North East Natters: Voices from the Heugh Battery Museum

North East Natters: Nikki Bell (North East Folklore Society)

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 [https://northeastfolklore.co.uk/] and be sure to give Whisht! Lads [https://northeastfolklore.co.uk/podcast/] a listen.

Ep 8: Northern Rock

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.   * Includes audio courtesy of the BBC and Channel 4, used for informational and commentary purposes. North by North-East does not claim copyright over this material.

Ep 7: Worms

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!

Ep 6: The Rising of the North

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!

Ep 5: The Stockton and Darlington Railway

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.