We Built This City: Greater Manchester

“Cities are about the people who live in them, not the things and the buildings.” On December 1st Manchester City Council leader, Sir Richard Leese, is stepping down after 25 years. Released on the day he and his colleagues will be gathering to celebrate an incredible tenure, this special episode of We Built This City is reflecting on his career. Lisa Morton shares highlights from their first conv...

“When given an opportunity, grab with both hands and take it “ Commercial Litigator Geraldine Ryan is a born and bred Greater Mancunian (despite her scouse twang!).  Having spent her career working across the north west, she’s currently a partner at the International Law firm CMS in Manchester. Geraldine’s family values have served her well in her career.  You’ll hear about those, as wel...

“The harder you work the luckier you get”.  Stanley Chow is a world-renowned artist from Manchester whose artwork is now commonplace with Mancunians after drawing countless icons from the city. From Liam Gallagher to Emmeline Pankhurst, you’ll see Stan’s distinctive drawings scattered around the walls of so many buildings, bars and restaurants in the city. Hear as he tells Lisa Morton how he...

“Everything you need, you have.” How well do the worlds of football and yoga mix? Everton’s Head of Medicine and Transformational Coach, Danny Donachie, has been blending the two throughout his career at the club.  He offers a “safe space to open up” in the midst of what could be thought of as a macho environment. Danny was born in Manchester, where he spent the early part of his childhood. H...

“I look over my shoulder and feel the support” It’s a year since Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, responded so passionately to the Government’s lack of financial support, as the city region was placed under Tier 3 restrictions.   This is Andy’s second appearance on We Built This City.  He and Lisa reflect on that moment, in front of the TV cameras, on the steps of Central Library...

“I’m just very, very raw, real and true, but sometimes a little bit too dark and a little bit too naughty for people. And I think that is a Mancunian thing.” Happy Mondays singer Rowetta Satchell, needs little introduction.  Her voice is the synonymous sound of Manchester from the late 80’s right through to today.   Born and raised in North Manchester, the spirit of the region runs throu...

“You can't talk about living boldly with HIV on stage, and then not say it in the barber’s chair” Nathaniel Hall is an actor, writer, performer and HIV positive activist.  He starred in Russell T Davies’ amazing Channel 4 series, “It’s A Sin”.   Nathaniel’s own award-winning solo show, “The First Time”, tells the story of how he contracted HIV, after his first time.  He was only 16....

Organisational Psychologist John Amaechi OBE, helps businesses develop thriving cultures, as founder of APS Intelligence.   “We need to embrace the fact that we’re vulnerable, and we need embrace the fact that we don’t know everything as leaders.” In this episode, John talks about what it takes to be a successful leader, his career and how he became who he is today. ------ Your host, Lisa Mor...

It’s pride weekend here in Manchester, so here’s a preview of an upcoming guest on We Built This City. Nathaniel Hall is a writer, performer, actor and HIV+ activist; he’s also well known for his role on ITV’s It’s A Sin. Season 3 of We Built This City launches on the 9th of September.  Mentioned in this episode: Thanks to our partners for this episode of We Built This City, Car Finance 247. You c...

Lisa Morton returns with more of the incredible people who have put the heart and soul in to the iconic city region of Greater Manchester. Find out who is the first guest of the new season. Manchester is known around the world for music, sport, art, culture, tv, food and much much more. In these conversations with inspirational Mancunians - born, bred or adopted - Lisa Morton is on a journey to di...

We'll get back to dancing on tables again.  As series two of We Built This City comes to an end host Lisa Morton looks back at the stories and values that have been shared by the fifty-one Mancunians that have joined her on the show, reflecting on how the city has coped this past year and looking ahead to a time when Mancs can come together once again.  Mentioned in this episode: Thanks to our par...

“One bit of advice I could give to anyone is don't be a one-trick pony.” Manchester’s treasure, comedian, actor, voice-over artist, musician and magician, John Thomson returns to close Season Two after opening Season One to give his own unique perspective of a year of not being a one-trick pony in a year when we all learned to adapt. Regaling Lisa and her mum, Carol, this week’s special guest - an...

