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Post-industrial portrait photography capturing the people who make the North what it is today By Paul Wolfgang Webster

www.albertsquarechophouse.com 0161 834 1866

©Paul Wolfgang Webster/Roger Ward 32

PAUL WOLFGANG WEBSTER

Paul, known to his friends as Wolfie, is as mad as a March hare. Mad in the way many successful creative people are. Back in 1982 he was a butcher in Rochdale. He went to Athens on holiday with his girlfriend, and bought his first camera for the trip. It was a Ricoh KR10. His first photos were tourist snaps.

Now he has four pictures hung in the National Portrait Gallery.

These are the images of Fred Dibnah, Ian Simpson, Professor Brian Cox and Debbie Moore. Many others deserve the same acclaim.

The exhibition is a series he began at Rochdale College for his degree show in 1995. He intends it to be his life’s work. The iconic image of Tony Wilson, taken in November 1997, gave the collection its name.

He was originally inspired by the work of the legendary German documentary photographer, August Sander who was born in 1876, only ten years after this building opened its doors. Sander was not only a great photographer, he also annoyed the Nazi party, which is another good reason to like his work. He influences photographers around the world to this day.

Inspired by him, Paul is recording the people who make Northern England what it is today. This is a documentary record of our times and our people. Many of them famous, many of them less so. But each of them with a story to tell. His images hint at these stories. And, collectively, they form the most remarkable record of our era and our region.

This is living history.

He uses an ancient Hasselblad and the available lighting wherever possible. He says that his job is to capture an image which says something about the subject. And to draw us in so that we want to know more about them.

His work has previously been exhibited very successfully at Mr Thomas’s Chop House. The three floors of this new location provide a bigger backdrop to the enlarged collection which contains over 40 new photographs.

The exhibition is here for your pleasure. However, all the images are available to buy as framed, stamped, limited edition prints signed by Paul – for just £300.

£50 from each purchase will be donated to the Genesis Breast Cancer Appeal. Charity number 1109839.

Just leave your contact information with one of our staff.

AN ExPLANATION

We present this exhibition for your enjoyment.

We’re proud of our British heritage. We’re even prouder of our Northern roots. And we think the pictures make our new Chop House a more interesting place to be in.

We’ve lost count of the number of questions we’ve been asked about the subjects. Identifying them and what they’re famous for would make a great pub quiz.

This catalogue provides the answers. It tells you who’s who and why they’re in the collection. It’s also here to help Paul sell his work. That’s what he does. He’s an artist and he’s got bills to pay. They’re high quality works of art, limited-edition prints and very collectable.

Paul lost his sister Donna to breast cancer, which is why he is donating £50 from every picture sold to the Genesis Breast Cancer Appeal. Genesis, based at Wythenshawe Hospital, is Europe’s only specialist breast cancer prevention facility.

We are running a charity gala dinner and silent auction here in The Memorial Hall function room on Friday 26th April to raise more funds. Tickets will be £50 a head. Please let us know if you’re interested in attending.

We hope you enjoy the exhibition.

Roger Ward Alister Cook

e [email protected] wolfgangwebstergallery.comm 07812 181 589

This page Photographs of Paul Wolfgang Webster by Robert Kicka

This page Lester Barr, consultant surgeon and Chairman of the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Charity

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Made in the North is a collaborative project. It would not be possible without the help and support of many people. Nigel Maitland and Merve Valentine freely give their time and their organisational skills. It’s fair to say that Paul relies upon them. We are also indebted to Tony Husband and everyone else who helps with introductions. If you have any suggestions and contacts for future subjects, please get in touch with us.


SIR ALEx FERGUSON, CBEFootball manager Govan, Glasgow1941-

The most famous manager in the world of football just walked into my gallery one day. He’d come to buy a painting. I also gave him my photo of Foo Foo Lamarr. They had been great friends.

The funny thing is, when he came in, he’s not a man to wait around or anything. I had two minutes to get my shot. And I was really nervous until he told me a Bernard Manning joke, prompted by the comedian’s photo on the wall. It was another example of the subject putting the photographer at ease.

I took my first three shots, then I scored a proper own goal. It was the week before the Champions League Final against Barcelona. So, just to make conversation, I asked him about his tactics for the game. He simply stood up, said, “I’ve got to go now. " And went.

AdAM dOOLEyShirtmaker, Frank Rostron Salford1979-

My wife bought me a hand-made shirt for my birthday. And, while I was being measured up, we got talking. I found out he was from the North. And that he made things. Shirts and suits. Perfect.

I also found out that they have clients from around the world. Masters of the Universe from Wall Street have their shirts hand-made in Manchester. Quality.

ALAN BENNETTActor, author and national treasure Leeds1934-

Probably the most fascinating hour I’ve ever spent. And a happy photograph to remember it by.

This is a man completely at ease with a camera and an audience. They’re one and the same thing to him I suppose. We just chatted about his life and his connections with The North while I snapped away. I was looking for something profound. He told me it isn’t something he’s ever really reflected on consciously. “I still feel at home in Leeds, because it IS my home.” (He stays in his parents’ former house every fortnight.) “But I don’t like to be pigeonholed as a professional Northerner.”

He’s still a natural blond, “but everything else has gone.” An easy line in self-deprecation he topped with a tale of a scene he once played in bed with Julie Walters: “I felt like such a disappointment to her.”

It was my own personal Talking Heads. An absolute privilege.

ALLAN BESWICKBroadcasterWarrington1948-

Allan now presents the breakfast show on BBC Radio Manchester. He made his name though as a late night phone-in show host on Radio City and Red Rose Radio.

A quick trawl of t’interweb confirms his iconic status. Like all cult heroes, he has his loyal followers. I loved this summary from a wonderful blog by Tom Law: “At school you could tell who the Beswick listeners were. They’d be bleary eyed ones, muttering insults in a Lancashire accent – ‘piggin’ idiot’, ‘daft apath’, ‘dozy cretin’ – and swapping C60 compilation tapes of the best calls.

“Beswick himself had a touch of the Colonel Kurtz about him. He sounded respectable, the kind of bloke who’d run a pub quiz league, but something had happened. He’d gone a bit funny. And he was out there, in deepest, darkest Lancashire, ranting and raging against the stupidity of his callers. He was morose, cynical and rude. He was also clever, witty and, beneath the grizzled exterior, fundamentally decent.”

ANdREW CORCORANFreelance musician and occasional musical director Timperley, Cheshire 1982-

Andrew is one of Britain’s emerging musical theatre talents. He’s a keyboard player. And he’s currently the Assistant Musical Director with the touring production of Hairspray. “The score is great fun to play and, with it being a piano/conductor show, I'm getting to grips with all of that playing/nodding/conducting that I haven't had to do for a few years.”

He’s from a musical family. His sister Laura is Frisky in the musical cabaret double act Frisky and Mannish.

This photo was taken in the orchestra pit at The Lowry.

ANGIE ROBINSONBusinesswoman Newcastle-under-Lyme, the Wirral 1957-

Angie runs Manchester’s business convention centre, Manchester Central, once known as G-Mex. She used to run the inward investment agency, MIDAS. Before that the Chamber of Commerce.

In a former life Manchester Central was the Northern terminus for lines to London’s St Pancras. It’s famous for its distinctive arched roof. And it has the second largest roof span in the country. It’s an iconic building, which is why I chose a wider angle here. It’s a great way to frame a woman who’s done much herself to build the economy of the region.

She just has a great attitude to life. She once described herself to me as a has-been, before saying with a laugh, “Better to be a has-been than a never-was.” Believe me, she’s neither.


ARLENE PHILLIPS, CBEdancer, choreographer Prestwich, Manchester1943-

It took me a year and three months to get together with Arlene. She’d just left Strictly and was finding her feet again. She mentioned that Debbie Moore was her friend and thought I might like to photograph them together, because she’s from Manchester too. The last time they had a picture taken together was in 1986.

I met them both at Pineapple which is kind of appropriate really. She left Manchester when she was 17 to learn a new dance. And she never came back. She’s a lovely person – so strong.

ARTHUR SCARGILLCoalminer, trades union leader, politicianWorsbrough Dale, Yorkshire1938-

I was at a mining museum at a pit in Wakefield when a miner ran in. “You’ll never guess who’s here? Arthur Scargill. " They all looked at me, and I said “I haven’t got my camera." They went into the other office, came out with one of theirs, “You have now."

I had to go to the pit head and ask where Mr Scargill was. I was shown to the lift he’d come up in. I was pacing up and down, cos the pressure was on, waiting. He was the last man out of the cage.

I asked if he’d let me take his photo. He said, No. I told him I was working for the museum; that the pit had been there for 300 years; that it would mean a lot to the men there. I was appealing to his vanity. He said, “You’ve got one picture. " I cocked it up. He let me take another. And he softened as we talked, which is why I was able to capture a slight smile.

The museum liked it so much they bought it for their own collection.

COUNT ARTHUR STRONGActor, Steve delaney Leeds1940-

Steve is a comedian and comic actor who created the Count when he was at drama school. Count Arthur Strong’s BBC radio show has toured on the stage and is about to transfer to the TV.

The Count is a pompous, deluded and mostly out-of-work elderly ‘thespian’ from Doncaster. Steve is none of the above, but he is from Leeds. And he drew on his own experiences to create his character. “He’s just a bonkers old bloke. I did all the things that people do – Casualty, All Creatures Great and Small, Juliet Bravo. A lot of things he mentions I actually did. He’s the sum total of my shortcomings. It helps that Arthur doesn’t do anything I don’t know about. "

“It’s writing about what you know about, " he says. “I know about the North. I know about dotty people. I could name half a dozen people who are influences on Arthur. "

BERNARd MANNINGComedian, nightclub owner Ancoats, Manchester 1930-2007

Yeah, I like this one. He just looks so f***ed off with life.

ANTONy COTTONActor, celebrityBury, Greater Manchester1975-

Antony is another soapstar and celebrity. He’s no run of the mill celebrity though: he’s a patron of Queer Up North and he once donated £200,000 to the Elton John Aids Foundation.

