Great news! Alison Thomas is back to co-host the podcast with James on the latest edition of the Birmingham History podcast.

Alison and James are joined by two fantastic guests: -

- Rob Sutton from the Harborne Royalty Trust http://www.theroyaltyharborne.co.uk/

- Ben Waddington. Local historian, tour guide and author in Birmingham. Ben wrote 111 Places in Birmingham That You Shouldn't Miss. Really interesting read.

The podcast takes you on a journey through the rich history of cinema of Birmingham and highlights the upcoming annual Flatpack Festival in Birmingham in May 2026.

- The Silent Film era is discussed and the many venues across Birmingham that played silent films. This includes The Picture House(now a shopping arcade), The Futurist and The Electric. We discuss the recent developments with the Electric and the hope that this may be saved as a cinema. We discuss our experiences going to this iconic cinema, the oldest cinema in the UK, dating from 1909.

- Ben discusses the current nook gallery and studies in the Birmingham suburb of King's Heath. Ben gives us a fascinating insight into his research. This led him to discover that the building was once a Silent Cinema in the 1910s and called the Cosy Cinema.

- The era of sound in cinema is discussed and the different venues in Birmingham involved in this new era of cinema from the 1920s onwards. This includes the Harborne Royalty, a cinema designed by the renown architect Horace Bradley in 1930. Rob discusses the incredible efforts he has made to try and bring this derelict building back to use.

- Oscar Deutsch and the Odeon cinema chain is discussed. Oscar had strong links to Birmingham and the 1st branded Odeon cinema was in Perry Barr. We debate what Odeon might stand for!

- We learn more about the landmark Odeon at New St and its remarkable history. It became an Odeon in 1942 and still is! The unique Art Deco style of Odeon cinema architecture is discussed.

- The podcast delves into the lost cinema hidden underneath a building in Central Birmingham. It was once the successor to the Scala cinema. Ben takes us on a fascinating journey into that lost cinema.

- The iconic comic duo Laurel and Hardy came to Birmingham towards the end of their career. The podcast discusses this visit and their career which spanned the silent and sound era of cinema

- Was Charlie Chaplain born just outside Birmingham in Smethwick? The podcast looks into this intriguing story

- The acclaimed Flatpack Film Festival is held in Birmingham every year and is going from strength to strength. The next edition is from the 8th to 16th May 2026. Ben discusses his involvement and how he is bringing silent cinema back to the former Cosy Cinema!

- Ben closes the podcast by giving a fascinating insight into nature of research in this area.

Links: -

https://flatpackfestival.org.uk/

http://www.theroyaltyharborne.co.uk/- Learn more about the Harborne Royalty

Thank you for listening and we will be back soon with another episode! Please follow us on Spotify and other platforms.

The podcast welcomes back Dr Mike Hodder, Honorary Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham . Mike worked as a planning archaeologist at Birmingham City Council for many years.

After the end of the Medieval period(In 1586) William Camden described Birmingham as the following: - "swarming with inhabitants, and echoing with the noise of the anvils, for here are great numbers of smiths and of other artificers in iron and steel, whose performances in thatway are greatly admired both at home and abroad".

Mike takes us on a fascinating journey to discover how Birmingham developed from a tiny settlement in the Domesday survey to a prosperous town full of industry, during the Medieval period.

- We discuss the original location of the moated manor house and marketplace in Central Birmingham. We uncover what is known about the people who first settled in this location and what the area may have looked like.

- We discuss the timber-framed buildings throughout Birmingham including the medieval guildhall which is now a pub and also St Nicolas' Place in Kings Norton.

- We understand more about the moated manor houses throughout Birmingham including Weoley Castle(and why it isn't a castle!).

- We discover whereabouts the priory was in Central Birmingham and delve into the history of the churches throughout Birmingham.

- Birmingham has a rich Industrial heritage but we look at the origins of this. What industries do we know of in Medieval Birmingham?

- Sutton Park is one of the largest urban parks in the UK, we discuss how this came about. We discussed its use as a deer park and the fascinating archaeological evidence of this.

- There are many medieval myths about Birmingham, are any of them true?

Join James and Alison for another fascinating episode of the Birmingham History Podcast.

Today they speak to Dr Mike Hodder, Honorary Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham. Mike worked as a planning archaeologist at Birmingham City Council for many years.

Mike discusses the fascinating prehistory and Roman period of Birmingham's History. This includes: -

- Learning about the forests that once covered the present day Curzon Street area of Birmingham

- The sophisticated peoples that lived in what we know to be Birmingham now.

- We learn about the barrow mound in Kingstanding and its link to King Charles I

- Burnt mounds and the important research done by Mike and colleagues in Birmingham. Were they prehistoric saunas?

- The Romans in Birmingham and the fort they built near present day Edgbaston. Which soldiers were stationed there?

How did the local population interact with the soldiers?

- The Roman roads in Birmingham and the well preserved section you can visit today in Sutton Park