Welcome to the North?

Grim Up North: a Podcast about the North, from the North is back

Dear Friends and Readers,

This is just a short post to let you know that Grim Up North, the podcast that I co-host with the poet and photographer Adrian Scott, is back. It’s been a while, because Adrian and I have both been travelling and involved with other projects, but we’re very glad to be back, because this really is a labour of love for us.

In the past we’ve looked at religion, art, crime fiction and other subjects with a northern flavour.

We’re very proud of the work we’ve done so far, and as far as I’m aware, I don’t think anyone else is doing anything like it. The first episode of the new series is called Welcome to the North? Note the question mark. Adrian and I looked at the subject of immigration, taking a long view from the Romans to the present. Along the way, we take in the Spanish Civil War, racism and resistance to racism in the North, solidarity, welcome, and Lemn Sissay.

We were lucky enough to interview Zaiba Malik, the journalist and author of the very wonderful memoir We Are a Muslim Please, about growing up in 70s and 80s Bradford.

Here’s a little clip from the interview.

You can link to the full podcast via Spotify and most other streaming platforms, and you can also catch it here.

Please check it out. Even in a world filled with podcasts, we think you’ll like this one.