He paid his acting dues for a decade in the Oldham Theatre Workshop. He made his name in Coronation Street and Queer as Folk. And, amongst other things, he was in Absolutely Fabulous before he lasted three weeks in the jungle in I’m A Celebrity. I like the fact that he was once asked to play a gaylien in Doctor Who. He describes himself as an actor, barmaid, factory worker and campmate.

ANNE REAdActressNewcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland1935-

You cannot imagine a world without Anne Read in it.

She was in Hancock’s Half Hour and the Benny Hill Show in the 1950s. She married Ken Barlow in Coronation Street in the 1960s and became one half of TV soap’s first supercouple. Nearly 19 million people watched her screen funeral back in 1971. She’s been in Boon, Casualty, Upstairs Downstairs and Doctor Who. She’s graced Shameless and Dinnerladies. And she’s still making films right now.

I met her at a charity event. A wonderful lady and a wonderful personality.


PROFESSOR BRIAN COx, OBEParticle physicist, University of Manchester, CERN, and d:ReamOldham, Lancashire1968-

We arranged to meet at the Science Museum in Castlefield. I had this idea of putting him next to the planes and space ships. But I was in the wrong museum!

I crossed the road to the right place, and all there was for a background was a table and a lecture theatre. I thought, what can I do? I like the image to reflect their work. Instead we moved to a corridor where the strip lights made me think of the Large Hadron Collider. Brian liked my Hasselblad because it’s a proper film camera. He’s into his films.

BOB CUMMINGSRetired gym owner, businessman, body builder The Gorbals, Glasgow and Ardwick Green, Manchester1944-

This was taken the day the statue of Lowry was delivered to Sam’s Chop house in Manchester. Bob, who has spent a lifetime lifting weights and teaching other people how to do it safely, was drafted in to supervise the operation.

What I like about this is that it’s not posed or set up and he’s entirely unselfconscious. It’s just about focus and strength isn’t it? To me this is an ordinary bloke who’s just been made into a movie poster. He’s not looking at the camera. He’s working, concentrating on the job. His mind and his eyes are fixed. I think it’s a priceless image.

He’s not in bad shape for a 68 year-old.

BILL ROACH, MBESoldier, actor – longest-serving character in Coronation StreetIlkeston, Derbyshire 1932-

“Whatever you do, don’t call him Ken Barlow." Which, of course, I did every time I used his name. So he just said, ‘Call me what you like.’

We started off outside the Rovers Return. But that’s just the obvious publicity shot. I wanted another angle. I wanted proper Manchester. It’s proper Manchester, isn’t it?

BEZ ANd SHAUN RydERThey’re inseparable, those two. Like Yin and Yang. They even lived next door to each other in the middle of nowhere in the Peak District for a while. So I wanted a face painter to formalise it as an image. The only problem is that Michelle, who helped me, was petrified. Well, they ARE unpredictable aren’t they?

They turned up late. Bez had been clubbing in London for two nights. A 48-hour party person if ever there was one. Shaun was just Mr Cool, so we did him first. It took five minutes.

Then we tried to paint Bez, but he couldn’t sit still. Which is why we ended up with two Yins! Which makes it even better.

BEZMark Berry. dancer, percussionist, authorSalford1964-

In September 2007 Bez went head-to-head with royal correspondent James Whittaker on ITV’s celebrity quiz show Don’t Call Me Stupid. He beat him.

BARONESS BETTy BOOTHROyd, OM, PGPolitician, the only female Speaker of the House of CommonsDewsbury, Yorkshire1929-

The first colour photograph in the series, because it worked and because it looked wrong in black and white. This is actually blue and white. It’s nothing to do with Baroness Betty’s political affiliations. She’s been Labour red all her life. But, as she knows, the colour just suits her – look at her hair.

Nothing has been retouched or enhanced here. These colours are all true.

This was taken the day that President Obama visited parliament, a few days after the royal wedding. She told me about having tea with the Queen. She was really happy. I’m equally so about the image.

After we’d finished, she took me into the historic Westminster Hall where Obama was due to make his speech. The police had it locked down tight for security. We were told that we could not enter, only for my subject to reply: ‘I’m Baroness Boothroyd, these people are taxpayers, and we’re coming in.’ We went in.


CARLO SARTORIFootballer, knife sharpener Caderzone, Italy and Collyhurst, Manchester1948-

I love this story. Carlo was briefly famous as the man who took over George Best’s number 7 shirt when he left United. He was sold by Tommy Docherty to Bologna and spent a decade back in Italy. He’s now a knife sharpener to the pubs and restaurants of Greater Manchester. He’s a lovely, humble man, part Italian, part Mancunian. Still fit as a fiddle.

Not that it means anything, but he has the same goals per game ratio as Roy Keane.

CLINT BOONMusician, dJ, broadcasterOldham 1959-

All musicians are the same for photographers. It took me 15 years to shoot Badly Drawn Boy after I first met him. I finally got round to Clint four years after first meeting him. Is it them or me? [Trust me, Wolfie, it’s you.]

Whatever, before he co-founded the Inspiral Carpets, Clint and I went to the same school, Rochdale College. We shared some of the same teachers.

What I liked about this shoot was the input Clint made into his picture: he suggested spraying up his glasses; and he wanted to wear his dad’s jewellery as a personal message to his family. (His father had died a few months beforehand). He also suggested alternatives for the words on the lenses. We shot loads. We looked at all the images together. And we both picked the same one.

I think he’s cool as f***.

COLIN BELL, MBEFootballerHesleden, County Durham1946-

I used to work in M&S. I saw Colin in the Handforth Dean shop one day and asked him if he’d sit for my project.

I sat him in a stadium he’d never played in. And he talked for two and a half hours about his career. I had to stop him so I could take his picture.

I hope the players of today have the same passion he still has. He was once City’s most expensive player. He understands the pressure to perform.

CARL WILdECelebrity and TV florist, Richard and Judy, This MorningCastleford

He collects Vivienne Westwood clothes; my wife loves Vivienne Westwood. That was the connection. And a mutual friend introduced us. He’s really flamboyant. Larger than life. Loves beautiful things that are a bit battered.

I said, “American Beauty, dressed in Vivienne Westwood, covered in red rose petals." His boyfriend said no.

BRECK STOCKTONFurniture retailer Sale, Cheshire1950-

Once you’ve met Breck you’re never going to forget him.

And if you walk into his store, you are very likely to meet him. Just as you’d have once met his mum and dad, Maureen and Reg. “Dad was 87 when he died last December, and he was still in here the day before. They both loved the business and the customers. They just loved people and I have been told all sorts of wonderful stories about things they did, such as my mother giving a young couple money to go and rent a hotel room and telling them to come back when they were happier because they looked so miserable.”

The Cabinet maker called him ‘one of the most stylish executives in Britain.’ And he’s certainly helped make the North a more stylish place. “Of course we love having the footballers come. We especially love the amounts of money they spend, and the other customers love seeing them!”

CARL FOGARTyWorld Superbike champion Blackburn, Lancashire1965-

The eyes have it.

I visited him at his home in Blackburn. Some house. His original world title bike was embedded in the wall in his hall!

He told me that his accountant had wanted him to relocate to Monte Carlo for tax reasons. But he never did because he wanted to stay with his mates and his roots. I turned up there with a posse, because all my friends wanted to meet him. We just walked around spellbound. He’s my lifetime hero. Every room was full of stories. Every display another anecdote. Every location inspired another shot. I took so many different ones trying to capture the essence of a unique champion.

I remember his green vest. It was framed in one room. It was his lucky charm in Ireland. Wearing it, he’d won two races and survived a big smash. It was cut off his back, sewn back up and framed for posterity.

Just a great guy.


dEAN ANdREWSActor Rotherham, West Yorks1963-

Dean is famous as DS Ray Carling in the BBC’s iconic Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. Just a great part. Not many people know that he began as a singer in resorts like Skegness and on cruise ships – something he did for more than 20 years. Silvio Berlusconi used this as a springboard for a life in business and politics, Ray stayed a little more connected with his performing roots.

He got into acting after auditioning for the 2001 film, The Navigators, set in Sheffield. He played Barry Shiel in the TV series Buried, which won the Best Drama Series BAFTA in 2004. He played the character of Steven Maynard in ITV’s drama Wire in the Blood. In 2007, he appeared in the BBC’s True Dare Kiss and The Street. But in 2006, Life on Mars took him and us back to 1973 – and the rest is history.

He’s a rugby league fan and he still supports Rotherham United.

dEBBIE MOORE, OBEdancer, model, businesswoman Urmston 1946-

She’s been a professional model.

She was married to a photographer. And she was used to being photographed. She was also really chuffed I was using film, not digital. She wanted to show me her husband’s work. It was really nice of her – to take the time to show me things she thought I might appreciate.

I love this shot because of its simplicity.

dAVE BERRySinger, 1960’s teen idol Beighton, Sheffield 1941-

Dave became famous with his 1960’s hits, including Memphis Tennessee, Mama and The Crying Game – with its solo by Jimmy Page. He is credited with having the best-selling single of all time in the Netherlands. And the Sex Pistols covered his Don’t Gimme No Lip Child.

This photo is inspired by his stage act. He hides. It’s all about him controlling his image. He’s a showman, and this is his show. So, if you know him, you’ll recognise him.

If not, he remains an enigma. The best way to get to know him is to watch him play. He’s still touring now.

COLIN ByRNEPR ExecutiveSalford 1957-

Colin is a big cheese in the world of PR.

He joined Weber Shandwick in 1995 and is now CEO of the agency’s European network and a member of the global management group.

Previously, Colin worked for the Labour Party’s communications team. He became Head of Press & Broadcasting. He served as deputy to Peter Mandelson, and was press aide to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw amongst others. He has also worked for Prince Charles.