Know your worth and your values will follow. Host Lisa Morton reflects on how Author and previous guest Lemn Sissay developed a value system that was true to himself having experienced betrayal as a child in care. Lisa explores the place within where your true values lie and what uncovering them can do. Mentioned in this episode: Thanks to our partners for this episode of We Built This City, Car F...

“Manchester had always been glinting on the horizon across the Lancashire plains.” Lemn Sissay, the world-renowned creative, grew up in the small villages of Lancashire, but always felt a magnetic pull drawing him to Manchester. In Manchester, Lemn found not only an oasis away from the deceit that tainted his childhood but discovered an opportunity to meet with fellow creatives that would inspire...

Actress and radio presenter Gemma Atkinson has always kept it real, she's never been afraid to share her story warts and all, and admits that life hasn't always been perfect. In the gym, she's working hard, not taking selfies for Instagram. Lisa Morton explores this value and the role it has played in her own life, and how both she and Gemma have done it while not tolerating any D***heads along th...

"I've learned the importance of being connected with people, trying to keep people's spirits high" Adrian Ellis, General Manager of the iconic Lowry Hotel and Chair of the Manchester Hotelier’s Association, spent years working in some of the world’s most prestigious hotels in Singapore, Bali and Azerbaijan, only to return to Manchester to head up the city’s only 5-star hotel. Born in Norfolk but n...

Join the titans of Manchester’s hospitality industry as they explore the vision, values and passion behind the city’s thriving food, drink and hotel sector.  Featuring wisdom from the likes of Gary Neville, Simon Wood, Karina Jadhav, Gareth Harold, Becky Wilkes, Sacha Lord and many more, discover alongside Lisa Morton the journey that Manchester’s beloved hospitality sector has undergone thro...

...We leave after we have given it our all. Always. If there's one way Sam Hyde became a professional boxer, business owner, and property entrepreneur by the age of 27 it’s by not leaving the game early. Lisa Morton digs into Sam's ethos of working the 5 to 9, not the 9 to 5, and not giving up when things got tough, but working and innovating his way through them.  Mentioned in this episode: Thank...

“You've got to know your worth and know what you will and won't accept, because until you know that, you'll go into the next situation, probably repeating the same pattern.” Gemma Atkinson, host of Hits Radio’s drive time show, has a relentless work ethic, effervescent personality and no-nonsense approach to healing, all of which have contributed to an incredible career that has seen Gemma, who wa...

“If you've run a five-minute mile, you know that there's a chance you can probably do a four and a half minute mile. You're not going to go backwards. So, I believe once you conquer that self-belief and truly believe in yourself, anything’s possible and you don't go back then." Sam Hyde’s ability to believe in himself has seen him achieve incredible amounts of success. From an amazing professional...

“I've got determination and that determination will take me as many places as I want it to go. And I really feel, if we can have determination, we can transform our own world.” Founder of Tales to Inspire, Greater Mancunian, Krish Patel, is driven by his determination to transform our world for the better. This commitment to leading with empathy has resulted in incredible work that has impacted co...

“Stars don’t make a noise, they just shine.” This is what Roland Dransfield himself told We Built This City host Lisa Morton growing up. Lisa reflects on how Manc 44: Marcie Incarico has become the spearhead of the events sector not by snapping selfies with celebrities on the red carpet, but by sitting quietly around the edges. Mentioned in this episode: Thanks to our partners for this episode of ...

"You can't just take the money and run, my God, we're going to make sure you get a return on investment" Marcie Incarico, Owner and Director of Mix Interiors, spearheaded the Manchester business events sector, cultivating it to become the vibrant industry that it is today. From being named as one of Manchester’s most inspirational women, to raising over £1million for On Side Youth Zones in one sin...

Everyone's got their own "tacos and tequila". We Built This City host Lisa Morton shares her takeaway from Manc 43: Simon Wood, she reflects on the devastating impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry and Roland Dransfield alike,  the importance of being able to pivot your business but never your values and working to find your own tacos and tequila. Mentioned in this episode: Thanks to...

“I want to be the best at anything that I do. And if you're not doing it to be the best at it, then let someone else do it and do something that you're better at.” Founder of Wood Restaurants and 2015 winner of MasterChef, Simon Wood, began his love affair with food with his nan’s tripe and cow heel - and now he’s celebrated in the Michelin Guide. Discover alongside Lisa Morton the importance of p...