains descriptions of executions, which, while avoiding too much detail, some listeners may find uncomfortable. Special thanks: Manchester BIPC. Image: Hardman Creative. Our podcast music was provided by The Podcast Host and Alitu: The Podcast Maker app.

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.