The thing that makes this portrait unique is that I didn’t take it. My wife had planned a surprise birthday trip to Venice for me at the time I’d got a slot in the busy man’s diary. So my pal Jonathan Oakes stepped in and saved the day. This image takes Colin back to his roots. It took Jonny into the gutter to get the best angle. I wish I’d taken it. Thanks, mate.

dAMON GOUGHBadly drawn Boy. Singer-songwriterBolton, Lancashire1969-

I have known Damon for about 15 years. I used to go clubbing in Chorlton and take my camera with me. The first time we met was at The Bar in Chorlton. I photographed him then - two months before he won the Mercury Music Prize, without his hat! Our paths crossed again in New York, where he was making a video and I was photographing a project. We finally agreed to meet up in Chorlton at the Soap Opera laundrette. It was home from home for me. It seemed the right place to shoot a man who sings about real life.

dENNIS SKINNERCoal miner, Labour MP for Bolsover since 1970 Clay Cross, Derbyshire 1932-

He was nothing like a beast.

He had great manners, great morals and great integrity. Standards, I thought. He’s got the lowest expenses in the House of Commons. And he’s never missed a sitting in the House. He says that’s what he’s paid to do.

He restored my faith in MPs.


Ed BARTONPoet, artist, musician and songwriterLibya and Manchester 1959-

I first saw Ed Barton playing his guitar with a wooden spoon on Channel 4’s the Tube in the 1980s. The song was I’ve got no chickens, but I’ve got five wooden chairs. He actually smashed his guitar up. It was an arresting song and performance. Funny that, because he’s been arrested a few times. So, when we moved to Chorlton in 1992, we moved in seven doors down the road from Ed. We became good friends.

According to Wikipedia, he is probably best known for composing the song It’s a Fine Day, originally released as a single by Jane in 1983, and later to become a UK chart hit when Opus III covered it in 1992. Under the name Owain Barton, he was later credited with co-writing Kylie Minogue’s 1994 hit Confide In Me, which included musical content taken from It’s a Fine Day. Ed said “I woke up one afternoon and switched on the radio. I thought, ‘That’s a good tune.' In fact that’s MY tune.”

EAMONN O’NEALJournalist, TV producer, broadcaster Timperley, Cheshire 1953-

Eamonn is a major media figure behind the scenes in Manchester. You could say he pulls the strings. He was an Executive Producer at Granada TV (responsible for programmes like This Morning and Granada Reports). He is currently the managing editor of the Manchester Evening News. And he is very proud of the fact that his Sunday show with Jimmy Wagg on BBC Radio Manchester has run for 24 years now!

That’s all very impressive, but far fewer people know that he was the deputy head of St Winifred’s Primary School in Stockport when their choir had a very unlikely hit with There’s No-one Quite Like Grandma.

This was a Christmas number one in the UK in 1980.

ERIC WEBSTERLong-distance lorry driver. My dad Littleborough, Rochdale 1939-2009

This was taken at my wedding. It was the last time I ever saw him. He was the greatest man I ever knew.

dIANE MOdAHLAthleteManchester 1966-

Diane contacted me. I love it when that happens! The connection came through a dinner party with Debbie Moore down in London where I’d been explaining my work and looking for people who know people…

Anyway, as luck would have it, Diane had not long before set up her Sports Foundation to bring high quality athletics coaching to young people – particularly in disadvantaged areas. She was looking for an image which portrayed her as a businesswoman in a sporting context.

She is a Commonwealth Games gold, silver and bronze medallist.

This is one of my favourite images.

dICKIE BIRd, OBEInternational cricket umpire Barnsley, Yorkshire1933-

We had great fun photographing and getting to know Dickie.

He’s an eccentric. And he’s known for his sense of humour.

He’s also a national treasure. But where do you photograph him? In front of his life-sized statue in Barnsley? In front of a Barnsley Cricket Club photo with his team mates Geoff Boycott and Michael Parkinson? Somewhere out there in the test cricket arena? He served in 66 tests, 69 one-day internationals and three world cup finals, and was given a guard of honour by the teams in his final match.

For me, this was the best photo. Out on the pitch. At his club. Lit by God. Where you can see every blade of grass and feel the weather. THIS was Dickie’s life.

FAyE MACRORy, MBEConsultant midwife Bangor, County Down and Chorlton1955-

Faye is an amazing person, who does an amazing job.

She’s a midwife with an MBE. She’s had it since 1997. She was also named Outstanding Achiever in the Health and Social Care Awards at the Department of Health in July 2003. And she specialises in mothers-to-be with problems: women with substance abuse issues.

In short, Faye is a pioneer. More than 300 babies were born to addicts in Greater Manchester last year, and Faye has spearheaded a new way of working to help them come off drugs. She was the first midwife in the area to specialise in treating mothers with drug problems, and helped lead a scheme to test pregnant women for HIV. Because early detection in the mother helps to protect the baby. She cares for the mums too. It’s her privilege to work with them. “They need a pat on the back to make sure they become great mothers.”


FREd dIBNAH, MBESteeplejack, engineer, TV personalityBolton, Lancashire1938-2004

I worked in a cotton mill myself when I left school. I met Fred there when he came to repair the engine and took 15-foot off the chimney in 1981. Then, when I was doing my degree, I thought I’d write to Fred because I knew him.

He’d made a pit head in his own back garden, which made for a good start. But we couldn’t get him to relax properly until I asked him who he’d like to have been, of anyone alive or dead. He told me the person he admired most was the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I told him that I thought they looked alike. So he shouted up to his wife and asked her to throw him down a top hat. That was it. He came alive and just posed as Brunel.

FRISKy ANd MANNISHMusical comedy cabaret double act

Laura Corcoran (Frisky)Timperley, Cheshire1985-

These are the new kids on the block. You just have to see them.

They got together at Oxford University. They broke through at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009. Everything they do is very colourful and very theatrical. So I think they liked the idea of working with me in black and white. It was a new experience for them.

I just love their own description of their act. It goes like this: “It would appear to be something of a challenge to describe with precision what it is that we do. If pressed, we would call it: Popmusicy-seriocomic-mashparodic-stereophonic-LOUD-vaudevillian-sketchcabaret-throwbackcurrent-oldfangled-newfashioned-bapsbotty-infotainment. Or, to be succinct, we tit around with pop songs.”

That’s it. They do. And it’s very funny.

GEORGE BERGIERSommelier Lübeck, Germany and Stretford1946-

George is another of those legendary characters who aren’t famous, but should be.

He was born Jerzy Bonkowski when his p.o.w. father met his forced labour camp mother in Germany immediately after the second world war. He defected from Poland in 1968 whilst working on a placement at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. He has served fine foods and even finer wines to the folk of the North for five decades now.

He’s a former UK Sommelier of the year. He’s Chairman of the Guild of Sommeliers. And he’s worked at some of the most iconic venues in his adopted city for so long that he’s known by almost every business leader in Manchester.

To quote his catch-phrase, he’s ‘chuffed to boogery’ to be in this exhibition.

FIONA GASPER, MBEExecutive director, the Royal Exchange Theatre Calcutta, India1961-

Fiona’s the boss of the Royal Exchange. Before that she ran the City of Culture Programme in Liverpool.

I met her without a preconceived idea of what I was looking to shoot. I’ve been in that building all my life: it’s one of my favourite places in the whole world, let alone Manchester.

We chatted about my theatrical photos. About people she knew. She loved my Alan Bennett story, about how I was a rabbit caught in the headlights when Alan didn’t want to be photographed with a load of hands. But she took away any nerves I had with her warmth and generosity.

We just wandered on stage. There was all the debris from the previous night’s performance of Rats’ Tales lying around. It was great to photograph her looking so calm amid all the chaos. That’s what she does for a living, I guess.

FOO FOO LAMARRFrank PearsonAncoats, Manchester 1938-2003

This is my own favourite picture. I’d had a massive argument with my mum that day, and I didn’t want to go and take the picture. She told me, “You’re not letting people down. Get yourself into Manchester."

I met Frank in his three-piece suit. When he dressed for the shot, I had to help him put his nails on, while he looked me in the eye and acted provocatively.

I find this image painful. He’s reaching out for something. I like to think he’s asking for help. He loved it too, and came to my degree show in Rochdale. I’ll always be grateful for that.

Matthew Floyd Jones (Mannish)Kingston-upon-Thames1985-

GORdON BURNSTelevision presenter – including The Krypton Factor, BBC North West Tonight Belfast and Manchester1942-

Second time lucky for me. Gordon had turned me down years ago.

This time I asked his producer if I could pop into the BBC on Oxford Road. I introduced myself. He told me that he’d seen my work and was really happy to commemorate the last week in the old studios. By coincidence, this was also the last week of his career. He was retiring on Friday September 30 2011 after 50 years in the media. It’s clearly all about timing.

He wanted to be recorded on the set of Look North West. He told me the history of the building; the people he’d shared it with; he’d worked there for 15 years. He even gave me my own personal Tony Wilson tour. He asked the lighting cameraman to illuminate the screens, to set the studio up as if it was on-air. Entirely by coincidence, Angela Rippon was on in the background.


GRAHAM GOULdMANSongwriter and musician Broughton, Salford1946-

Graham’s had the sort of career in music most people can only dream about. Playing part-time, he wrote a series of million-selling singles, including For Your Love for the Yardbirds; Bus Stop for The Hollies; and songs for Herman’s Hermits, Wayne Fontana, Cher and Jeff Beck.

Working out of Stockport’s legendary Strawberry Studios, he formed 10cc with Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Crème. In this guise he co-wrote The Wall Street Shuffle, I’m Not In Love and The Things We Do For Love amongst others. He’s still touring with 10cc now – even if the others aren’t. In a nice coincidence, he’d been eating in Mr Thomas’s restaurant the day before the shoot. It was an old stomping ground. He saw the exhibition there. He’d obviously been reading the stories, because he was keen to know if Mike Leigh really did tell me to f*** off.

The image is a nod in the direction of Wall Street.

GRAHAM NASH, OBESinger-songwriter, musicianBlackpool and Salford1942-

Graham Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 for the SECOND time for his work with The Hollies, in addition to his previous recognition with supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The interesting thing about this photo is that it records Graham’s other great passion: photography.

