Created by artist Lae Carbon-Wilson and Jemma Bromley.

2020 has been an important year for the Black Lives Matter movement and the voices speaking out against racism are louder than ever.  

In this episode, artist Lae Carbon-Wilson and Jemma Bromley explore the relevance of black activists from Manchester’s history, such as Len Johnson, examining what the facts and actions of the past might tell us about institutional racism in modern-day Britain.

Introduced by Reece Williams.
Additional production by Siân Roberts.
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

Created by artist Alison Surtees working with Tracy Drysdale.

This conversation gives voice to the last great National Crisis faced across sectors with the General Strike of 1926, and looks at the growth in thinking around collectivism and community support. We move through the Pit and Factory Papers as a means of educating the working classes as to what was happening in the world of industry and how it affected them, and the role of arts in telling the stories of the struggles and issues, through the work of Ewan MacColl. We chat to two activists working today who draw parallels to the current pandemic and the coming together of people to support each other in crisis, with the wonderful 'the people save the people' tag line. 

Episode image: 'The Miner Emerges' by Boardman Robinson, 1912. Courtesy of the Working Class Movement Library.
Introduced by Reece Williams.
Additional production by Siân Roberts.
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

Created by composer and sound designer Dan Steele working with Peter Wright

Today we meet Thomas Paine. A man who stands out as a beacon, who walked and talked with George Washington, Mary Wolstencroft and Benjamin Franklin, who narrowly escaped the guillotine and in today's terms was a social influencer at the same level as Christiano Ronaldo or Ariana Grande. 

He was a rebel who challenged the monarchy and aristocracy, and thought it was a Government’s duty to provide pensions, free education and children’s allowances. 

So now, 200 years after his death, are we any closer to Beginning the World Over Again as Paine imagined? You might be shaking your head. Perhaps we’re getting closer than you think … and you may be surprised by who is doing it!

Introduced by Reece Williams.
Additional production by Siân Roberts.
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

Created by composer Alan Williams working with Christina McAlpine.

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." So says Friedrich Engels, philosopher, linguist, artist, poet and revolutionary socialist. What does that mean for today? Perhaps it’s just about time that we started taking some steps forward...

Your trusted guides in today’s episode will be musician Alan Williams and Christina McApline who take us to visit some of the places that Engels visited during his time in Manchester and Salford. It's a journey of words and music, with poetry and prose from Mancunians past and present and original music by Alan Williams.

So then, prepare to limber up as we explore the question “How can Engels show us the way forward beyond 2020?”

Introduced by Reece Williams.
Additional production by Siân Roberts.
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

Created by artist Danielle Porter working with Hilary Friend.

In his memoir Benny Rothman (b.1911), who led the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass in 1932, says that  the only grass he saw as a child in Hightown Cheetham Hill North Manchester was the grass growing in-between the cobbles.  How far could this still be said today? Is our right to fresh air and unhindered walking  under threat? But are there shoots of new grass growing and reviving a defiance and awareness of the importance of green and open spaces? In this episode we go on a journey in and outside the library  to investigate.

Introduced by Reece Williams.
Additional production by Siân Roberts.
Find the full programme credits and more information about this episode here on the WCML website
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

Created by composer and sound artist Sarah Llewellyn working with Helen Jackson.

During the time of COVID-19 this duo have been interviewing girls and women with a connection to Salford as well as exploring the library’s collection including Lancashire Women Against Pit Closures, Manchester & Salford Women’s Trades Council and activist Betty Tebbs. Their episode, in 3 parts, is a collage which weaves together these voices revealing some of the many stories, themes and inspiring women they’ve encountered along the way. They hope this may motivate you, the listener, to continue the conversation: what would YOU say?

PART 1: ‘She had a political impact on me, a caring impact and she gave me confidence’
PART 2: ‘Speaking Out is The Power’
PART 3: 'It only takes for us to sit and not speak to be colluding'

Introduced by Reece Williams
Additional production by Siân Roberts
Read the full programme credits and some additional background on the WCML website
Find out more about the Begin The World Over Again project

This episode is dedicated to Assia Shah, a truly inspirational woman whose words have contributed so much to this project. 

We were deeply saddened and shocked to hear that Assia died suddenly on the 14 November 2020. Assia was active in politics and a strong family woman. Her career included work as a probation officer, a social worker, an educator, and lately as Muslim chaplain at Salford Royal Hospital.

Assia you inspire and encourage us to begin the world over again.

Begin The World Over Again will launch on Thursday 19 November 2020