About Mansfield Is A Town In North Nottinghamshire
A podcast about the past, present and possible futures of Mansfield, a town in North Nottinghamshire.
Fifty years ago Mansfield was a vibrant mining and manufacturing hub and a safe Labour seat. Now a blue brick in the UK’s old red industrial wall, the town seems less certain of its identity and role in the world. What does the future hold for Mansfield?
Presented by Robert Shore and his mum. Produced by Matt Downing, who also provided the music. Theme tune performed by Bobby and the Midlanders.
Episode 16: Cannes, Sundance, Mansfield – All the Major Film Festivals…
You’ve heard of the Cannes Film Festival. You may know about Sundance, the largest independent film festival in the US, too. And now we have the first edition of the Mansfield Town Film Festival, opening on 14 July! We talk to festival director Jay Martin.
25 Jun 2023
Episode 15: A Portrait of Mansfield in Five Films
If you wanted to give a friend an idea about Mansfield by recommending them five films to watch, which would you choose? As the inaugural Mansfield Film Festival approaches, film critic Muriel Zagha tells us about five great films that capture Mansfield life through the ages.
10 May 2023
Episode 14: “A famous little club that’s never been noticed” – the Stags, now and then
As the season ends, we talk to Dale and Ted (his dad) about their staggering Stags adventures and about Mansfield Town FC now and across the past 77 years...
1 Dec 2022
Episode 13: The Making of a Musical Masterpiece
We join Mansfield superstar Bobby Midlander in the studio with producer Mattie Dee as they put the final touches to this year's Christmas number one (fingers crossed).
26 Nov 2022
Episode 12: It’s Chriiiistma-nsfield! The Story behind Mansfield’s Christmas Lights
Today Mansfield has one of best Christmas light displays in the Midlands. Everyone knows that. But did you also know that just 20 years ago it looked as though the lights would be switched off completely? We talk to the man who helped save Christmas, retired local businessman Bill Taylor, who tells us an inspiring tale about what communities can achieve when they make up their minds to bring about positive change.
And if you haven’t seen it before, this clip from 1963 about how Mansfield’s Regent Street got its Christmas angels is well worth five minutes of your time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/christmas_regent_street_angels/zdwhxyc
19 Oct 2022
Episode 11: Paul McCartney Was Here! Remembering the Granada, Mansfield’s Entertainment Palace
John Lennon or Mick Jagger? Keith Richards or Paul McCartney? It didn't matter which you preferred, in the 1960s you could have watched them all strutting their stuff on stage in Mansfield. The wonderful Watko joins us to talk about the Granada and the golden age for entertainment in Mansfield when the best acts in the world descended on the town centre to perform.
Watko's brilliant Granada archive can be found here:
https://thegranadamansfield.co.uk/
24 Sept 2022
Episode 10: When Coal Was the Goal
Mansfield is an ex-mining town. Everyone knows that. But it's hosted lots of other industries across the centuries too, as Denis Hill says – he also explains that the town is one of the best places to set up a business today. We then take a tour of pit history at one of Mansfield's most engaging visitor attractions: the Nottinghamshire Mining Museum.
https://www.nottsminingmuseum.org.uk/
6 Sept 2022
Episode 9: In Nigel We Trust – Promotion for the Stags This Season?
We talk to Dale – and his dog, Arnold (also a devoted Stags fan) – about the start to the new season at Field Mill aka the One Call Stadium. Are Mansfield Town FC going up this season? Of course they are!
If you’d like to follow Martin Hibbert on his amazing cycling adventure, his Twitter is @NFFCFancycles. His sponsorship page is bit.ly/3Jv5i1H
7 Aug 2022
Episode 8: Regreening Mansfield
Earlier this year a group of local students went on a tour of post-industrial European towns and cities – and came back with some remarkable ideas for the Mansfield of the future. In this episode James Walker leads a discussion of their hopes and aspirations for the town. (But will the Stags really be in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest?)
5 Jul 2022
Episode 7: Mansfield on the Air: Mansfield 103.2 and Sherwood
We talk to Tony Delahunty, managing director of the fantastic Mansfield 103.2, about the pleasures and challenges of running the town’s radio station. The Mansfield area has also been dominating our TV screens recently in the form of Sherwood – Lucy Brouwer reviews James Graham’s six-part drama for us (with a few inevitable spoilers).
1 Jul 2022
Episode 6: A Vision of Mansfield’s Future with Mayor Andy Abrahams
We take a tour of Mansfield with Andy Abrahams, the elected mayor, as he tells us about his ambitious plans to transform the town centre. People are beginning to talk about Mansfield in a new way, he says. We also talk to local historian Denis Hill about the town's evolution since the earliest times. What happened between the departure of the Romans and the arrival of Robin Hood, and even a bit beyond? We find out.
The interview with Denis Hill begins around the 5-minute mark.
The interview with Mayor Andy begins in the market place around the 17-minute mark. He then tells us about his plans for the old Co-op and Beales building (about 30 mins in). We then move to White Hart Street, where he tells us about his ideas for the area around the viaduct (about 37 mins in).
7 Jun 2022
Episode 5: For One Day Only – Mansfield Is a Town in North London
We commemorate 28 May 2022, the historic day the Stags – Mansfield Town Football Club – played Port Vale at Wembley in a bid to secure promotion to League One, and stag Dale celebrated his upcoming wedding by joining a large proportion of Mansfield’s population in relocating to North London for the day. Come on, you Stags! And congratulations, Dale and Clare!
6 May 2022
Episode 4: Look Up! Mansfield Castle – and the Day a Blue Whale Came to Town
Mansfield’s varied architecture is the key to both its past and its future. In this episode, in between tales about visiting elephants and the day a whale came to town, Pete Brown explains how the Mansfield Townscape heritage team are seeking to revive the town’s historic centre to make it a more interesting and dynamic place for future generations to enjoy. We also ask tour guide and architectural historian to nominate her favourite Mansfield building by Victorian architectural maestro Watson Fothergill (or Fothergill Watson, depending on your mood).
28 Apr 2022
Episode 3: A Song for Mansfield, a Song for Europe
Alvin Stardust, Witchfynde, Frank Sinatra*… many are the musical legends hailing from or strongly associated with Mansfield. But few are the songs with the word ‘Mansfield’ actually in the title. Until now.
*Not really.
19 Apr 2022
Episode 2: Is Mansfield the New Hollywood?
We talk to Lucy Brouwer about Mansfield and the wider area’s portrayal on the small screen in Landscapers and Newark Newark, and look forward to hearing David Morrissey doing a Mansfield accent in the forthcoming series Sherwood. We also talk to local filmmaker Jay Martin about his political documentary Red t’Blue and his plans for a Mansfield film festival. Could Mansfield be the new Hollywood?
CONTENT ALERT: Contains mild references to violence, execution, death and coalmining.
20 Mar 2022
Episode 1: In Mansfield Market Place with Ben Bradley MP
We talk to MP Ben Bradley about his plans to bring jobs and cultural vibrancy back to Mansfield – success for the Stags this season could be key to the town centre’s revival, he says. We also talk to local historian Denis Hill about the first appearance and subsequent development of Mansfield’s market place – did Robin Hood really do his shopping here?
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