The Localist in England

Traditional seaside landladies of the past, often portrayed on seaside postcards, have faced a changing business landscape since the package holiday boom. In this episode of The Localist Scarborough, Bek Homer visits Bonnie Purchon MBE whose love and devotion to her town has led to recognition at the highest level. Listen now for tales of boisterous bikers and problematic guests. One thing is for sure, you don’t want to get on the wrong side of Bonnie. Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Bek Homer recreates the sound of her own heart condition as she meets with Dr Asif in his surgery. Together they explore how the doctor uses synthesisers to simulate sounds of the body.Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Sisters Bek and Meg grew up in Scarborough. They share stories from their past fuelled by the memories locked in postcards sent from the town throughout the years.Hear their tales of the Chuckle Brothers cabriolet, the pier (that isn’t a pier) and the draw of this iconic seaside town.Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Find out if Bek Homer discovers the truth of a Scarborough myth that has caught the imagination of locals for decades.Bek goes on a mythical mystery tour exploring local landmarks and is joined by local artist and musician Captain Ant.Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel finds out whether the rivalry between Norfolk and Suffolk still an issue.Matt rallies together representatives from both sides of the border; cosplayers, podcasters and vicars, to battle out in a competition more raucous than the last Old Farm derby in 2019.Who will come out on top? There’s only one way to find out. Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel meets a Roma family and hears about the discrimination Roma and Gypsy people face and why it’s the reason for some to hide their identity.While recording this podcast, this issue hit the headlines following controversial comments about the Holocaust by a well-known comedian.Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel delves deeper into the world of metal detecting with 13-year-old Mille, who on her first time out with her Dad stumbled across an axe hoard and Luke, who finds £100,000 of gold coins.If you are planning on going out metal detecting, you must observe the law and seek permission from the landowner. There’s an unlimited fine or up to three months in prison for not reporting treasure. You can find more information on www.gov.uk/treasure.Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel explores stories of mixed American/British heritage children dubbed ‘Brown Babies’ and discovers how DNA technology is helping them find long lost families.In January 1942 thousands of American troops arrived in the UK to join World War Two. A large contingent of black American GI’s formed part of that deployment. Racial segregation was still part of life in the US at the time, and as such these men were not sent to the front line but helped build bases as part of the war effort. Some of these men conceived children while they were in the UK, but when this was discovered by their superior officers, they were transferred elsewhere.This is the story of the children left behind.Host / Producer: Matt Marvel Senior Producer: Ollie Peart Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison

Matt Marvel explores the stories, places and people putting Suffolk on the map.

For her role as fossil hunter Mary Anning in the film “Ammonite”, actor Kate Winslet listened to recordings by a Lyme Regis local. But what is a Dorset accent and how did it develop? As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, how are such accents changing?Multicultural British English or MBE has emerged from the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic communities in cities like London and Manchester.Adopted by those who live in urban and rural areas - like Dorset - speakers use MBE and mix it with their local variety to create a new linguistic identity.In this episode Ollie explores how accents are a constantly evolving part of our culture. He also attempts to master a Dorset accent. Will he succeed? Probably not.Thanks to Lizzie Wiscombe, Jonnie Robinson at the British Library and Dr Rob Drummond at Manchester Metropolitan UniversityHosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale Executive Producer Kathryn MorrisonExtract from Kate Winslet as Mary Anning in the film Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee. BBC Films/British Film Institute/See Saw Films