digital:works Podcast

Episode 3A look at the birth and rise of AFC Wimbledon – A Fans’ Club.

Episode 2A look at their incredible rise up the leagues, their move to Selhurst Park and the very real threat to their existence.

Episode 1A look at why people became fans of the club and their early days as supporters.

An Oral History of London's Cinema ProjectionistsEpisode three explores the types of people who become projectionists, the ups and downs of work and how changes in cinemas and film projection affected their work, all leading to the development of digital projectors which had a such huge impact on their industry.www.reelstories.org.ukwww.digital-works.co.uk

An Oral History of London's Cinema ProjectionistsEpisode two explores the joys and pain of the job, the skills and the satisfaction, and touches on the deepest fears of the projectionist.Watch the film and listen to the full interviews at:www.reelstories.org.ukwww.digital-works.co.uk

Reel Stories - An Oral History of London's Cinema ProjectionistsEpisode one explores the reasons people chose to become projectionists, their training and early experiences, and the fumbles and stumbles along the way.Film and full interviews here: www.reelstories.org.ukProject funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by the British Film Institute.

To celebrate the 360th anniversary of the establishment of the General Post Office this intergenerational oral history project explores the history of postal workers in London going back to the 1940s. As a major employer in the capital, it records how work has been impacted by significant post-war changes in technology, public perception, finance and ownership. It looks at the changing nature of work at one of London's major employers; the generations of family members who have worked for the Post Office; the nuts and bolts of work whether out on delivery on foot, bike and van, in sorting offices, on the mail rail. It shows the increasing inclusion of women and immigrants in the workforce over the post war period and the technological changes that have characterised the history over this period from the growth of telecommunications, mechanisation, advent of postcodes in 1974. It also explores the impact of political changes from Nationalisation in 1969 to the gradual changes introducing the market and competition from 2004 leading to privatisation.

To celebrate the 360th anniversary of the establishment of the General Post Office this intergenerational oral history project explores the history of postal workers in London going back to the 1940s. As a major employer in the capital, it records how work has been impacted by significant post-war changes in technology, public perception, finance and ownership. It looks at the changing nature of work at one of London's major employers; the generations of family members who have worked for the Post Office; the nuts and bolts of work whether out on delivery on foot, bike and van, in sorting offices, on the mail rail. It shows the increasing inclusion of women and immigrants in the workforce over the post war period and the technological changes that have characterised the history over this period from the growth of telecommunications, mechanisation, advent of postcodes in 1974. It also explores the impact of political changes from Nationalisation in 1969 to the gradual changes introducing the market and competition from 2004 leading to privatisation.

Settlement Stories has been produced by volunteers from the African Women Group and uses oral history to explore the experience of people from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia who have come to the UK and settled here. Here are their stories.Episode 2 explores how the communities settled in the UK and looks at housing, work and education.Produced in association with digital-works.

Settlement Stories has been produced by volunteers from the African Women Group and uses oral history to explore the experience of people from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia who have come to the UK and settled here. Here are their stories.Episode 1 covers their journeys to the UK.Produced in association with digital-works.

An Oral History of Play and GamesAn intergenerational project formed to explore how children's play has changed in Kensington & Chelsea over the years.These podcasts use interviews undertaken by children from Servite and Colville Primary Schools to show how play and games have changed over the years both by those who grew up in the area and those who moved to it from other places both home and abroad. They explore aspects of play for pre-teen children including street play, playgrounds, singing games and rhymes and board games as well as what it was like to grow up in London in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. 

An Oral History of Play and GamesAn intergenerational project formed to explore how children's play has changed in Kensington & Chelsea over the years.These podcasts use interviews undertaken by children from Servite and Colville Primary Schools to show how play and games have changed over the years both by those who grew up in the area and those who moved to it from other places both home and abroad. They explore aspects of play for pre-teen children including street play, playgrounds, singing games and rhymes and board games as well as what it was like to grow up in London in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. 

An Oral History of Play and GamesAn intergenerational project formed to explore how children's play has changed in Kensington & Chelsea over the years.These podcasts use interviews undertaken by children from Servite and Colville Primary Schools to show how play and games have changed over the years both by those who grew up in the area and those who moved to it from other places both home and abroad. They explore aspects of play for pre-teen children including street play, playgrounds, singing games and rhymes and board games as well as what it was like to grow up in London in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. 