I met him at an exhibition of his work in Richard Goodall’s gallery. He’s in front of his portrait of Bob Dylan, taken at the infamous ‘Judas’ concert at the Free Trade Hall. I wanted him with this as it is one of the most talked about moments in Northern music history. I bought a copy of his book as an excuse to talk. It cost me 50 quid! Bloody hell. I asked him to sign it and told him about my own work. He said, “Let’s f**kin’ get it on.” I remember thinking his accent was a little more mid-Atlantic than either Blackpool or Salford.

HAZEL BLEARSMP for Salford & Eccles Salford1956-

Everyone thinks they know about Hazel Blears.

Yes, she’s the Labour MP for Salford, who was a cabinet minister under both Blair and Brown. Yes, she had some controversial times in government. But this is probably something you don’t know about her.

She and her brother Stephen were in Tony Richardson’s iconic 1961 film A Taste Of Honey, playing street urchins. It was very big news in its day, winning four BAFTAS and a Golden Globe. (Though probably none for the street urchins). I didn’t know this either, till her PA told me. I loved that thought: Hazel as a street urchin. Then I went looking for a location, and found a street which had been half redeveloped – with just one side done up. My pal Merve spotted a car from this very period. The owner moved it for us. That’s why he’s in the shot.

GORdON TAyLOR, OBEFootballer, union leaderAshton-under-Lyne, Lancashire 1944-

When I walked into the Peoples’ Museum in Manchester to photograph Viv Anderson, Gordon Taylor was just standing there. He was actually buying some paintings for the Professional Footballer’s Association – women in football. Viv introduced us, so this was a smash and grab. Four minutes from meeting him, Gordon was in the Hasselblad.

A nice image, a nice man and a nice message about football. Sepp Blatter he is not.

GRAEME HAWLEyActor Coventry, Manchester1973-

Graeme was another supporter of the Cabaret for Cancer. And another portrait taken in my mad celebrity half hour.

He’s a graduate of Manchester Met. He played John Stape in Coronation Street for four years. He’s been in Emmerdale, A Touch of Frost and Shameless. And, in spite of these impeccably Northern credentials, he’s still a Coventry City fan.

HUGH SACHSActor Manchester1964-

Hugh has a very characterful face. He was also part of the Cabaret for Cancer production line. Given the restricted time we had together, I’m particularly pleased with how we were able to create the mood with light and shade here. His expression draws you in.

He’s probably best known as Gavin in ITV’s Benidorm. Though his list of TV credits is as long as your arm, and includes Midsomer Murders, Catherine Tate, Foyle’s War and My Family.

His film credits include: The Libertine, Like Minds, Love, Honour and Obey, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Amazing Grace – as well as Woody Allen’s You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.


IAN SIMPSONArchitectBury, Lancashire1955-

I did a job with my mate Paul of Harrison Gallery in Chorlton, helping him to frame a fifteen foot square canvass for Ian’s apartment, and met Ian’s partner, Jo. She introduced me to Ian when I explained what I do for a living.

We talked about where he was from, the things he likes. And the chair he’s sat on is by Hans Wegner, one of his favourite designers. I wanted to photograph him with something that meant something to him personally – apart from the full-sized olive trees and the best view in Manchester, that is.

IMOGEN STUBBSActress and playwright Northumberland1961-

Imogen was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (which certainly qualifies as Northern), and brought up in a 'Huckleberry Finn' childhood on a river barge on the Thames (which probably doesn’t). Her grandmother was the celebrated Geordie actress Esther McCracken. Her cousin is Alexander Armstrong.

She was a 'token girl' in the sixth form at Westminster School. She earned a very un-token first in English at Oxford, before graduating from the same RADA class as Jane Horrocks and Iain Glen. She was married to Sir Trevor Nunn. And her career CV is as high class as you might imagine it to be, given her pedigree.

What bought her to me was her support for Morag Stiller and Genesis. And this is one of my favourite portraits. No props. No clever angles. Just a thousand words about her life in one still image…

JAMES BACONHairdresserDerby and the Northern Quarter, Manchester1977-

James was the Creative Director at Andrew Collinge’s salon in Manchester.

His look is always changing. I suppose that’s his job. But this beard just caught my eye. He’s like an extra from the Clint Eastwood film The Outlaw Josie Wales. He’s not made in the North, he’s styled in the North.

The funny thing is he’s lucky to be still with us at all. The lighting rig fell on his head while we were taking this very shot.

IAN McCULLOCHMusician, Echo & The Bunnymen Norris Green, Liverpool1959-

I was working for the Liverpool-based Blue Planet, the music magazine. I took a brief to cover the Bunnymen’s first gig back in the city for 10 years – at Cream. All the other journos and photographers were sat inside doing what we always do: waiting. I got bored and went outside, which is how I got the first pictures. I remember asking, “Can I take just one more?"

And this was it.

IAN MCMILLANPoet, journalist, playwright, author, broadcaster Darfield, Barnsley, Yorkshire1956-

Ian hosts the weekly show The Verb on BBC Radio 3, ‘dedicated to investigating spoken words around the globe’. According to the Radio Times, he is the 22nd Most Powerful Person in Radio. Though he suspects he is higher up this list now that John Peel is sadly no longer with us. He is also a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme where he was Election Laureate. He has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s long-running panel game Just a Minute.

He is a regular guest on Newsnight Review, The Mark Radcliffe Show, The Today Programme, You & Yours, The Culture Show and Have I Got News For You?

He’s a very funny man for someone who refuses to be called a comedian.

I photographed him in 2009 with the oldest books in the whole building at Chetham’s Library in Manchester, the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. It was founded in 1653.

JEFF HORdLEyActor Crumpsall, Manchester1970-

Jeff is best known as bad-boy Cain Dingle in Emmerdale.

It’s been his job for more than ten years. “He’s scruffy and unkind — you just wouldn’t. If I was a woman I definitely wouldn’t. But perhaps some women are drawn to the danger. He’s a bad boy and they want to tame him. But there’s no way on earth I’d let my daughter go out with someone like Cain. If she turned up with someone like that — oh dear.”

The picture captures Cain’s dark side. Though I made sure there was a glint in his eye. Jeff’s really got a heart of gold.


JO dOBBSTeacher, Illustrator Edgeware, Middlesex and Saddleworth1966-

I met Jo the day we photographed Rodger Alderson.

He told me she was an art teacher with an ‘interesting' past. In a former life, after qualifying from St Martins, she had drawn the original illustrations for Purple Ronnie working as an art editor at a publishing company. She'd also worked on Scooby Doo and Dastardly and Mutley. She appears in the video for Frankie Goes to Hollywood's song Relax.

She wasn't too keen to be photographed at first, until she saw the existing exhibition. Then she began to suggest ways to tell us something about her. She wanted the image to be interesting. She told me that she loves the pool at her school. She'd be in it every day if she could. The dress is vintage. She bought it for the Millenium. The angel wings recall the day she saved someone's life in the water.

dAME JOAN BAKEWELL, dBEJournalist, TV presenter Stockport, Cheshire1933-

Joan answered her own door at her lovely house in London.

We went into the kitchen sat down and got on like a house on fire. Joan explained that she only had 50 minutes for the photo shoot, then she would have to leave for an appointment. I sat in a large room bathed with light – and full of books, art and furniture. My eye scanned the room and rested on a lovely single chair. Joan returned looking beautiful and elegant. I took some photos around the room and then asked Joan to sit on the chair and look into the camera. She’s used to that.

JIMMy WAGGBroadcaster, BBC Radio Manchester sports anchorHulme, Wythenshawe, Manchester1953-

He’s been a co-presenter of The Sunday Show with Eamonn O’Neal for 24 years now. “It isn’t scripted, we just chat and have a laugh reminiscing about the old days in Manchester.”

He’s a well known Man City fan.

JIMMy CRICKETComedianCookstown, Northern Ireland and Rochdale1945-

He’s just a really funny guy. He even LOOKS funny to me.

He used to be a Redcoat in Ireland, “looking across the water" as he put it, wanting to try his luck in Britain. So he moved to London and got a job. When the holiday season was over, he worked in a department store. He noticed that everybody was walking around with their heads down. His agent suggested that he try working up North, because the people seemed happier.

The very first place he worked in, up in Newcastle, had a guy on who was wearing a dinner suit and a pair of wellies. The punters were laughing at him just because of the way he looked. He won LWT’s talent contest, Search For A Star, and was later given his own series on Central Television in the mid-1980s named after his catch-phrase ‘And There’s More’.

JIM POySERComedy writer, producerOldham, Lancashire 1967-

Jim’s from Chorltonville, and we’ve knocked around the same places for years. When I went round to his house, he had a picture of Leningrad, taken by him in the 70s. Miserable as sin it was. I was looking for something a bit happier. Then I saw Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas on the bookshelf. I know it began as a radio play, but it’s my favourite book, set in the Welsh village of Llareggub (which is bugger all backwards). That tickled me, so I wanted it in the background. After all, Jim is in the comedy business.

JEREMy PAxMANJournalist, TV presenter Leeds 1950-

Jeremy Paxman is an institution. He’s a national treasure. He’s the fearless interviewer and scourge of politicians. Some call him forthright, abrasive and intimidating. Others just reckon he’s rude and condescending. Whatever, he’s famous for sticking to his guns in pursuit of answers to difficult questions. Just ask former Home Secretary Michael Howard. Paxman did. The same question twelve times in a row.

He also pretends to be mean to students on University Challenge. In fact, the Radio Times once voted him Britain’s fourth scariest TV celebrity. I wouldn’t like to meet the others.

The truth is he was only too happy to pose for this, especially when he found out he would be helping the Genesis Breast Cancer charity.


JULIE HESMONdHALGHActor Accrington1970-

Julie is another of the stars who gave her support to Morag Siller’s Cabaret for Cancer.

