For this edition of North East Natters, we're chatting with Nikki Bell, founder of the North East Folklore Society and host of the Whisht! Lads podcast.

Through the society, Nikki works to make folklore accessible to wider audiences, bringing people together to explore the traditions, tales, and landscapes that shape the region's identity.

To learn more about the society, head on over to northeastfolklore.co.uk and be sure to give Whisht! Lads a listen.

How did a relatively unassuming Newcastle-based building society find itself at the centre of a major international news story?

To answer that very question, Ben and Glen seek to crack the code to the once the gilded vault of Northern Rock, a bank of Premier League status that would somehow find itself relegated to the ignominious annals of financial history. 

From subprime mortgages to subprime executives, join us as we negotiate an economic quagmire to uncover what exactly went wrong in 2007, and how it provided a vital lesson for the global financial community.

So please, lend us your ears, and we'll be sure to pay you back with interest.

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If many an old tale is to be believed, the north-east of England is a favourite haunt of one of Albion’s most infamous monstrosities: the worm.

No, we do not speak of the humble, soil-dwelling invertebrate, but rather its lamb-eating, knight-constricting, milk-guzzling (distant) cousin.

Take a trip downstream with Ben and Glen, but be sure to keep a safe distance from insatiable serpents, invading longships, and pointy (but not particularly sharp) nobles.

From the Lambton Worm to princesses that squirm, the North by North-East Podcast is getting wonderfully wriggly! 

We hope you have your swashes buckled (or buckles swashed?) in preparation for this terrifically Tudor instalment of North by North-East.

Indeed, Ben and Glen are riding full pelt into the 1569 Rising of the North, an event that reshaped both our region and the Kingdom. This Northern Rebellion, as it is also known, formed one of the most serious challenges to Elizabeth I's rule, a challenge she was determined to put down both swiftly and brutally.

Lend us your ears, as we recount how the northern pot was fiercely stirred by religious dissidents and unready nobles.

Earls shall scheme, castles shall fall, and harmonicas shall be blown!

After a slight hiatus (partly due to Ben feeling like he was full of boiler smoke over winter), the North by North-East podcast is finally back on track. 

Our latest stop on the North by North-East mainline is the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the railway that 'got the world on track'. 

We’re ready to propel ourselves full steam ahead into the story of this 200-year-old North East institution. So, hop on board, grab yourself a comfy seat (or a free spot on the coal wagon), and enjoy this express service through history.

In this edition of North by North-East, Ben and Glen uncover the remarkable tale of how two Tyneside sisters-in-law, Ellen and Anna Richardson, helped one of the most famous Americans of their age secure his freedom.

We trace a story that spans both sides of the Atlantic, uncovering more about the life of Frederick Douglass, the fight for the abolition of slavery, and the role of Quakerism in shaping the Richardsons’ lives.

Join us on a journey that reveals the very worst and the very best of humanity, all connecting to Newcastle and its place in this extraordinary history.

In this special episode, we head on over to Hartlepool's Headland to speak with the staff and volunteers of the Heugh Battery Museum, the site of the UK's only First World War battlefield.

We chat about some of the topics covered in our earlier episode on the Bombardment of the Hartlepools, as well as the museum's role in preserving that history along with its place in the local community.

Big thanks (in order of appearance) to Gordon, Joshua, Ian, Diane, and Lynn, and to rest of the staff and volunteers at the museum. 

For more information on the Heugh Battery Museum (we certainly recommend a visit), you can find their website at www.heughbattery.co.uk

In this episode, Ben and Glen dive into the remarkable story of how a painter and decorator from South Tyneside fulfilled his impossible dream by bringing the world’s most famous sportsman, Muhammad Ali, to the North East of England.

We've entered the ring, donned our metaphorical gloves, and hammered every lead to uncover exactly how 'The Greatest' stole the Queen's thunder and made a lasting impression on the region. 

Prepare for a miraculous tale packed with transatlantic escapades, pugilistic salesmen, and, of course, SEVENTEEN youth jazz bands.

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Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Ishy Din joins us to talk about his latest play, Champion, inspired by Muhammad Ali’s 1977 visit to South Shields.

Ishy also shares some insights into his wider career, and reflects on the cultural significance of North East England.

For more on Muhammad Ali's visit to the North East, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next instalment of North by North East!

We're turning back the clock to December 1914, examining a moment when the Great War quite literally hit home for Britain. Indeed, the bombardment of the Hartlepools was not just significant for the people of the area, but also a pivotal event in the long and tragic course of the First World War.

Why did the Imperial German Navy target the North East coast? How did Hartlepool’s defenders respond on land and at sea? What was the civilian cost?

As always, Ben and Glen will do their utmost to answer these questions and more, hopefully without getting lost at sea in the process.