This podcast was produced by the Furzedown Primary School and digital:works in 2016. It explores the history of Tooting’s two covered Markets through interviews with market shoppers, stall holders and historians. It was originally released as a film.To find out more about the Stall Stories project and watch the films visit: www.stallstories.org.ukwww.tootingstallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Stall Stories – Ep 5 – Portobello Road MarketThis podcast was produced by the Colville Primary School and digital:works in 2011. It explores the history of the Portobello Road Market in North Kensington through interviews with market shoppers, stall holders and historians. It was originally released as a film.To find out more about the Stall Stories project and watch the films visit: www.stallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Stall Stories – Ep 4 – Leather Lane MarketThis podcast was produced by the St George the Martyr Primary School and digital:works in 2012. It explores the history of the Leather Lane Market in Holborn through interviews with market shoppers, stall holders and historians. It was originally released as a film.To find out more about the Stall Stories project and watch the films visit: www.stallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Stall Stories – Ep 3 – Church Street MarketThis podcast was produced by the Gateway Primary School and digital:works in 2012. It explores the history of the Church Street Market in Paddington through interviews with market shoppers, stall holders and historians. It was originally released as a film.To find out more about the Stall Stories project and watch the films visit: www.stallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Stall Stories – Ep 2 – Brixton MarketThis podcast was produced by Stockwell Primary School and digital:works in 2011. It explores the history of Brixton Market through interviews with market shoppers, stall holders and historians. It was originally released as a film.To find out more about the Stall Stories project and watch the films visit: www.stallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Stall Stories – Ep 1 – North End Road MarketThis audio documentary was produced by the Hammersmith and Fulham Young Carers Project and digital:works in 2005. It includes interviews of market shoppers, supermarket shoppers, stall holders and young people as well as an in-depth interview with Olive Webb about her personal history as a stall holder at North End Road market and a resident of Fulham. To find out more about the Stall Stories project visit: www.stallstories.org.ukTo find more oral history projects, films and podcasts visit: www.digital-works.co.uk

Martin Allen, Brentford FC Manager 2004-06, talks in detail about his time at Brentford.Recorded as part of the Push Up Brentford! Oral History Project in 2020.www.pushupbrentford.org.uk

The 7th and final episode is called “Theatre of Dreams” and Griffin Park itself takes centre stage.Fans recall the days when the terraces were full, when the Royal Oak was in its heyday and when you needed to turn up early to guarantee you’d get into the ground. And then there were the relegation years when just a few thousand fans would turn up, rattling around the near empty ground, the die-hards who would recall the former glory days while hoping for better days to come.There’s talk of the ground itself, the dire toilets, the old fashioned floodlights and magic of the evening games as well as memories of proud moments on the terraces.Finally, fans talk about what the club and ground have meant to them over the years, their feelings about leaving Griffin Park and their hopes for the future of this wonderful club.Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 6 is called ‘Mad Dog’. Martin Allen became manager towards the end of the 2003-4 season and was tasked with saving the club from relegation from the third tier with just nine games to play. After what became known as The Great Escape, the following two seasons saw the club achieve two play-off places, both ending in semi-final defeats. A character on and off the field, Allen still holds a special place in the hearts of many Brentford supporters.In this episode we talk to Martin and some of the fans who came into contact with him.Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 5 is called ‘Sidelines and Bylines’ and talks to some of the people that have worked at the club.Huw Powell served his apprenticeship as a photo journalist with the Surrey Comet before going on to work for several local newspapers from the mid 1980s until 2015. He covered Brentford Football Club over those years, sitting on the touchline come rain or shine, developing friendships with players, and a love for the club.Jim Levack has worked as a journalist covering Brentford Football Club since the 1980s with the Middlesex Chronicle. He has had to report at times when some of the owners in the past did not necessarily have the club’s best interests at heart. We also talked to two former Brentford players about their time at the club. Alan Hawley played his first game as a professional in 1962 aged just 16. He left 12 years later after playing over 300 games.  Marcus Gayle joined the youth squad aged 14 and played his first game as an 18 year-old in 1988. He moved to play for Wimbledon in the Premiership in 1994 but returned to end his playing career with the Bees under Martin Allen. Marcus has returned to Brentford for a third time and is currently a Club Ambassador.Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 4 is called “Ballots and Buckets” and focuses on the many ways in which supporters have come together over the years to fight for their club.This episode starts with fans talking about the establishment of one of the first blind supporters schemes going back to the 1950s. Next, fans discuss the key battles that established Brentford as a community club with supporters groups who fought investors and scoundrels to keep it in West London.There are tales of times when the very existence of the club was in danger, as in 1967 when QPR attempted to take over and close the club down. Then there was the threat of a move to Woking and bankruptcy which galvanised supporters to establish campaigns to protect the club, to stand for local elections, and even to take direct ownership of the club for a time. It is perhaps this militancy, this willingness to stand up for their club, that makes Brentford FC what is it today.Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 3 is called “Who Are Ya!”. Fans discuss how others have viewed their support for Brentford, often as eccentric, frequently with sympathy. They also remember some of the characters in the crowd as well as the importance of fanzines. There is an exploration of the less pleasant side of football, the violence, racism and homophobia but also how the crowd has changed in recent years, coming to reflect the area in which the club is based. We finish with some of the chants and songs that have rung out around the ground over the years, some general football songs, others much more specific to Brentford.Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 2 is called “The Big Match” and covers some of the ups and downs of supporting Brentford. You’ll hear stories of memorable games, home and away, along with a few people would rather forget. Rainy afternoons in Stockport, chocolate bars raining down on the pitch, picnics on sparse terraces, the joy of a chipped keeper and tales of some of Brentford's great rivalries over the years. Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