She’s best known these days for her role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street. Hayley is the first transsexual character on British TV. And Julie became the first friend of campaign group Trans Media Watch. As well as working to raise funds for other charities, such as Mood Swings Network and the Parkinson’s Disease Society, Julie is a patron of the following charities and groups: Press for Change, the Albert Kennedy Trust, Maundy Relief, Exodus Onstage, British Humanist Association, and the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Foundation. She has also recently supported the Elizabeth Finn Care ‘Wrap Up Against Poverty’ campaign by donating a Hayley Cropper-style red anorak for a fund-raising auction.

Julie’s surname is pronounced “Hesmondhalsh”, with the stress on the first and third syllables.

JOHNNy MARRMusician, The Smiths, Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The CribsArdwick, Manchester 1963-

I originally got in touch through a mutual friend, a builder who had worked at his house. Then I was down at Richard Goodall’s gallery at the Terry O’Neill exhibition, and who should walk in? The funny thing was, it’s a photography gallery, but there was no-one there with a camera, except for me.

He’s just a cool guy who has time for everyone.

JOHNNIE HAMPTelevision producer London and Stockport1931-

John lives round the corner from my gallery. He’s a behind-the-scenes legend in the world of television, and I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t recognise him when he walked in. I even asked him who he was!

He worked in the glory days of Granada TV with, amongst others, a young Michael Parkinson. He made shows with American icons like Count Basie, Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Richard, Woody Allen and Burt Bacharach. His most famous series was probably The Comedians. So we can blame him in part for the emergence of Mike Reid, Charlie Williams, Stan Boardman and Bernard Manning. Not that he’d claim any credit. I found him a most humble and helpful man. He even came back to me after I had to go out to collect my camera!

It tells you all you need to know about his reputation that they made an episode of This Is Your Life about Johnnie in February 1993.

JOHNNy BRAMWELLSongwriter, musician, TV presenter Hyde1964-

Johnny is on the verge of greatness with his band I Am Kloot.

My pal Tony Husband reckons he’s one of the country’s top songwriters. (Johnny grew up in the house next door to Tony in Gee Cross. Small world.) The Guardian called an early solo album You, Me and the Alarm Clock “one of the greatest albums you’ve never heard of.” Kloot were nominated for a Mercury Award two years ago. And their current album Let It All In looks destined to be their breakthrough. It was produced by their friends Craig Potter and Guy Garvey of Elbow.

Kloot evolved from a previous incarnation, The Mouth, fronted by Johnny and his friend Bryan Glancy, also known as the Seldom Seen Kid. Yes, THAT Seldom Seen Kid. It’s that small world thing again. I took this one on the same day as I was shooting Damon Gough. Johnny just turned up off a plane from Paris with his guitar. I said, “Have you got five minutes?"

JONATHAN OAKESPhotographerClatterbridge, the Wirral1961-

One of my all-time-favourite photographs is an image of Pete Postlethwaite used by the Royal Exchange Theatre to publicise Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. You might well have seen it, not least because it was widely used when Pete died. I think The Guardian had it on their front cover. Pete Postlethwaite was a great man. And it is just a great image, which captures his qualities perfectly.

Then I met the man who took it, Johnny.

He once stood in for me, taking a shot for Made in the North, when my wife Carol took me on a surprise trip to Venice.

I love his work. But I also reckon he looks pretty good in front of the camera.

JUSTIN MOORHOUSEComedian, actor, radio presenterManchester1970-

He used to be a salesman till he played his first stand-up gigs aged 29. He started with the Frog and Bucket, entered a competition at the Southern in Chorlton and won the final in the Comedy Store. This led to tours and a part in the legendary Phoenix Nights, playing Young Kenny, a Blue. Peter Kay was having a laugh, cos Justin’s actually a Red. He also starred in Harold Brighouse’s play Zack at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

He describes himself as sometimes bearded, often hungry, always fat, continuously working, presently ambitious, previously younger, potentially murderous and perennially on the road. Nice one.


LESTER BARRConsultant Surgeon Glasgow, Scotland1954-

This photo has a place close to my heart.

The lady to the right of the shot is my pal Roger’s former PA, Louise. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 32. She’s had a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and a baby, Isla, since then. She also does topless modeling at the Christie to show others in her position that there can be happy endings. She credits Mr Barr with saving her life.

She’s far from the only one. He came to Manchester originally to study medicine. He returned from London a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons to take his Masters here. He specialises in the treatment of breast cancer, and in breast reconstruction. He also runs a special clinic for rare soft tissue tumours and sarcoma.

Lester is chairman of the Genesis Appeal, and leads the project to create Europe’s first purpose-built Breast Cancer Prevention Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital.

LEWIS COSTELLOStand-up comedian, writer, actorBlackburn, Lancashire 1993-

He’s an up-and-coming Northern comic and was the first comedian to perform for the BBC since their relocation to Salford.

His style involves storytelling, observational comedy and the humour in taboo topics. I asked him to bring a mic, because that’s the prop associated with his day job (make that night job in his case). Why the laundrette? I dunno really. At first we looked in Night and Day, but it just seemed too obvious. So, for no real reason, we chose this laundrette. I suppose it makes you think.

LIAM SPENCERArtist Burnley, Lancashire 1964-

We first met at a gallery in a house in Burnley. I got in touch later and went round to his studio. We were just sitting there talking about how shit our colleges had been, and how little we’d learned there.

There was this one picture of his, of the Manchester skyline above Strangeways, that I really wanted. I couldn’t afford it, so the next best thing was to put it in the photograph.

LIZ O’NEILNurturer of performing artists Leicester, Whalley Range1963-

Liz came to the North West for university and Echo & the Bunnymen. She first came to Manchester for weekends in the Haçienda days.

She had the choice of a job in Brighton or one in Manchester; and she was seduced back by the Streets Ahead event in Albert Square in 1996.

She ran her own company encouraging new writing and performance for 13 years. She was at The Green Room and the Contact Theatre before setting up the Zion Arts Centre in Hulme where she is CEO. This is a ‘creative hub’ dedicated to helping emerging artists at all levels and in all arts.

For her “there’s nowhere quite like Hulme.” And nothing like helping artists reach their potential. She posed in front of the Hulme Arch. But this image just said more to me. About Liz and Hulme.

KEN dOdd, OBEComedian, singerKnotty Ash, Liverpool1927-

I went to the Grand Theatre to photograph him, but he turned up a bit late, and his agent told me it wasn’t going ahead because the punters were already coming in. I stood my ground and said I’m not leaving till I get the picture. I’d driven all the way from Rochdale to shoot one of my heroes. When I was 12 I used to wear a top hat and tails copying the Good Old Days. I had a very happy childhood because of Ken Dodd.

The only place they could fit us in was behind the fire curtain, lit by the emergency lights.

KATHy WARREN (NEE REdFERN)Secretary, receptionist Stockport 1955-

Kathy has the most amazing story. Her fifteen minutes of fame if you like.

She’s the lady who whispered the vocals, Be quiet, big boys don’t cry, in 10cc’s epic hit from 1975, I’m Not In Love. She was the receptionist at the legendary Strawberry Studios at the time. There are 256 vocal dubs creating the ‘choir.’ And just the one receptionist. The line became famous in its own right. And even featured in the closing scenes of The Abyss, spoken by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio to a dying Ed Harris. It's part of rock history now as one of the great soundtracks to the 70s.

And she got a gold record for it too.


MARK E SMITHMusician, The Fall Broughton, Salford1957-

Bloody hell. I photographed him in the Music Box in Manchester. The Fall were doing a gig. His manager said I could go through backstage. Mark didn’t agree. He went absolutely mental at me. He was abusive. I had to walk back out. Shocked.

I was sitting in the bar later when the same manager found me. He apologised and said Mark was now sorted and would happily sit for the shot.

I was so nervous my Hasselblad jammed. I only took one picture. This is it. Mark happy.

MARK AddyActor York 1964-

Mark Addy has just got one of those distinctive faces. He’s also had one helluva career.

He’s Northern. He lives just outside York, where his dad was a glazier at the famous Minster. And he’s played famous Northerners. But his acting career has also played out around the world.

He was a former Sheffield steel worker in The Full Monty. He played blue-collar Americans in US sitcom Still Standing and as Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. He was a squire in A Knight’s Tale. And Friar Tuck in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. He starred as King Robert Baratheon in HBO’s Game of Thrones. The list goes on and on.

He hosted Morag Stiller’s Cabaret for Cancer.

MARIANNE ELLIOTTTheatre director London, Alderley Edge1966-

Marianne’s dad, Michael, was one of the founders of the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester. She was born in London and moved to the North when she was eight. She studied drama at Hull University.

I met her at Nick Hytner’s office at the National Theatre. She’d just won a Tony Award for best direction for the Broadway Production of War Horse. I asked if we could shoot her with the award. She preferred not to. That was in the past. She was quite nervous, because she’s not used to being in front of the camera, but she relaxed nicely.

Strangely, this picture was taken in the same room that I photographed Alan Bennett. You’d never tell. I was trying to create a theatrical, stage lighting feel to this picture. I wanted the drama of only seeing half her face - with just a glint in the hidden eye.

It’s a powerful image of a strong woman.

MARC RILEyLard. Musician, The Fall, radio presenterManchester1961-

I went down to the Beeb to his 6-Music studio. We talked about his time in The Fall, about his time at the BBC. About how he thought they were both going to be jobs for life. He was worried at the time because he thought that 6-Music was going to be shut down. It was before the campaign to save it had had any success. Remember, he was the guy sacked from The Fall on his wedding day.

I asked him who his favourite radio interview was. He told me it had been David Bowie. Bowie just wanted to hang out and talk.

He’s a keen photographer himself and I promised him we’d take some pictures together in return for his help.

MARK RAdCLIFFEMusician and broadcasterBolton, Lancashire1958-

Mark liked this so much that it’s now on the cover of his book. We met through Stuart Maconie. I’m always a bit nervous, but he was just chilled. He relaxed me. We chatted about his career and I asked him where he’d like to be photographed. He wanted the background to tell the story of his music. This is his office at the BBC. He knew exactly how he wanted to look, which just made it easy.

MALCOLM MACdONALdFootballer, broadcasterFulham, London 1950-

He’s a legend, isn’t he? He’s also a southerner by birth – adopted by the North. This is a great story, I think.

