How to cure the small town blues

Middlesbrough, in the north-east, is one of the most deprived towns in England. Once a steel and shipbuilding powerhouse, its fortunes changed when those industries closed down. Today, the town that Gladstone described as “an infant Hercules” faces a precarious future. David Baker, who grew up in Middlesbrough in the 1970s, returns to his hometown to ask what can be done to revive its fortunes and what Middlesbrough can teach us about regenerating small, postindustrial towns elsewhere in the UK.

Presenter: David BakerProducer: Dan HardoonEditor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:Natasha Vall, Professor of Urban and Cultural History, Teesside UniversityRob Nichols, Editor, Middlesbrough FC fanzine Fly Me To The MoonSally Rodgers, DJ, producer, and vocalistSteve Dugan, Head of Enterprise, Teesside UniversityOliver Lloyd, co-founder and COO, DinkChris Cooke, Mayor of MiddlesbroughGary Hamilton, managing director, Community Leisure ManagementLord Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for the EnvironmentWith thanks to the students of Teesside University and Reverend Kath Dean of the Genesis Project.

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