This week, Tom talks to the neurodivergent poet Peter Street, who has lived an utterly remarkable life - from gravedigger in Bolton to war poet in Bosnia to arborist and tree surgeon. This is a serious and humorous chat, exploring camarederie with gravediggers, the environmental crisis and there are several readings from Peter's wonderful poetry collection, EARTH TALK. It is also revealed that a 1970s Granada drama epic was shot on Street's... street!

Extracts of these* pieces of music are included under fair dealing/fair use for commentary and review and to illustrate guest choices. This podcast is non-commercial.

*The Scaffold - 'Lily the Pink', Gerry and the Pacemakers - 'Ferry Cross the Mersey', The Corona Kids - 'The Big Ship Sails on the Ally Ally Oh' and Brian and Michael - 'Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs'.

This week, Tom speaks to a fellow academic, Dr Laura Minor (Salford), whose roots are in the West Midlands, but who has a lived in the North of England for a good many years now. We talk about Laura's recent book about gender, social class and TV comedy, alongside whether a corner has been turned on shows like Benefits Street, AI, where culture is headed and so much more.

Extracts of these* pieces of music are included under fair dealing/fair use for commentary and review and to illustrate guest choices. This podcast is non-commercial.

*Ennio Morricone - 'My Name is Nobody (Main Title)', Isobel Waller-Bridge - 'Fleabag theme', Sweet Female Attitude - 'Flowers', Chumbawamba - 'Tubthumping', Pulp - 'Common People' and The Specials - 'Ghost Town'.

This week, Tom speaks to Rachel Jackson, a fabulously distinctive voice in stand-up comedy and screen acting. We speak about Northernness, Scottishness, her unique comedy style, the film she was in with Karen Gillen, horror films and the excellent rave film, BEATS (2019). Rachel candidly addresses her mental health struggles, and was a wonderful guest, pithy and warm. This episode contains some strong, explicit language!

Extracts of these* pieces of music are included under fair dealing/fair use for commentary and review and to illustrate guest choices. This podcast is non-commercial and no AI has been used in its creation.

*Paolo Nutini - 'Pencil Full of Lead', 69 [Carl Craig] - 'Desire', Frankie Miller - 'Caledonia', Oasis - 'Supersonic' and The Arctic Monkeys - 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor'.