Mersey Waves

When you think about Liverpool, something cultural will surely come to mind – music, football, events, shopping... So, it’s not surprising to find out that the leisure, creative and cultural sector makes up 38% of the city’s economy and brings in around a massive £270 million to the council which is then invested in core services such as social care, health and education. With the exceptional challenges the pandemic has posed over the past 24 months, how has the city’s cultural sector fared and is it business as usual once again? In this episode we chat to Director of Culture Claire McColgan MBE and Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy Councillor Harry Doyle, and we reflect on the past two years and find out what events we can look forward to in 2022. And we even throw some questions from you, our listeners, at them – covering everything from fireworks to Giants. Presenter: Sarah Latcham Panellists: Claire McColgan and Councillor Harry Doyle Editor: Niall Walsh Recording Locations: Zoom

He may not be a household name but local lad John Murphy is a major player in the Hollywood film world. After beginning his career playing guitar in local bands John moved into making music for film and is now amongst the most respected film composers in the world.  In this fascinating podcast Kevin McManus (Culture Liverpool) and Olly Cooke (Liverpool Film Office) catch up with John in his LA studio to talk about his Liverpool roots, his path to Hollywood, and his work on blockbuster films like Suicide Squad.

Liverpool has a proud theatre history dating back over 150 years.  The Playhouse is the oldest repertory theatre in England while the Everyman has a huge history helping launch the careers of the likes of Julie Walters, Jonathan Pryce, Pete Postlethwaite and Alison Steadman through to the likes of Bill Nighy, Alan Bleasdale, Willy Russell, David Morrissey and Stephen Graham. The city is also home to other much loved venues ranging from the Royal Court through to the Empire and the Unity.  For this edition of Merseywaves, we brought together actress Josie Lawrence - who is currently in the city playing the role of Sylvie in ‘Our Lady of Blundellsands’ at the Everyman, and Councillor Harry Doyle, Cabinet member for culture at Liverpool City Council to discuss why theatres are so important to the lifeblood of the city and the fabric of the nation.   Guests: Josie Lawrence and Cllr Harry Doyle Presenter: Paul Johnston Producer: Niall Walsh Location: Zoom

Liverpool is to headquarter the Pandemic Institute, committed to helping the world prevent, prepare, and respond more effectively to pandemics. The Pandemic Institute is a medical, academic and civic partnership between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool). The partners have an unrivalled breadth of world-leading clinical, academic, public health and data-driven expertise, all co-located on one campus. The Institute will have significant global reach with collaborations and hubs located across the world. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Liverpool has pioneered innovative approaches including a https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/coronavirus/research-and-analysis/covid-smart-pilot/ (whole city community testing pilot) which cut transmission rates by a fifth, as well as https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/events-research-programme-phase-i-findings/events-research-programme-phase-i-findings (hosting large-scale pilot events on behalf of the Government) that provided evidence of how to safely reopen important sectors of the economy – developing Liverpool’s reputation as a leader in pandemic management and resilience. Initially funded by a £10 million gift from https://innovamedgroup.com/ (Innova Medical Group), a global health innovator and the world’s largest provider of rapid antigen tests, the Pandemic Institute will be headquartered in The Spine, at Paddington Village. The Spine is soon to be designated one of the world’s healthiest buildings and the newest addition to KQ Liverpool’s impressive Health and Life Science campus. The Pandemic Institute will offer world-leading clinical and research expertise across all stages of the pandemic lifecycle. It will have global reach, working across the world to deliver new science and build preparedness for future pandemics. The outputs of its work will be rapidly translated into tangible policy, solutions and activity, ensuring real world impact for governments, businesses and individuals across the globe. The overall aim is to accelerate the global response to pandemics, unify global intelligence and increase the reach and impact of pandemic research.

A draft recommendation has been made to UNESCO’s annual World Heritage committee to delete Liverpool of its World Heritage status. The committee will make its decision next month in mid-July, with the focus on proposed plans around the £5bn Liverpool Waters scheme. Listen to this podcast where Cllr Sarah Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Development; Ian Wray, vice chair of World Heritage UK; and Pete Swift, co-founder of place-making consultancy firm Planit-IE, which advises on the masterplan for Liverpool Waters, talk about the journey Liverpool has been on since it achieved the status in 2004. The trio also discuss the merits of Liverpool Waters, the value of World Heritage status and what steps could be taken to retain it.  

