Local Heroes Podcast

This week on the Local Heroes podcast, Chris and Dan are joined by Ian Waller of the formidable Restaurant Pine. Ian works closely with his friend and co-founder Cal Byerley, the man who convinced him to make the move to the North East, and together they’ve built one of the most exciting and unique restaurants in the country. In this episode, Ian shares the story behind that journey, from early da...

In this week's Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with Roger Crosby for a deep-dive into music, graft, and growing up in the North East - from chaotic working men’s club gigs and near-breakthrough moments in the industry to the foundations of what would become Crosby’s Catering. We explore the reality of chasing music, including lessons from legendary manager Chas Chandler and a pivotal...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan talk to Kema Kay – actor, musician, writer and proud Newcastle creative – about his journey from the West End of Newcastle to landing a speaking role in Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake and building a career in the creative industries. Kema shares the reality of starting out as an extra on film sets, the class divide within the industry, and the mome...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with the dynamic brewing duo Sam and Red Kellie of First & Last Brewery. On the eve of the launch of Taste of Northumberland - an exciting new initiative celebrating the very best of the county’s food, drink, and hospitality - Sam and Red reflect on what truly matters: place, provenance, and community. From their early days of home...

n this episode of Local Heroes, Chris and Dan sit down with producer, manager and music supervisor Tarquin Gotch, whose career bridges Hollywood, rock music and the North East of England. Tarquin has worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including John Hughes, Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Jimmy Nail, Stuart Copeland, Sting, and bands such as XTC and The Beat. Along the way he’s crossed...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with regional TUC secretary Dave Pike to unpack what modern trade unionism really looks like. Representing 800,000 unionised workers across 48 unions, Dave explains how the movement has evolved beyond outdated stereotypes — and why, at its core, it’s still about one simple idea: we look after each other. From organising his first workpl...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan talk to award-winning portrait photographer, Chris Owens about building a career behind the lens and finding your voice in a changing industry. From his early days learning in the darkroom to adapting through the digital revolution, Chris reflects on how discipline, curiosity and human connection shaped the way he sees the world — and why photog...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with the godfather of North East hospitality - Terry Laybourne. From washing prep boxes on his very first day in a kitchen to opening Queen Street in 1988 and helping shape the region’s dining scene, Terry shares the story of how a working-class lad from the west end of Newcastle became what he calls a “food engineer.” He talks about th...

This week’s Local Heroes Podcast - Chris and Dan talk to SAFC legend and incredible human, Gary Bennett. From scoring on his debut at Roker Park to becoming one of the most respected voices in North East football, Gary shares a life shaped by Sunderland AFC and the community around it. He explains why the club is more than a team - it’s the heartbeat of a city - and how recent years have rebuilt p...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan meet Drew and Abbie - people brought together through life-changing injuries and conditions, and whose stories are celebrated in the recently screened film Hands on the Wheel, directed by Dan Prince and produced by Local Heroes. What begins light-hearted quickly turns into a powerful and honest conversation about rebuilding a life after disabili...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan talk to the all-weather Jen Bartram, weather broadcaster, communicator, and proud North East native. Like our very own average host, Chris, Jen was born in South Shields and raised in Hebburn – like all good humans. What begins as a nostalgic, laugh-filled chat about growing up in the North East quickly becomes a thoughtful and revealing convers...

Chris and Dan go rogue this week on the Local Heroes Podcast, serving up nonsense and beautifully unnecessary disruption. No guests. No structure. Just two mics, endless rabbit holes, and zero resistance to going off track. From spoon solos and imaginary North East super-groups to curry v gravy debates, Chris confessing to a lifetime of fashion crimes, and Dan putting Darren and Keith (Keeath) fir...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan meet serial entrepreneur, innovator and all-round make-things-happen-er Charlie Hoult. From the very first seconds it’s classic Local Heroes - unscripted, off-the-cuff, and full of left-field turns that only happen when you ditch the agenda and let authentic stories unfold. Charlie takes us deep into the world of Hoults Yard: a 12-acre former in...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan welcome Carlos Yescas. Carlos is a globally respected cheese expert, author, and food systems thinker, and Partnership Coordinator at Food Newcastle, where he works to build a more equitable, sustainable, and connected regional food system. His journey spans Mexico City, Ireland, the US, China, and now the North East of England. From washing dis...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan meet with Smith & Liddle, the songwriting duo formed after both artists reached a crossroads in their solo careers. They talk openly about why working alone started to feel creatively draining, the uncertainty of giving up individual identity to become a duo, and how starting again from scratch helped reduce pressure and reignite their love...

