Local Heroes Podcast

EP26 | Metroland Comedy | Radgie Grandas and Handbrake Turns | Local Heroes Podcast

This week Chris and Dan sit down with Jack Robertson and Caden Elliot, the chaotic minds behind Metroland Comedy, a sketch show web series that blends mockumentary mayhem with cinematic storytelling. They chat about handbrake turns, the roots of Caden’s obsession with tinned tomatoes, and bonding over labelling EVERYTHING, during the formative days of Metroland.
Jack, Caden and the Metroland collective are on a mission to revive sketch comedy,  bringing it back with North East authenticity, energy and rawness. Their recent sell-out show at Live Theatre proved there’s still a hunger for sharp, leftfield, and place-based comedy.
Metroland is a celebration of the North East’s unique comedic tradition. It’s sharp, self-deprecating, unapologetic, and built on a tradition of laughing through whatever life throws your way.
Expect anarchy. Expect gut laughter. Expect proper nonsense.
⁨@MetrolandComedy⁩ 

EP25 | Eric, Elitism and The Authentic Self | Helen Aitchison | Local Heroes Podcast

This week, Chris and Dan sit down with our first publicly-voted guest, Helen Aitchison, joins us for a powerful, hilarious, and heartfelt episode. Voted by the People, Fuelled by Purpose (and Crisps) Helen went from 20+ years in social care to becoming a published author and founder of Write on the Tyne, where she helps people tell their stories and tackles elitism in the arts head-on.
We talk about inclusivity, being your authentic self, why stories matter, the chaotic escapades of her cat Eric, her deep love of crisps, and quite possibly one of the greatest and mysterious Greggs stories ever.
Also, watch this space for an exclusively pawfect giveaway courtesy of Eric

EP24 | Harriet Lamb | Fairtrade, Food Systems and Going Green | Local Heroes Podcast

In a world of so-called influencers, meet the real deal. A true change maker of our time. On this week’s Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan meet Harriet Lamb, a woman who has spent her life sitting in the heart of the contradiction, brokering the relationship between David and Goliath, and disrupting the mainstream to make it fairer, greener, and more just.
From leading the Fairtrade movement through the Banana Wars to challenging multinational giants on behalf of smallholder farmers, Harriet has redefined what ethical leadership looks like. Under her guidance, Fairtrade became more than a label, it became a global shift in how we value people and the planet. Now she’s turning her attention to the climate crisis, showing how the fight for environmental justice must go hand in hand with social equity. And while she’s out creating systemic change on a global scale, back home in
Northumberland her partner is handcrafting sheep’s cheese, a quiet reminder that real change also happens close to home. Chris, who admits to being a little starstruck, and Dan dive into the stories, the struggles, and the stubborn optimism that drives one of the most quietly radical figures in modern activism. This is Harriet Lamb and this is the Local Heroes Podcast.

EP23 | Hannah Graham | Stories, Sketches and Smashed Percolators | Local Heroes Podcast

On this week's Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan sit down with the brilliant Hannah Graham, storyteller, illustrator, and former nurse, who’s swapped scrubs for sketchbooks and now spends her days lighting up classrooms, libraries and community halls with stories, doodles, and a lot of heart.
They chat about how Hannah went from the hospital ward to the world of children’s storytelling, why drawing was never a plan but more like a reflex, and how she somehow ended up with a career where imagination removes all barriers.
Also in this episode a fictional Greggs order inspired by a Cornish pasty and a live confession from Chris involving a smashed coffee percolator and a friend he hasn’t spoken to in 35 years. Anarchic, chaotic, and just the right amount of humanity, the way all good stories should be. 

EP22 | Sunderland Music City | Shipyards, Sounds and Scampi Fries | Local Heroes Podcast

In this episode of Local Heroes, Chris and Dan are joined by two of Sunderland’s most committed cultural champions, Frankie Francis (Frankie and The Heartstrings, SAFC matchday commentator) and Marty Longstaff (The Lake Poets), the duo driving the bold vision behind Sunderland Music City.
What begins as a deep dive into grassroots creativity and community-led regeneration soon rolls into the finer points of cable-coiling etiquette, reflections on life behind the mic at the Stadium of Light, and a passionate defence of cheese moments and scampi fries. There’s plenty of laughter, insight, and Wearside pride, including: Marty’s Greggs Roulette: a personal policy of never ordering the same thing twice which once landed him a peach Melba and salami crisps.
Frankie’s journey from indie frontman to the voice of SAFC, and how calling a Dan Ballard goal almost pushed him over the edge (in a good way). The birthday cake gift of Colin the Caterpillar’s arse, only to discover it was Kevin - the B&M brother. From repurposed shipping containers to a citywide cultural strategy, this episode is a love letter to a place that’s never tried to be trendy, and is all the better for it. Hit play. Bring snacks. Maybe check the label before biting the tail off your caterpillar cake.
People of Sunderland, turn up the volume, this one's for you.

