“In any civilised community the arts... must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be regarded as something remote from everyday life” ⁠
⁠
What a quote - what a woman!⁠
⁠
Jennie Lee was an MP before she was old enough to vote. She was the first Minister for the Arts and the main drive behind the formation of the Open University. ⁠ She was also married to Nye Bevan, father of the NHS.

We think we'd have liked Jennie. How could you not like someone who said:⁠
⁠
“Better to enjoy and suffer than sit around with folded arms. You know the only true prayer? Please God, lead me into temptation.”⁠
⁠

Marianne McNamara is Artistic Director of Mikron Theatre Company, currently touring with "Operation Beach Hut" and "Hush, Hush" (the latter about the women of Bletchley Park) and are on the road river until October 2025.

Dr Daniel Weinbren is a lecturer in history at the Open University and is the author of the history of the Open University

Further reading:

Jennie Lee: a Life - by Patricia Hollis

The Open University: A History - by Daniel Weinbren

My Life with Nye - by Jennie Lee

NYE: The Political Life of Aneurin Bevan - by Nick Thomas-Symonds

Before the Arts Council: campaigns for state funding of the arts in Britain 1934-1944 - by Howard Webber

Social media and website links:

https://profiles.open.ac.uk/daniel-weinbren

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-weinbren-2b257521a

https://mikron.org.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/mikrontheatre/

https://www.facebook.com/mikrontheatre

https://www.youtube.com/MikronTheatre

Guest: Marianne McNamara & Dan Weinbren

Host: Lottie Walker

Editing & Production: Jacob Taylor

Support the show

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us keep the studio lights on please click the "support the podcast" link above.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
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And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

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Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
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Call Backs takes us back to that weird post lockdown era when we were still sort of locked down. All sorts of relationships were affected in all sorts of ways…

This is a fun look back on those very strange times!

Written by J.J. Leppink

Performed by Greg Arundell & J.J leppink

Studio recording & editing: Harry Jacobs

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

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Released to coincide with the Hackney History Festival The Hackneyed Detective is an audio drama about Daniel Ludlow, a modern day private eye based in East London.⁠
⁠
Daniel is down on his luck and takes solace from the imaginary world of the 1940's New York gumshoe Danny Ludlow.⁠

The Hackneyed Detective is an original play from the pen of: J.J. Leppink

Cast:
Daniel/Danny Ludlow: Steve Taylor
Francesca "Frankie" De Mateo: J.J. Leppink
Julie Ludlow: Lottie Walker
Secretary: Greg Arundell

Studio recording and production: Harry Jacobs

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

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Nellie Bly was an American journalist who is famous for her record breaking 72 day round the world trip.⁠
⁠
Before that though she went undercover into an "insane asylum" to report on the appalling conditions to which the patients were subjected.⁠
⁠
This short play by JJ Leppink guesses what might have happened in the time leading up to Nellie's incarceration.⁠

This is the first in a season of 4 short audio dramas written by J.J. Leppink. It features:

J.J. Leppink and Greg Arundell

Studio recording and editing: Harry Jacobs

⁠
⁠

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

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A while ago we spoke with Dr Mary Shannon about Billy Waters and Mary's upcoming biography of him - "Billy Waters is Dancing".

Well the book is now out (and a jolly fine read it is, too) and Mary has joined forces with historian Dr. Ben Marsh, artist Selena Scott and musician Angeline Morrison on the Age of Revolution's "Songs from the Shadows" project.

The project is a free educational resource intended for students aged 11-16. It consists of a graphic novel and a digital landscape all based on the story of Billy Waters.

To access educational resources:
https://ageofrevolution.org/
Insta: @ageofrev

About Selena Scott:
https://www.selenascott.com/
Insta: @selenarosescott

About Mary Shannon:
https://marylshannon.com/
Insta: @drmarylshanon

Billy Waters is Dancing is available from your independent bookshop:
https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300267686/billy-waters-is-dancing/

About Angeline Morrison:
https://www.angelinemorrisonmusic.com/
Insta: @angelcakepie2

Date for your diary - "Jump Billy", A celebration of English folk's diverse history, through the life of celebrity Black Regency busker Billy Waters at Cecil Sharp House in London
https://www.efdss.org/whats-on/26-gigs/14401-jump-billy

Guests: Dr Mary Shannon, Dr, Ben Marsh, Selena Scott

Host: Lottie Walker

Studio Editor: Lis Barlow

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
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Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1988); Wikipedia says she was a "pianist". She was. She was also a composer and conductor (in fact she was the first female conductor of the band of the Royal Marines). She was also the daughter of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Historian and author Stephen Bourne and musician and author Patricia Hammond talk about her talent and her eventful life in this episode.

Find out more about Stephen and his work championing black and LGBTQ history here: https://stephenbourne.co.uk/
Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blackpoppies14

Find out more about Patricia, her music and her work to rediscover the music of the past , particularly unsung female composers here: https://patriciahammond.com/
Follow Patricia on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hammondpatricia

Music: Mr Sun & Can Sorrow Find Me are used with permission. Both, along with many other gems can be found on Patricia's Youtube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/patriciahammondsongs


Host: Lottie Walker
Guests: Stephen Bourne & Patricia Hammond
Production & Editing: Harry Jacobs

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
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We're delighted and privileged to be releasing today's podcast on the 200th anniversary of the death of Billy Waters.

Born in 1776 Waters was a familiar sight on the Strand in London. He was a black ex-sailor who had been invalided out of the Navy after losing a leg. With a crude wooden prosthesis he danced and also played the violin outside the Adelphi Theatre. He became so famous that a whole industry grew up around him - his picture was painted by celebrated artists of the time, there were porcelain statues of him on sale and he was even portrayed in a popular play. Sadly this story does not end well.

Why do we refer to him as "Waters" and not "Billy"? precisely because "Billy Waters" became a fictionalised character. In this podcast Dr. Mary Shannon talks about the real man behind the myth and how popular culture has not changed much in 200 years. The "fame game" is still exploiting the vulnerable.

What has changed considerably is the life of the busker and we're also fortunate to have first hand experiences of the modern day busking life told to us by Charlotte Campbell.

We've told some sad tales during the time we've been recording our podcasts, but Waters' is possibly the most tragic. We just hope that we can contribute a little to seeing him get the attention he deserves.

Guest: Dr. Mary Shannon
Guest: Charlotte Campbell
Host: Lottie Walker
Production & Editing: Harry Jacobs

Find out more about Mary:
https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/mary-l-shannon

Look out for Mary's book, "Billy Waters is Dancing", which will be published by Yale University Press.

This research received support of a Linda H. Peterson Fellowship awarded by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals and funded from the bequest of the Eileen Curran estate; it is currently funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship Grant.

Leverhulme Trust:
https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/
The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals:
https://rs4vp.org/

Find out more about Charlotte:
https://www.charlottecampbell.co.uk/

More from Mary about Waters on BBC Radio 3:

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed today's podcast do subscribe via your streaming platform so that you never miss an episode and you can catch up on past episodes.

If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times Just go to the donation button at:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/

or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre where you can also buy our merchandise
Even the smallest donation helps us to get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.

Details of all our upcoming shows and how to access our albums etc are here:
https://linktr.ee/BlueFireTheatreCo

And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:

https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
https://www.facebook.com/bluefiretheatre
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https://www.youtube.com...