One year on from Chris and Dan’s original sit-down with Si King, we are welcoming the PROPA engine room to the Local Heroes Podcast to mark a major milestone - one full year of PROPA. In this episode, we talk to the PROPA kitchen crew (left to right) - Tom Cuthbert, Josef Blythe and Rory Welch - reflecting on a whirlwind first year that has seen PROPA grow from an idea into a defining part of the...

On this week's Local Heroes Podcast, your average hosts Chris and Dan talk to the electric and entrepreneurial Steffi Smith - a true North East legend and one of the region’s most inspiring business role models. As the founder of The Chocolate Smiths, she has built not just an iconic brand, but a blueprint for creativity, resilience, and modern entrepreneurship. Steffi opens up about discovering h...

This Week on the Local Heroes Podcast, the inflexible Chris and Dan Meet Jo Hutton - yoga teacher, creator of Yoga for Tired People, accidental viral sensation, and proud North Eastener. From ASMR mishaps and camping confessions to deep chats about mental health, self-talk, and the realities of wellbeing, this one has everything: laughs, nostalgia, local banter, and powerful insights. Jo shares he...

Local Heroes Podcast - Special Edition: Ivanna Fundraiser 8-Hour Pod-A-Thon Live and in collaboration with Arrow Strength in Sunderland in aid of raising money for a 4yr old Ivanna, a local girl who needs a heart operation in Boston.  Please donate: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/arrow-ivanna-potts This special edition of the Local Heroes Podcast takes you inside our 8-hour live Pod-A-Tho...

This week, Chris and Dan sit down with James Dixon, the creative force behind Lines Behind - the instantly recognisable artwork that’s become a true North East success story. Inspired by Keith Haring - immediately scoring points with Chris - James takes us on a journey from his early days working with global brands like LEGO and Nickelodeon to building his own independent creative studio that now...

This week, Chris and Dan meet sisters Coleen and Karen, two remarkable women who turned one of Britain’s most shocking romance fraud cases into a story of strength, survival, and hope. For years, they were caught in the lies of Greg Wilson - a conman who called himself “James Scott”, a supposed firefighter, devoted fiancé, and local hero. Behind the uniform was a man living multiple lives, manipul...

What happens when a fisherman swaps the North Sea for a mission to preserve his hometowns heritage? In this lovely conversation, Terry McDermott, chair of the North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project, takes Chris and Dan from diesel-scented decks and 40-foot waves to statues, school trips and a living legacy on the North Shields Fish Quay. He recalls the 800 Years of North Shields celebration -...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan welcome David Hall, a proud North Easterner and former MasterChef contestant, for a raw, funny, and deeply human conversation about food, the fading spotlight, and finding yourself again. From the smell of Bovril on cold match days at St James’ Park, the conversation is a heartfelt tour through growing up in the North East - its rivalries, humou...

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with Laura Pidcock - political powerhouse, awesome activist, and all-round good human. Born and raised in Northumberland, Laura’s North East roots run through everything she does, grounding her politics in honesty, fairness, and fierce compassion. As the former Labour MP for the historic heartland of North West Durham, she brought her c...

This week, Chris and Dan are joined by Chris Nicholas, founder of The Ice Guys - a men’s mental health community built on banter, bad jokes, and cold water therapy - almost in that order. What started as a few lads taking a dip for a laugh has turned into something genuinely life-changing. Chris opens up about the ups and downs of sobriety, and laughs about how, in the past, he’d find himself half...