Episode 1 is called “The Kick Off”. It explores the early years of people’s support for Brentford, their family history, some going back to the 1920s, others who had to cope with being the only Brentford fan in a family of QPR supporters. There are stories of bunking in over turnstiles, of grandfathers banned from pubs around the ground, and hand-knitted bobble hats and scarves. People also recall their first ever match at Brentford, of 9-0 victories, huge crowds and the towering Royal Oak stand, but also of humiliating defeats and dwindling numbers on the terraces. Push Up Brentford is an oral history project set up to commemorate the last year the club will play at Griffin Park, their home for 116 years. We have interviewed fans, young and old, as well as players and managers to uncover their personal stories.We have created a fascinating living history of Brentford Football Club, starring the people who have made it such a special place over the years.The project is run by volunteers, many of them Brentford fans, and supported by Arts and Education charity, digital:works.The music was written and performed by Robb Johnson.The project was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Brentford Football Club.Produced by digital:works: www.digital-works.co.uk/Listen to the full interviews and find out more about the project at www.pushupbrentford.org.uk/

A podcast based on oral history interviews with London cabbies.Episode Three:In this third and final episode we explore some of the strange and naughty things that have happened in the back of a cab, the day to day challenges of the job, and what the future might hold for the London Taxi.The Sherbet Dab project was developed and run by digital:works. The interviews were undertaken by children and staff at St George the Martyr and Westminster Cathedral Primary Schools. The project was supported by The London Transport Museum, Unite the Union, Alf Townsend and all of the interviewees. Music was by Vincent BurkeThe project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Unite the UnionTo listen to the full interviews or watch the documentary film visit: www.sherbetdab.org.uk

A podcast based on oral history interviews with London cabbies.Episode Two:Episode Two explores the cabbies first days at work, learning the tricks of the trade, and looks at the ups and downs of the relationship between cabbies themselves.The Sherbet Dab project was developed and run by digital:works. The interviews were undertaken by children and staff at St George the Martyr and Westminster Cathedral Primary Schools. The project was supported by The London Transport Museum, Unite the Union, Alf Townsend and all of the interviewees. Music was by Vincent BurkeThe project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Unite the UnionTo listen to the full interviews or watch the documentary film visit: www.sherbetdab.org.uk

A podcast based on oral history interviews with London cabbies.Episode One:This episode explores the reasons cabbies became cabbies, the intense training they all need to undertake called “the knowledge” and the nerve-wracking oral examination system called “appearances”The Sherbet Dab project was developed and run by digital:works. The interviews were undertaken by children and staff at St George the Martyr and Westminster Cathedral Primary Schools. The project was supported by The London Transport Museum, Unite the Union, Alf Townsend and all of the interviewees. Music was by Vincent BurkeThe project was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Unite the UnionTo listen to the full interviews or watch the documentary film visit: www.sherbetdab.org.uk