He turned up in a 1970s Mercedes Benz and a 1970s Italian suit. It was Life on Mars without Gene Hunt. He talked quite candidly about his problems with drink - also in the 70s.

I wanted the Tyne Bridge in the background. Then he put his arms out which reminded me of the Angel of the North, so I didn’t balance the light at the front because I wanted him to look like he too was made of steel.

The amazing thing was all the people coming up and shaking his hand, thanking him for what he’d done for their football team… almost 40 years before.


MIKE LEIGH, OBEActor, playwright, directorBroughton, Salford1943-

The most miserable subject I’ve ever met. ‘You’ve got 20 minutes, then you can f**k off.’

I guess I wasn’t top of his priorities that day. I was trying to get him with the 50 mugs they had there for their casting session. You know, Mike Leigh, kitchen sink dramas.

But he gave me the shot he always gives. He flatly refused to contrive an image. That tells its own story about Mike. And I’ll give him this: he does take a good picture – even if it’s always the same.

MIKE HARdINGSinger, songwriter, author, poet and broadcasterCrumpsall, Manchester 1944-

I went to see him at Rochdale College when he was on tour once. I remember him singing his hit single The Rochdale Cowboy. Then I found out he was doing a reading at Waterstones on Deansgate. We were just talking about his life – and photography. His book was pictures of churches, The Little Book of Stained Glass, I think. He was such a warm-hearted man.

I’m quite pleased with this one. It was hand held, and I only had three shots left on the film. Luckily that was enough.

MIKE GARRyPoetManchester1965-

Mike has been described as “a Manchester poet whose work focuses upon the beautiful ugliness of the city and its people.” We used to work together at Manchester Central Library. Puts me in good company: he is an old friend of Morrissey and he also worked in Manchester clothing shop Stolen From Ivor with Johnny Marr.

He’s the unofficial poet laureate of the city. His works include God is a Manc - commissioned by the BBC and the Arts Council, Mancunian Meander (Gorton Girls Know all the Words to songs by Chaka Khan), Gangs of Manchester and Saint Anthony – a poem for Tony Wilson.

We turned up for this shot with no lights, so it was lit by the headlights of my Renault Clio and my pal Nige’s van. We chose a spot in the Northern Quarter near his studio.

SIR MAURICE FLANNAGAN, KVEAirline Executive Leigh, Lancashire1928-

Sir Maurice is one of the most successful, and least known, businessmen to have emerged from the North.

I met him through the friend of a friend. I met an old man, not the young sportsman he told me about. He was troubled by a bad knee. A leg he nearly lost the year before. He walked with a frame. With difficulty.

Then he started to tell me about his business. And the years dropped away. He spent 25 years with BOAC and then BA, before he was seconded to a job in Dubai. In 1985 he was employed to launch Emirates with a loan of $10million. He paid it back in 11 months. He could have been a football player. He could have been a playwright. Instead he created the world’s most successful airline. And he is privileged to work with people he respects enormously. Frankly, just an amazing character.

MATTHEW HATTONBoxer, European welterweight champion Stockport1981-

Matthew didn’t say two words to me all night. He was working. He has a fight in two weeks time. He was just immersed in his training. Totally focussed. You see nothing but concentration in his eyes. I wished him good luck in his fight. He said thank you.

MARTIN SPENCEBusinessman Birkenhead1962-

Martin wanted to challenge himself. He took up judo in his late 30s. Four years later he fought in the World Masters Judo Championship at the Kodokan in Tokyo.

To be honest, this is aimed at former world champions and Olympians, not middle-aged businessmen from Cheshire. It's certainly not aimed at someone with three broken bones in his left hand.

He broke them in his last UK training session before the flight. After 12 months' training seven days a week, fighting boxers, wrestlers, circus strong men and cage fighters to toughen him up. The doctor said “in no circumstances can you even pick up a pen, let alone fight, before I operate." His coach said, “What do doctors know about hands?"

He lost all four fights. Each one went the distance.

He returned to have four pins inserted in the breaks by a surgeon who couldn't understand the differences in his X-rays. Quite insane.


NIGEL ASHWORTHThe Reverend Nigel Ashworth, Rector at St Ann’s Church, Manchester, street pastorOldham, Saddleworth, Salford1955-

I love Nigel Ashworth. He’s a personality. He always reminds me of a character from a rollicking Robin Hood movie. There’s something ever-so-slightly naughty about him. He’s a man of the cloth. And he’s also a real, normal bloke.

That’s why I chose this image. I like to think of him as God’s doorman.

The other image I really liked was him sitting on the corner stone of St Anne’s Church tower, which is recognised as the very centre of Manchester. This is Nigel as God’s builder. These works are the first restoration of St Ann’s in over 100 years. It’s a chance to keep St Ann’s at the heart of the city it serves for another century or more.

NORMAN BEAKERBlues guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producerManchester 1950-

We met through a friend of mine, called Merv.

Norman’s a self-taught English bluesman. He’s played with BB King, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Van Morrison amongst others. That night in Buxton he and his Beaker Band were playing with Chris Farlowe.

When I was taking his picture he was making me laugh. We might have made a good picture the other way round.

SIR NICK HyTNERFilm and theatre producer and director Didsbury, Manchester1956-

This photo is Nick Hytner at work. Literally. He’s in a corridor in the National Theatre, which he has directed since 2003. He’s got his sleeves rolled up, ready for action. And he’s surrounded by images of people he’s worked with.

We moved the exhibition prints so that all the actors’ eyes were on Nick. It’s fitting really. He’s the man who calls the shots. And he’s used to getting their attention.

He relaxed talking about growing up in Didsbury and about Manchester Grammar School, which opened the door to a career in the theatre. He’s grateful to this day to his English teacher, Hugh Phypheon, the man he credits with lighting his passion for drama.

MORAG SILLERActor Edinburgh, Cheshire1969-

I met Morag at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2012. It was the night she helped raise £20,000 with her Cabaret for Cancer.

She was being treated for level three breast cancer at the time. I lost my sister Donna to the same thing. And I offered to help out with photos and fund-raising. She had gathered an amazing cast of entertainers. I had to use the same space and lighting rig for every portrait, so I worked on making each image unique. Morag’s prop was her script. The picture probably says more than a thousand words. It does to me.

MOHAMMEd AFZAL KHAN, CBESolicitor, Labour Party politicianBrierfield, Lancashire 1958-

Afzal was the first black mayor of Manchester – more precisely the first Asian, the first Muslim and the youngest mayor. That’s why I wanted to record him for history. I met him after the riots in Piccadilly Gardens, in August 2011, when he was being interviewed by the media.

Before he moved into local politics, Afzal was a policeman with the GMP and then a lawyer. He came to the UK aged 11. He left school aged 16, with no qualifications, and he began his working life in a cotton mill before working as a bus driver, a youth worker and a butcher. He’s an example to us all of what you can achieve by working hard. I wanted to show him in the Town Hall to link him to his political and personal achievements.

I’m embarrassed to say that this is a re-shoot because I completely ruined the first photograph. This is the first and only time this has happened to me.

MIKE HyLTONChefMoss Side, Manchester1958-

Mike’s got his own place now. When I first saw him he was the chef at Manchester Art Gallery. I saw him walking up the stairs in his whites. He looked so cool. I shot this on the street, lit by God, with a black drape behind him. He WAS cool.

A while back I took my wife out to eat, somewhere she hadn’t been to before. He had my picture of him on his wall in M&M’s. I was so chuffed.


PETER GUINNESSActor Liverpool and Battersea1950-

For those who do pub quizzes, this used to be our token proper southerner. Until I found out that he was actually born and bred in Liverpool. He’s an actor and confused me with his accent!

He’s well known though for working in the North in things like Spender and Coronation Street. He’s a really lovely guy. I met him in Chorlton just after he’d done the Tim Burton film, Sleepy Hollow. He told me then that I should move to London. I said I’m happiest here.

Last year I bumped into him again in the Royal Exchange. He asked how my career was going. I like it that he’s interested in other people.

PAUL HEATHCOTE MBEChef, businessman, local food hero Bolton, Lancashire1960-

We knew each other, because Paul had bought some of my work for his first restaurant in Manchester. This was taken when he opened his Olive Press, next door.

I wanted him all in white as a play on chef’s whites. I asked him just to look into the lens and to think about his work. I didn’t want a publicity still. I wanted passion.

PAULINE AMOSArtistLiverpool 1974-

I met Pauline through Tony Husband. He works for Private Eye. He introduced me to loads of people.

She’s beautiful, and really down to earth. She’s originally from Liverpool, but I met her at the Groucho Club in London. She apologised to me about her house… because it’s in a road of sex shops in Soho. Everyone else there was in the skin trade, and she’s a high class artist. Albeit one who’s not shy to use nudity in her work. She often uses her own body as a blank canvas in a series of performance works entitled My Flesh My Canvas.

This was taken in her roof garden – where the natural light was just perfect. The image is her with a self-portrait.

PETER BOyLEUnited fan, songwriter Withington, Manchester1970-

He’s the United fan’s United fan. He first went to Old Trafford in 1977 and he’s been to every away match since 1982. He was even in Waiting for Eric. He writes most of their famous terrace songs. Mind, he didn’t sing when I photographed him. Having said that, it was throwing it down all morning. His album Songs from the Bathtub is number seven in Terry Hall’s all-time best records chart.

I took the photo. He shook my hand and said, “I’m doing one." He did.

PAUL BURGESSMusician Stretford1950-

Paul is a rock drummer. And not just any rock drummer. He’s worked with lots of top bands – and has been a member of 10cc, Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works. He’s a pal of my friend Merve, who’s a crime scene investigator and roadie!

Our location was an empty mill in Ancoats. It belongs to a friend of Pauls, and we picked it because it’s so atmospheric. I’d shot a couple of rolls of film and we were just packing the lights and gear up, when someone spotted the hand-painted sign. One last shot, I thought. It was almost like one of Merve’s crime scenes. There’s a dead pigeon on the windowsill. This shot was backlit by God. Thanks.

