We Built This City: Greater Manchester

How does a man who was born in Aintree and educated in Cambridge become Mayor of Manchester?    Andy Burnham has always been a man of the people, and when he’s not in the Britain’s Protection with a pint of bitter or at a Slow Reader’s Club gig, you can find him enacting genuine, purposeful change that will transform Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse for the better.     We Built This City is...

How does Mr Gay UK become Manchester’s first openly gay Lord Mayor? From hot pants to regal robes, Carl Austin-Behan’s uniform has changed a lot over the years – but his values have always stayed the same.   In his own words: “You can be anything – and if someone sows a seed, let it grow”.   We Built This City is a series of conversations with some of the amazing Mancunians - born, bred or adopted...

From one of Manchester United’s most celebrated players, to one of the City’s most prolific leaders, Gary Neville continues at the same relentless pace he did as a footballer. And what’s helped him sustain it?   A key lesson he took from his days at United: “You go for it - you think you’re right and you don’t stop ... even if sometimes you get a little slap around the face”.     We Built This Cit...

Expect life advice, business acumen and funny stories from Manchester’s first ever Event Planner, Liz Taylor of the Taylor Lynn Corporation.   Being a big fish in a small tank was the criteria when Liz Taylor founded her Manchester based event management company. But that didn’t stop her from building a hugely respected international event company.   Liz Taylor has the best black book in Mancheste...

It’s time to meet the man with Britain’s best CV. Chris Brindley was titled Britain’s Best Boss in 2017, was awarded an MBE by Prince Charles in 2018 for services to sport, and is now Chair of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 – and we haven’t even scratched the surface. Hear the inspirational story about how this former newspaper boy became one of our country’s greatest leaders.   We Built This Cit...

“I can and I will, watch me” – not a bad role model rallying cry, right? Sarah Collins spends her life empowering others. If it’s not through training her junior netball team, it’s by generating purposeful change in her new role at TalkSPORT, or picking her ‘PMA crew’ up when they’re down. She’s a constant reminder that sometimes all you need is a good friend.   We Built This City is a series of c...

Meet the man that’s responsible for your last epic night out.  Not only has Sacha Lord brought the party to Manchester for years, he’s also brought along some global superstars - including Tyler the Creator, Lorde and Frank Ocean. And in this episode he reveals the line up to the Hacienda House Party for this weekend's unitedwestream.co.uk .   If you want some behind the scenes exclusives about Pa...

What’s life without music? Clint Boon has been keeping the spirit of Mancunian music alive for years, and the self proclaimed “creative hurricane” is showing no signs of slowing down. See Clint Boon's We Built This City Playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YW3lVDOWrE0QZlV6XjEtF?si=Fc0V4R3WS7exqvNdEkGZkg     We Built This City is a series of incredible conversations with the incredible...

John Thomson is someone that Mancunians have claimed as their own. Born in Salford, bred in Preston and made in Manchester.  Once named Mancunian Of The Year, John is one of our screen treasures - best known as Pete Gifford in Cold Feet. Lisa Morton talks to him about how he built his life, career and family, in and around Greater Manchester.  As one of Manchester’s Comedy Hall Of Fame, you will h...

From a working-class Manchester home to Olympic running tracks, Diane Modahl MBE tells Lisa Morton her incredible story. Hear how she was able to chase her dream, how she won a battle she never thought she’d ever have to fight and the young people she helps now.  This episode was recorded in early 2020 before Corona Virus spread across the world. It is as relevant now as it was when we recorded it...

Prepare to be inspired. Ged King is the city’s barber who is changing lives. Hear how a haircut can help get people off the streets of Manchester. Two-time TEDx speaker Ged tells Lisa Morton about his personal journey to self-belief and fulfillment, and how he is now doing the same for those that need it the most – all through cutting hair.  We Built This City is a series of conversations with som...

These are the relationships that have rebuilt Manchester since 1996.