The Deep
In March 1984, the Hellisey VE 503 fishing trawler capsized off the south coast of Iceland, leaving only one man, ‘Gulli’ Fridthórsson to survive the tragedy. Baltasar Kormakur’s film, The Deep (now showing at...
Read MoreAuthor: Charlie Bell
When Cotton Was King
Who had more cotton spindles turning than the combined cotton industries of France and Germany in 1913? Oldham, that’s who! This staggering statistic is one of the first things you encounter when you enter the Spindleopolis –...
Read MoreJohn Shuttleworth, Oldham Coliseum
Isn’t it always the way? You wait for one Northern comedy hero and then two come along at once. I was at Oldham Coliseum to see one of Sheffield’s greatest exports, John Shuttleworth, and, as I got settled into my seat, John...
Read MoreThe Shop of Little Horrors at The Met, Bury
I know I’m not on my own when I say that I’ve always found puppets scary. I trace it back to watching a black and white film from 1945 called Dead of Night. It’s the classic ‘scary dummy’ tale, where you’re not quite sure if the...
Read MorePlatero Y Yo at The Met, Bury
I love any opportunity to go to The Met in Bury. It’s a beautiful Victorian building, slap-bang in the centre of town, built in the 1840s in the neo-classical style. It was originally christened The Derby Hall but was always...
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