PETE MACLAINESinger Manchester 1942-

Pete calls himself the man who turned down the Beatles.

With his band, the Clan, he’s played with or alongside most of the rock n’ roll greats over the past 50 years. They are still performing now. His voice is as characterful as ever. He was a stalwart of the legendary Cavern, Three Coins and Oasis clubs. Venues at the heart of the Northern rock circuit.

He still rues the day he turned down John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s kind offer to write him a few tunes.


PETER yARWOOdFormer drug addict, rehab professional, modern-day shepherd, motivational speaker Ardwick Green, Manchester1971-

Peter is one of the most inspirational characters I have ever met.

He’ll tell you himself that he screwed his life up. He spent most of his adult life between 16 and 40 in prison. All that time as a heroin addict. He now leads Red Rose Recovery and the Lancashire Users Forum - community projects with a growing membership in the thousands. And he’s an ambassador for the Lancashire Probation Service!

This shot was taken outside a cell in HMP Wymott, on a wing he once called home. It’s where Peter’s life changed for ever.

All because a prison officer called John Ashton did something no one had done before, treating him like a human being. Like someone who mattered. Peter was inspired to change, and to show John that he could change. He joined the therapeutic community and focused on helping those around him. “It was a better feeling than any drug on this planet.”

PETER STRINGFELLOWNightclub ownerSheffield 1940-

Known now as much for his celebrity as for his lap-dancing clubs, Peter has proper Northern roots. We met through Dave Berry. Peter had travelled the world and seen the United States in the merchant navy. He brought dance nights home with him - first in his local church hall, then with his Black Cat Club. He started his famous King Mojo Club in Sheffield in 1963. His mum Elsie had told him he’d never make a success of it. Dave Berry was the headline act on his opening night. He made £65 at a time when that was a lot of money. The next gig doubled it. Hendrix played there. So did Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder and the Small Faces.

The rest is history. And a lot of news print.

I photographed him at a King Mojo reunion night at the Leadmill in Sheffield (where the Housemartins were once turned away from their own gig by the bouncers).

PETER HOOKMusician, Joy division, New OrderBroughton, Salford1956-

I was working for a music magazine when I got a phone call to go into Dry Bar, Oldham Street. It was the launch of the new album by Monaco, and Peter Hook was to be photographed. After three hours of a free bar, loud music and a string of conversations, I spotted Hooky with his mum. I got the photograph and later got another. A friend told me that his mother passed away soon after. I tracked Peter down and presented him with a framed photograph of him and his mum, as it meant so much to him.

PHIL MOSSMusician, bandleaderCrumpsall, Manchester 1914-1997

I used to work at Longsight Library. My manageress there, Hilary, suggested Phil as a great Mancunian. His career as a local jazz musician was second to none. He was from a different era. This is how hard-working he was: he used to do three gigs a night during the war. He met his wife at a dance at an airfield. He played with Joe Loss. Everyone.

RAyMONd EMANUELMovie extra, actorCheetham Hill, Manchester1952-

Arguably the most amazing story in this exhibition. Ray lived rough for three years, sleeping in a doorway on King Street. He also slept in hostels. He never once begged, never drank and he never took drugs. “I always worked… until they started sending me money.”

The reason why they started sending him money is the reason he’s in the exhibition. Because, one day, Ray’s life became a Hollywood story.

He went to the cinema one afternoon to keep warm. And he walked straight into a casting session for Guy Richie’s first Sherlock Holmes film. Apparently, he looked very distinguished. He was on set for the first day of filming in Manchester, doing nothing, but he caught the eye. “Hey, you with the hair, come here.” He was moved closer to the camera.

Then he became the extra with extra publicity power. His rags to riches tale made the press around the world. And he secured a speaking part in the second Holmes blockbuster.

PETER HOdGKINSONSculptor Preston, Lancashire1965-

I met Pete Hodge, as he’s called, through a job at the Chop House. He’s been commissioned to create a life-sized bronze of LS Lowry for Sam’s, where Lowry had been a regular. I first saw Pete at a student art competition awards night in Mr. Thomas's, and I saw a rage in his eyes. There was fire in there. The fire of passion. He‘s a man who works with clay with his bare hands. So I asked him to rub it all over his face and to scream. He just did it like he’s been on the stage all his life.

In the picture Lowry’s just looking at him like he’s mad.

He is a bit.


RICHARd JUPPdrummer, songwriter, Elbow North Manchester 1973-

Jupp is a self-taught drummer and top bloke.

He’s part of the overnight success that is Elbow. And he saw my work in the Albert Square Chop House. We talked about the other musicians who’re in the show. Most of them are mates of his.

This shot was taken at Blueprint Studios in Manchester. The backdrop is actually Johnny Marr’s band’s equipment. We interrupted their rehearsal for this shoot. They were happy to have a coffee break. I’m delighted with the image.

Jupp reckoned they sounded bloody good. Really tight. He thought it was time for them to just get on the road. I can’t wait to see them.

ROWENA BIRCHInternational judo player, coach and manager, director of the BJAFeltham, London & Eccles1968-

Rowena came to Manchester to be an engineer with Ferranti. They then sponsored her degree.

She disproved the theory that intelligent people cannot succeed in a combat sport. She trained with Steve Pullen and the Urmston Judo Club where she met her boyfriend, now husband, Ryan Birch. They both won gold medals at the 1994 European Championships in Poland. Ryan five minutes after Rowena. They celebrated by sharing a British pork pie and a tin of beans warmed in the kettle.

They both competed in the Atlanta Olympics.

Her proudest moment was being clapped back into the George Carnell Sports Centre in Urmston after their success in Poland. “It meant so much to me to be with the people I trained with week in week out. They’d seen our lows as well as the highs.”

ROdGER ALdERSONTeacherDidsbury, Manchester1947-

Sometimes you meet people in life who just deserve to have their stories told. Rodger is one of these people. He’s taught maths and, more importantly, rugby all his working life. Mostly at Manchester Grammar School, looking after the youngest kids. His last game as a coach was on Saturday January 21, 2012. He coached his first-ever under-12s team 43 years earlier in 1969. In the meantime, he’s coached over 2,000 boys – or something like 130 teams. He’s seen off six High Masters and 12 Heads of Rugby at MGS.

In part because of his own playing career, he has suffered his share of injuries. He was hospitalised four times. He has two fewer disks in his back than he was born with. He is blind in one eye, because of a detached retina. He spent three days in bandages fearing that he might lose the sight in his other. And yet he’d willingly do it all again. He reckons that, “Most of my good times in teaching and most of my best friends, including my wife, have come through rugby.”

ROGER FITZGERALdFlorist, St Ann’s Churchyard

I found out his family had worked that spot for 115 years. That makes him part of the history of this city. He’s retired now. It’s important to record his family’s time in Manchester.

RICHARd KERSHAWBrewer Cheshire1955-

Richard runs the Joseph Holt Brewery in Manchester. He is the great, great grandson of Joseph Holt who founded the business.

He makes things in the North. In the brewery on Empire Street where the company has been located since 1860.

The brewery has a very fond place in the hearts of many people, because Joseph’s son, Sir Edward Holt, founded what was then called The Holt Radium Institute in 1914. It is more commonly known as the Christie Hospital these days, and is one of the leading cancer treatment centres in Europe. Richard continues the family fund-raising tradition. The company has just won a national Heart of the Community award for their successful £400,000 Christie appeal.

Richard led me through Holt’s modern facilities. I was drawn to things that looked like they might have looked two centuries ago. There was something strangely appropriate about using an old-fashioned Hasselblad film camera to capture this particular image.

SIR RICHARd LEESE, CBETeacher, youth worker, politician, Leader of Manchester City Council Mansfield 1951-

Sir Richard is by far the most important city leader in this country outside London. He’s a visionary. And one of the men who has rebuilt Manchester. He’s renowned for his intellect. But his passion rang out to me.

He was tired. Having a tough week at the office. And we had little time for the shoot in his busy schedule. So we worked quick. He’s sitting, literally, in the corridors of power, pretty much outside his own office. In one of the country’s great buildings.

And we talked about Manchester. How it has changed. How it now stands comparison with the best cities of the world. And how many tourists now come to have a look and take their photos.

I took mine. This is a man who sees the light.


RyAN BIRCHJudo player, pilotHull1969-

Ryan is a 6th Dan black belt judo player who trained out of Urmston judo club. He fought in two Olympic Games and was European middleweight champion in 1994. He won four world cup events and met his wife Rowena when they were both competing at the US Open. Guess what? Yes, they BOTH won.

He’s famous for his cauliflower ears. “They’re not ugly ones, though,” he reckons. I wasn’t brave enough to comment.

He is now a private jet pilot. Another rubbish job…

SALLy dyNEVOREActress Middleton, Manchester1963-

Sally is a soap star, a patron of the Genesis Appeal and a patient of Lester Barr. She was one of the hosts of the Cabaret for Cancer.

She trained at the Oldham Rep. She was in Juliet Bravo. And she’s played Corrie’s Sally Webster since 1986 - for so long she’s been bad Sally and good Sally. I feel like I’ve known her all my life. The chair represents her illness. I’ve tried to put it behind her. In the shadows.

I love this image. She’s in the light. It reflects well on her. Look in her eyes.

SEFTON SAMUELSPhoto-journalistDidsbury, Manchester1931-

My hero. What I like about Sefton is that he’s been doing what I’m doing now since the mid-fifties. The Guardian called him ‘the photographic equivalent of Ken Loach.’ I think of him as one of Manchester’s unsung heroes. He was LS Lowry’s favourite photographer, according to Lowry himself. He’s best known for his images of Manchester in the 50s, 60s and 70s – and for his portraits of famous jazz musicians. This picture was taken at his exhibition Jazz Greats at the King’s Place Gallery in London in October. He was still taking pictures all night – at his own show. And he’s 79!

He has 68 pictures hung in the National Portrait Gallery. Respect. He told me he’s rather prouder of the 10 pictures he has in the V&A. He’s an inspiration.

