Bristol Unpacked

Content warning: Mention of sexual assault in prisons, self-harm and suicide.

Steffi made national news with her story of transitioning gender later in life to officially becoming a woman while deciding with her wife to stay together.

Steffi Barnett has a fascinating story, is a prominent activist for LGBTQ+ rights and awareness-raising, a radio host on local BCFM radio and exec-producer of Shout Out Radio. In this episode, Neil and Steffi discuss her moving story, the often vexed conversation around transgender rights including the current court case about puberty blockers, and whether societies and families can grow to love and accept gender diversity.

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Lucy Reed is a barrister in the family courts, where separating couples hammer out child custody arrangements and where, in one of the most severe decisions the state can take, orders are made to take children into care, separating them from their families. On 27 January, journalists were for the first time allowed, with some restrictions, to report from any family court across England and Wales. Why is this a big deal? And with the system under pressure, why do so many kids get taken into care, and what needs to change?

Lucy's blog Pink TapeFamily Court Information

From the archive
April 2022

"As the slap reverberates around the world we talk all things comedy with Jayde Adams - who went from working in Asda Bedminster to her own Amazon Prime Special. She just starred in a new BBC documentary following her move back to Bristol. Going deep about how the death of her sister made her so driven, are there red lines in comedy, and what it is like coming home."

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Watershed CEO Clare Reddington on cinema, class and council cuts

As Bristol City Council slashes spending on venues including arthouse cinema Watershed, Neil asks its boss Clare why funding the arts matters, and whether the sector's reputation as catering mainly to the well-heeled is justified.

Over the past year Clare Reddington, the chief executive of Bristol's flagship arthouse cinema Watershed, has not been shy about fighting her corner in the midst of a tough financial environment.

Back in the summer Clare, who has been at the venue for 20 years and in charge for four, sounded a warning that indie cinemas' business model was under threat from soaring inflation and the big streaming operators gobbling their market share. This month she blasted Bristol City Council bosses for lacking a "clear cultural strategy" after they cut funding from Watershed as well as other renowned arts centres including the Old Vic theatre.

With the cash-strapped local authority struggling to keep crucial services such as social care afloat, is this simply entitled moaning from a venue – and sector – seen by some as catering mainly to well-heeled cinephiles still able to afford £6 pints alongside their culture fix? Or does that viewpoint itself represent a bad case of inverted snobbery by suggesting that only the middle classes enjoy a bit of high art?

Why does it matter that the arts get funded, even while public services are getting sliced left, right and centre? Is the picture in Bristol really bleaker than in other provincial cities? And do the market pressures facing the wider cinema industry – which have seen big operators closing their doors here recently – present an opportunity for canny independents to grow their business and boost their inclusivity?

As 2023 draws to a close, join Neil and Clare for a wide-ranging chat over these issues in the final Bristol Unpacked of the year. We'll be returning right after the Christmas break for the rest of the season, so stay tuned.

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Reach PLC is one of the largest commercial publishers in the UK, which owns household brands like the Mirror and the Daily Star as well as the majority of local titles including Bristol Live, and pulls in millions in revenue. But 1,000 journalists employed by Reach PLC started striking yesterday (Wednesday) after rejecting a 3% pay rise.

As reported by the Cable earlier this week, junior staff at Bristol Live are paid under £20,000 while senior staff are on just £25,000. These low salaries are forcing some journalists to resort to using food banks to feed their families, and all the while the chief exec of Reach PLC Jim Mullen took home £4m last year – 104 times more the median salary of a Reach PLC employee.

Listen in to this week's episode of Bristol Unpacked with Neil and local NUJ member Paul Breeden on what's at stake for the Bristol Live strikers, and whether the economically and reputationally battered news industry can ever improve its service to the public.

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