The Lonely Arts Club

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, we speak to the Director of Tate, Maria Balshaw. 

Named the undisputed queen of Britain’s gallery scene, Maria attended university in Liverpool for part of her studies and we chat about what brought her to the city in the first place, the highlights of her time as a student and how her path has taken her to being the Director of one of the country's best loved cultural establishments...

Earlier on in this series of The Lonely Arts Club, we heard from writing legend, Jimmy McGovern. 

We had a brilliant chat with Jimmy, and naturally the conversation moved onto talking about the work that he's done with the families of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster. 

At the time of releasing part two of our interview with Jimmy, we're approaching the 34th anniversary of the tragedy in which 97...

This week, our conversation takes a slightly different turn to usual as we welcome Brian Seddon into the studio. 

Brian is what some may describe as a horse whisperer. Brian spent 30 years in the police force and 25 of those years were working with horses, either as a mounted officer, trainer or tactical advisor. Brian tells us all about how his connection with horses allowed him to make improvements to the force and the w...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, we're joined by Mickey Starke. 

Best known for playing the role of Sinbad on Liverpool soap opera, Brookside, Mickey is star of both stage and screen. 

Martin McQuillan finds out where Mickey's love of entertaining comes from, all the different paths that his career in acting has taken him and what it was like working on a filmset with Samuel L Jackson. 

These ...

As the saying goes, behind every great man, there's a great woman, and this was certainly the case for comedian, actor and all-round entertainer Sir Ken Dodd. 

Famous for his fast-paced one liners, Ken's comedy genius meant that he became a household name, performing all the way throughout his life. 

And the great lady always at his side, both on and off the stage? That would be Anne. In this very specia...

"People always said that if you had Jimmy McGovern writing and Ken Horn directing, you were onto a winner". These were the words of actress Eithne Browne when she joined us in The Lonely Arts Club earlier this series. 

We've already had one half of this famous duo in the studio, so it's only right that we hear from the other. 

In The Lonely Arts Club this week, we welcome television producer an...

Today, we bring you a special bonus episode of The Lonely Arts Club to celebrate International Women's Day. 

We're joined by Zainab Alema. Zainab, also known as "Bulldozer" is, amongst other things, a rugby player. Zainab has an inspirational story to tell and we're delighted to share her story with you. 

The rugby pitch is where Zainab comes to life and we hear where the passion for the s...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Liverpool star of stage and screen, Eithne Browne. 

These days, many would think that Eithne has always been a natural performer, but that's not the case. We hear how Eithne went from being a child who shied away from the limelight to a West End superstar and soap opera queen. 

Although luck may have been on her side just in time for the big bre...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Geoff Beattie. 

A well known name and face in the world of psychology, many will recognise Geoff from primetime TV as one of the original psychologists on Channel 4's Big Brother. 

We go right back to the beginning with Geoff, as he delves into what his childhood was like growing up amidst the troubles in Belfast. Geoff recalls situations that m...

Rewind to summer 2022 and Liverpool is about to welcome an exciting and unique addition to its cultural portfolio. Shakespeare North Playhouse is a brand new theatre that has opened on the outskirts of Liverpool in the town of Prescot.

The new theatre has been in the making for many years but who is the driving force behind its development? Melanie Lewis is the CEO of Shakespeare North Playhouse and we're delighted to...

Kicking off this season, is screenwriting royalty, Jimmy McGovern, whose career in television began in the infamous writers' room of Brookside.

From soap operas to hard-hitting dramas, McGovern shares the tale of how he has become one of the nation's best known screenwriters. The storyteller behind some of the deepest dramatisations to reach our screens, the BAFTA winning writer is best known for his work around ...

On 2nd November 1982 British television was about to change forever. Channel 4 had launched and its second ever programme to broadcast was Brookside; the soap opera that liked to push boundaries, and in more ways than one. Some may say that Brookside was revolutionary; there was a team of writers, flighting to get the grittiest storylines possible on pre-watershed TV. There was a crew of highly skilled filmmakers who were bringing ...

To commemorate Black History Month, we've released a bonus episode of The Lonely Arts Club podcast. This instalment, features conversations with some of our most inspirational guests. 

Listeners can recap on interviews with arts professionals such as actress, Cathy Tyson, music legend, Chris Amoo, and BBC radio host, Ngunan Adamu. 

Each guest, with their unique heritage, shares experiences of working in the c...

For the final episode of this series of The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Neil Fitzmaurice. 

Neil is an actor, comedian and writer and is best known for his appearances in Peep Show and Phoenix Nights, which he also co-wrote alongside Peter Kay and Dave Spikey. 

The Liverpool suburb of Anfield -" just a stone's throw from the football ground" - is where Neil spent his youth and he ...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by author and screenwriter, Tony Schumacher, 

Tony, who grew up in Huyton, Liverpool, is the creator and writer of hit BBC drama, The Responder, starring Martin Freeman. The series took over our screens and had everyone talking earlier this year. 

Although admitting that learning was a huge challenge for him growing up, Tony always had ambitions of beco...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Mike Morris. 

Mike’s journey has taken him down many paths, mainly all routed in social justice and politics.

The rural village of Rufford, Lancashire is where Mike’s story begins as he recalls growing up in the countryside. The only boy of the family, with five sisters, Mike laughs as he claims that he wasn’t spoiled by his siblings.

Mike shares stories about ...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Johanne McAndrew. 

Johanne is a scriptwriter and series editor for many primetime TV shows. Johanne's impressive portfolio spans many years of working on dramas such as Holby City, Nice Guy Eddie and Hollyoaks - to name but a few. 

From humble beginnings, Johanne takes us through her journey of growing up in Toxteth, how she developed a successf...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, Martin McQuillan is joined by Les Dennis. 

Les is an actor and comedian and despite describing himself as a shy person, admits that once he caught the performing bug, there was no stopping him. 

Developing a successful career in entertainment has taken Les down many paths, including being one half of a comedy duo, spending fifteen years on primetime Saturday night TV and more rec...

This week on The Lonely Arts Club, we're joined by Liverpudlian actress, Cathy Tyson. 

Cathy's love for acting came from being in plays at school, which explains why she is still so passionate about the arts being a part of education. During this episode, we go back to the beginning where we learn about Cathy's life growing up, why her Mum was such a role model to her and how her love for the stage grew.