SHAUN RydERSinger, song-writer, Happy Mondays, Black Grape Little Hulton, Salford1962-

Tony Wilson compared him to Keats. What can I say?

ROy RICHARdSONAmateur Boxing Coach Hyde1933-

Roy runs a community boxing club in Bredbury. He keeps kids off the streets. He teaches them discipline, respect and skills. “The relationship is very, very close. It’s like a father-son thing. It’s got to be.”

“If a boy, a young man, has got the courage to put gloves on and become a warrior for one time in his life, he’s my hero. He’s my hero for the fact that he’s done it, the fact that he’s boxed another man. And it takes some doing, believe me.

I’m 73 and I’ve been in boxing all my life. My ambition is just to carry on doing it.”

RUSS WINSTANLEydJ at the Wigan CasinoWigan 1952-

In 1978 America’s Billboard Magazine voted Wigan Casino the World’s Best Disco, beating New York’s Studio 54, and Russ was also voted the No.1 Soul DJ in the world.

He met us at the shopping centre in Wigan where the world-famous Casino used to stand. He took us round, showed us where the dance floor was, where people used to come in. He’s a photographer himself as well. There’s a sort of museum there, and his pictures are on the wall. It was a Mecca for music. 12.5 million visitors from the day it opened till the day it shut. And not ONE fight, according to Russ.

He wanted to be photographed by these flats. Apparently, when the Casino opened, they used to get complaints about the noise from the residents. Six months later, he started getting phone calls with requests rather than complaints. He admits the music was still too loud though.


STEVE PULLEN, MBECoachLongsight, Manchester1942-

Steve was inducted into the UK Sport Coaching Hall of Fame on the same day as Sir Alex Ferguson. He was elected UK Coach of the Year four years on the trot. His sport is judo. His forte is psychology.

He is, quite simply, a legend. And a legendary character.

A very formidable man, he’s a 6th Dan black belt and holder of the MBE for his service to Blind and Disabled Judo. He is in charge of the Special Needs Section of the British Judo Association and was the Head Coach for the Paralympic Judo Squad. He was presented with the Churchill Fellowship Award 1989 by Her Majesty the Queen. He’s the co-founder of The Urmston Judo Club at the George H Carnall Centre, Urmston. And he’s known by the kids he teaches as Mr P.

Steve was also once a railway engineer, building steam engines at Gorton Tank and also head of PE at Chetham’s School of Music.

His life story is just crying out to be told. Another day…

STUART MACONIEBroadcaster, journalist, authorWhiston, Lancashire1960-

Even though Stuart now lives in Birmingham, and used to work for the NME in London, Stuart is iconically Northern – if you can say such a thing. He’s originally from Wigan; he broadcasts his Radio 6 show with Mark Radcliffe from the BBC’s studios in Manchester; he wrote the wonderful Pies and Prejudice – in Search of the North (you’ve just got to read it); and he came up with my favourite definition of the geography of The North. He reckons it begins at Crewe Station… and I’m inclined to agree with him.

As nice a bloke in the flesh as he seems on air.

STEVE FRETWELLSinger-songwriterScunthorpe, Lincolnshire1981-

Another one I met in Chorlton, the centre of my universe once. He loved the Tony Wilson picture and wanted one of himself with the same message. We never got round to it – cos he’s always touring. This was taken at Night & Day during a sound check.

SURANNE JONESSarah Ann Jones. ActressChadderton, Manchester1979-

I met Claire Simpson at The Royal Exchange, as she had arranged for me to photograph Suranne. I was told I had only five minutes as she had just finished on stage. Suranne told me she had to get back home to look after her friend’s Jack Russell. I set up the lights and camera. Then I took one look at her and came up with an idea. What does an actor or actress always do? Hide.

SHIRLEy BAKERPhotographerKersal, Salford1932-

I discovered Shirley’s work when I was doing my MA. She’s a social historian who returns to the same place after a number of years to record the changes. We were introduced by our mutual friend Sefton Samuels when he took me to her exhibition in Salford.

Much like Lowry and his paintings, she began photographing her home town to document the human story of soon-to-be demolished communities, recording a time of real social change in the city. She told me that houses have changed, cars have changed, but people still have the same problems. We chatted about my favourite photo of hers. It’s a boy with no shoes on outside a pawn shop. The image is all about poverty, but the handle of the letterbox behind him is beautifully polished. There’s real pride there.

We had something in common: understanding just how hard it is to make a living out of photography.

SIMON ARMITAGE CBEPoet, playwright, novelistHuddersfield 1963-

We met through Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe. He’s been a geography student, a probation officer and a lecturer in creative writing. He’s now Professor of Poetry at the University of Sheffield.

This is one of the most pleasing photographs I have ever taken. We met in a BBC corridor. The thing was I was panicking. The corridor was empty. And I was stumped. Looking everywhere for inspiration, literally searching the walls – until I found this socket and its beautiful shadow. Don’t ask, it’s a punk thing. I started thinking this is a great idea, but what if Simon thinks it’s shit? I explained the backdrop and his first words were, “What a beautiful shadow."

The pen carries the logo of his local paper, The Huddersfield Examiner. I just loved the symbolism. It was behind his ear and he just put it in his mouth. That’s what he’s about: spoken and written words.


TONy HUSBANdCartoonistBlackpool1950-

Tony Husband has been a full time cartoonist since 1984.

He comes from Hyde. And he is an institution in the British comedy scene - little-known personally to the general public, but with many famous admirers and many famous works. Monty Python’s Michael Palin thinks he is one of the funniest cartoonists around. And legendary British comedy writer, director and producer John Lloyd (of Not the Nine O’clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI fame) has been a fan for “as long as I can remember.”

He’s been named UK cartoonist of the year over 10 times in various categories – including his personal favourite: the prestigious Pont Award from the Cartoon Art Trust, for best depicting the British Way of Life.

Christopher Eccleston calls him a Northern Treasure.

TONy WILSONJournalist, TV presenter, founder of the Haçienda, Factory Records, dry Bar, In the CitySalford1950-2007

I remember it was bloody freezing on Rowendale Street in Knott Mill, just down the road from the Hacienda. It was still going then. I said to him, “There’s a sign here." It was for UDO Northern, a wood yard, shut down now. “It’s perfect."

Tony said, “Let’s go for it."

He worked in television and knew just what face to pull. I took three rolls of film, with ten different poses. This one captured what we both wanted to say.

I’m Northern, and proud of it.

VICKy BINNSActressTottington, Bury 1982-

Vicky’s probably best-known for her roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale. But we just met in Jack Lloyd’s photographic gallery in Chorlton. I made a nuisance of myself and approached her, like I always do (sorry). Like all good actresses, she knew exactly what to do. I was trying to make her look like a movie star – in her own front room! I just thought the wallpaper looked filmic.

VIV ANdERSON, MBEFootballer. Icon Clifton, Nottingham1956-

A man of some substance and of great historical significance, Viv was Alex Ferguson’s first signing for Manchester United and the first black footballer to be capped for England. He’d just donated his first England shirt to the Peoples’ History Museum in Manchester. I contacted them to borrow it back for the shoot. I spoke to hundreds of people who could only see reasons why it couldn’t be used.

Viv called them, then me: “It’s sorted."

I took the shot in the museum itself. The thing I remember most is the shirt has never been washed. It’s still stained with his blood, sweat and tears from the match.

TERRy WAITE, CBEGrenadier guard, special envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury, hostage negotiator, writer and lecturerBollington, Cheshire1939-

I met Terry at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. He’s its chairman or something like that. We met at his hotel there, which is something like a home from home for him. The staff there love him.

He was such a big man, so imposing, but very gentle.

I wanted to show him outside, with a view.

THE LOWRy GANGSefton Samuels, Roger Ward, Peter Hodgkinson, LS Lowry

The sculpture of Lowry for Sam’s Chop House had been going one particular way for six months, when Sefton was introduced to us. He brought along the iconic photos he took of the famous man in 1968. Three days later he met Pete, the sculptor, for the first time. This led to a new direction for the statue: a Lowry 25 years older and 25 pounds heavier - but also, crucially, roughly the age he was around the time Harold Riley sketched him after a Christmas lunch at Sam’s.

This was the sketch that gave Roger the idea to commission the sculpture, as a way to record the history of the place. This photograph records all the people involved in the creation of the work.

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WALTER KERSHAWArtist, muralistRochdale, Lancashire1940-

He’s just had twins in his sixties. He’s got studios in Brazil… and Littleborough. As you do. His work’s all around the world. He’s in the V&A. He was George Best’s mate. Bob Monkhouse’s too. But he’s probably best known here for the massive Trafford Park murals in White City. He’ll take the time to speak to anyone.

WAyNE BICKERTONMusician, song-writer, record producer, music industry executiveLiverpool 1941-

I could tell you about his recording career with Pete Best (the ex-Beatles drummer) in the 1960s. I could talk about the artists he produced (like Petula Clark and Tom Jones). Or about the Rubettes, the band he formed in 1974 to record a song he’d written, called Sugar Baby Love, which sold over 6 million copies and is to this day the best-selling English song ever in France! I could relate his success as Head of A&R at Polydor or as Chairman of the Performing Rights Society in England and of his position with its American equivalent organization in Europe, SESAC International. And I certainly should mention the Ivor Novello Award he won as songwriter of the year with his writing partner Tony Waddington.

To this day, after fifty years in the business, he continues to be actively involved in the creative and business side of the music industry.

WAyNE HEMINGWAy, MBEFashion designer, Red or deadMorecambe, Lancashire1961-

I drove to Gateshead to meet Wayne at his house. It was nine o’clock in the morning when I arrived. He was busy on his computer. I had asked him to wear a black top. As I set up the lights and camera I opened a cardboard box and gave it to Wayne, asking him to put his head in. He looked horrified, but it made his wife laugh when she came down the stairs.

I like the intensity of this picture, but there’s also a funny one, with him smiling as he caught sight of his wife giggling at how silly he looked.

©Paul Wolfgang Webster/Roger Ward

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