We sat down with legendary award-winning TV writer Jimmy McGovern who talked openly about what inspired him to write his latest drama, Time, and what fuels his creative process. With Tom Sherry producer of the show. The Liverpool writer also reveals how much of his personal life he brought to the script, and goes on to talk about his views on law and justice, Hillsborough and his award-winning dramatisation of the 1989 tragedy, as well as his take on diversity in TV and his hopes for the city’s new pop-up film studios currently being built on Edge Lane. Jimmy and Tom also talk about the trials and tribulations the cast and crew faced to make Time during the second wave of Covid, and the role Liverpool Film Office played in helping to bring the hard hitting BBC ONE drama to our screens. Tom Sherry is the Executive Producer of Time and Head of Drama North and Scotland – BBC Studios Presenter:  Michael Doran Guests: Jimmy McGovern and Tom Sherry Editor:  Niall Walsh Recording Location: Cunard Building, Liverpool

Liverpool is no stranger to being the star of major motion pictures and television shows; Netflix’s THE IRREGULARS is the latest production that was made in Liverpool. The show follows a gang of troubled street teens, solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson & his mysterious business partner. We sat down with the shows creator and writer Tom Bidwell to discuss making the series and why they chose to film in Liverpool.

Scott Beeland, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, was recently reconnected with Graham Smith, a patient he helped save from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic and a member of our Liverpool Street Scene Services team. Graham surprised Scott when he gave him an army medal for services in Bosnia to say thank you.

Liverpool played a key role in the trials of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca jab through the city’s world-famous School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM).

In our latest episode, we talk to Ashleigh about her teenage battle with anorexia and body dysmorphia, and how she overcame her issues and is strong enough now to help others.

We talk to Cllr Wendy Simon who was made Acting Mayor of Liverpool in December 2020, to find out more about the woman leading Liverpool.

Liverpool is no stranger to being the star of major motion pictures and television shows and this December we’re taking centre stage in the Sky original drama, Tin Star: Liverpool - We sat down with Alison Jackson, who is the Executive Producer for Tin Star, to talk about why they choose move to Liverpool for series 3 and how they found it.

Graham’s been to some scary places, but this is the scariest place he’s ever been.

Liverpool has entered tier-3 of the new coronavirus restrictions. Mayor Anderson was joined by health experts and business leaders in a special live Q&A to find out what the new restrictions will mean for residents and businesses in Liverpool ahead of the restrictions kicking in.

After 42 years at Radio Merseyside, legendary phone-in presenter Roger Phillips turned off his mic for the last time on 28 August. In this episode, Roger shares his memorable guests, explains how the phone-in works behind the scenes, and tells us how he felt about the reaction to this retirement announcement.

Around 10 million workers in the UK have been unable to do their jobs because of covid-19 and they have so far benefited from the furlough scheme, which essentially means the government is paying the majority of their wages and redundancies can be avoided but with the scheme set to end on the 31st of October, what does that mean for workers? And what does it mean for employers who have real concerns about covering the costs when it's anything but business as usual at the moment.

We talk to two fitness professionals who embraced lockdown and went virtual with their classes. Leading Liverpool personal trainer Richie Swan and Natalie Butler who spotted a gap in the market and opened the city’s first over barre studio talk about how it has changed their profession, how physical and mental wellbeing go hand in hand and whether gyms reopening signal the end of this new normal.

As lockdown restrictions continue to be eased, the latest relaxation means parts of the hospitality sector can reopen their doors. We caught up with two award winning restaurant and deli owners who talk frankly about their lockdown experience and the stark reality they now face as a result of the health pandemic.

In this episode Liverpool’s first black Lord Mayor, Councillor Anna Rothery, joins Bristol City Council’s Deputy Mayor Councillor Asher Craig to talk about the response their respective cities have shown to the Black Lives Matter campaign, their own personal experiences of racism and what plans are in place for each city to tackle racial inequality.

In this episode, we speak to Cllr Barbara Murray, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for education employment and skills, and the driving force behind #Liverpoolreads.