EP21 | Yasmin Sayed Ahmed | Family, Falafel and Fearlessness | Local Heroes Podcast

This week on the Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan are joined by the brilliant Yasmin Sayed Ahmed, a vegan cook, food storyteller, and all-round unbeatable human being. We kick off chatting about the chaos of London’s 20mph speed zones, failed driving tests, and how learning to drive later in life can feel like scaling Everest. But that’s just the start.
Yasmin shares her journey from Alexandria to Newcastle, from battling self-doubt to building a life, and a business through food. She talks openly about navigating motherhood in a new culture, saying no to fear, and the quiet confidence that comes from doing things your own way. We get into parenting, identity, community, and the power of just getting on with it plus, of course, plenty of food chat.
We’re talking PROPER handmade falafel, tahini tricks, vegan kunafa, and why, despite the trend based food hacks, no one should ever put maple syrup in their sesame sauce (seriously don’t). This one is real, honest, funny, and full of genuine warmth. Yasmin's the kind of guest who reminds you that food isn’t just food it’s family, memory, resilience and how the movement of people positively influences our community and our food culture.
Tune in for the laughs, stay for the inspiration.

EP20 | James Fildes | Coffee, Community and Sliding Doors | Local Heroes Podcast

Many men suffer in silence. Some never get the chance to speak. Suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 50 and the North East has some of the highest rates in the country.
James Fildes knows that struggle firsthand. After battling depression and suicidal thoughts for years, the Sunderland lad who once famously got his head stuck in the railings at Roker Park came dangerously close to becoming part of that statistic. But through his darkest days, it was often the football community the friendships, the shared passion, the sense of belonging that helped keep him going. James fought back not just for himself, but for others like him.
He founded Space North East a place where men can come together, drop the mask, and open up. No waiting lists. No judgement. Just honest conversations often over a simple cup of coffee. Ironically, James was a late adopter of the "black stuff" but now he’s seen how even something as simple as sharing a brew can break down walls and start life-saving conversations. Listen now to hear how James is using coffee, and community to bring hope to men across the North East.
Tune in to this week’s Local Heroes Podcast on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

EP19 | Arrow Strength | Muscle, Munchies and Movember Madness | Local Heroes Podcast

This week, Chris and Dan welcome Joe Arrowsmith and Steve Hoggy from the powerhouse that is Arrow Strength Gym and things get loud, honest, and hilarious. Let’s get this out of the way: the podcast studio? It’s not a rip-off of Arrow it's an ode. A very sincere, 99% identical ode. Because when a space is built with blood, guts, community, and purpose, it’s hard not to be inspired.
This episode is packed with everything that makes Arrow so special: effort over ego, inclusivity, and the value of just showing up, even when it's hard. From gym floor stories and Movember madness to late-night snack disasters and that unforgettable Greggs order, it’s equal parts chaos and connection.
What’s inside:
💥 Building a gym with grit, inclusivity, and no-bullshit values
🏋️‍♂️ Why showing up beats being perfect - every time
🍔 Joe’s munchies madness and a legendary Greggs order you won’t believe
🩸 Real talk on the blood, guts, and effort it takes to build a space that matters It’s bold, it’s real, and it’s a reminder that you don’t need to have it all together - you just need to turn up.
👉 Like, comment, and subscribe to our channels for more unfiltered conversations with the people reshaping fitness from the ground up.

EP18 | Solo | Cherry Lips and The Window Cleaner | Local Heroes Podcast

With no guests and no script, Chris and Dan are left to their own devices. In this episode, they muse on the mysterious decline of cherry-flavoured everything, reflect on the weight of self-doubt, and somehow end up recounting the time Chris got scammed by a biscuit-eating window cleaner. From absurd tangents to unexpectedly raw moments, it’s just two mates talking nonsense, getting real, and finding meaning in the everyday. This is Local Heroes - unfiltered, unscripted, unmistakably them.

EP17 | Katie Cullen | Space, Sprine and Gastronauts | Local Heroes Podcast

On this week’s Local Heroes Podcast, Chris and Dan speak to Katie Cullen, co-founder of the much-loved Block & Bottle - the North East’s first combined butcher and craft beer shop. Originally launched in Gateshead and now based in Heaton, it’s at the forefront of the North East’s craft butchery scene, pioneering ethical sourcing, nose-to-tail education, and challenging the traditionally male-dominated world of butchery. From the charcuterie boom to crunchy cereal wars, vodka shots, pigs’ heads, and the highs and lows of navigating lockdown as a small business owner - this is a lively, unfiltered conversation about building an independent brand with guts, graft, and a healthy dose of humour.