Forged in the North
Forged in the North with Fiona Hill is a mini podcast series about people, places and stories that have shaped the spirit and soul of North East England.
Inspired by her life and memoir, There is Nothing for you Here, which covers her County Durham roots and subsequent journey to life as an advisor to US presidents and now Chancellor of Durham University, Hill speaks to luminaries from the worlds of politics, enterprise, the arts and sport.
Guests include Sting, Sara Davies, Lee Hall and Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson and Hill discusses with them how the North East has shaped their lives and what their hopes are for the region in the future.
Forged in the North is funded by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival, with support from Durham County Council, Durham University and Arts Council England.
Music and history with Sting and Paul Kennedy
Musician and activist Sting and Yale historian Paul Kennedy grew up streets away from each other in 1950s Wallsend. Both passed the 11+ exam and attended St Cuthbert’s Grammar School in Newcastle, which ‘educated them out’ of their working-class background. They discuss the strong sense of identity their Wallsend roots have given them wherever they are in the world.
Business and enterprise with Kim McGuinness and Sara Davies MBE
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and business owner Sara Davies MBE are two women whose leadership and vision are changing the societal and economic landscape in the region. Growing up in working-class communities they both recall first seeing leadership in action in community and family settings by the women in their families.
Arts and culture with Lee Hall and Peter Straughan
Lee Hall and Peter Straughan are acclaimed award-winning writers for stage and screen. Both were born in the 1960’s, on opposite sides of the River Tyne in the North East, into working-class families, and both cut their teeth in the thriving publicly-funded theatre scene in Newcastle.
Sport and health with Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson and Brendan Foster
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Brendan Foster are both residents of the North East and former athletes now taking on the huge challenge of trying to reverse the steep decline of physical activity levels of the British public.
Telling the Story of the Region with Richard O’Neill and Dan Jackson
Writers Richard O’Neill and Dan Jackson talk about the rich history of story-telling and ‘having a crack’ in the North East. And how storytelling and the intimacy of convening to hear about each other’s lives could play a positive role amidst a mental health epidemic.