The Localist in England

Bek Homer recreates the sound of her own heart condition as she meets with Dr Asif in his surgery. Together they explore how the doctor uses synthesisers to simulate sounds of the body.

Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Sisters Bek and Meg grew up in Scarborough. They share stories from their past fuelled by the memories locked in postcards sent from the town throughout the years.

Hear their tales of the Chuckle Brothers cabriolet, the pier (that isn’t a pier) and the draw of this iconic seaside town.

Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Find out if Bek Homer discovers the truth of a Scarborough myth that has caught the imagination of locals for decades.

Bek goes on a mythical mystery tour exploring local landmarks and is joined by local artist and musician Captain Ant.

Producer: Bek Homer. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel finds out whether the rivalry between Norfolk and Suffolk still an issue.

Matt rallies together representatives from both sides of the border; cosplayers, podcasters and vicars, to battle out in a competition more raucous than the last Old Farm derby in 2019.

Who will come out on top? There’s only one way to find out. Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel meets a Roma family and hears about the discrimination Roma and Gypsy people face and why it’s the reason for some to hide their identity.

While recording this podcast, this issue hit the headlines following controversial comments about the Holocaust by a well-known comedian.

Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel delves deeper into the world of metal detecting with 13-year-old Mille, who on her first time out with her Dad stumbled across an axe hoard and Luke, who finds £100,000 of gold coins.

If you are planning on going out metal detecting, you must observe the law and seek permission from the landowner. There’s an unlimited fine or up to three months in prison for not reporting treasure. You can find more information on www.gov.uk/treasure.

Producer: Matt Marvel. Senior Producer: Ollie Peart. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison.

Matt Marvel explores stories of mixed American/British heritage children dubbed ‘Brown Babies’ and discovers how DNA technology is helping them find long lost families.

In January 1942 thousands of American troops arrived in the UK to join World War Two. A large contingent of black American GI’s formed part of that deployment.

Racial segregation was still part of life in the US at the time, and as such these men were not sent to the front line but helped build bases as part of the war effort.

Some of these men conceived children while they were in the UK, but when this was discovered by their superior officers, they were transferred elsewhere.

This is the story of the children left behind.

Host / Producer: Matt Marvel Senior Producer: Ollie Peart Executive Producer: Kathryn Morrison

Matt Marvel explores the stories, places and people putting Suffolk on the map.

For her role as fossil hunter Mary Anning in the film “Ammonite”, actor Kate Winslet listened to recordings by a Lyme Regis local.

But what is a Dorset accent and how did it develop? As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, how are such accents changing?

Multicultural British English or MBE has emerged from the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic communities in cities like London and Manchester.

Adopted by those who live in urban and rural areas - like Dorset - speakers use MBE and mix it with their local variety to create a new linguistic identity.

In this episode Ollie explores how accents are a constantly evolving part of our culture. He also attempts to master a Dorset accent. Will he succeed? Probably not.

Thanks to Lizzie Wiscombe, Jonnie Robinson at the British Library and Dr Rob Drummond at Manchester Metropolitan University

Hosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale Executive Producer Kathryn Morrison

Extract from Kate Winslet as Mary Anning in the film Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee. BBC Films/British Film Institute/See Saw Films

More than 250 years before the Coronavirus pandemic, a local hero finds a way of tackling a different deadly virus.

The Gloucestershire physician Edward Jenner is credited with the development of the first vaccine against smallpox. But the technique he used in 1796 – a technique that made him rich and famous - had been pioneered over twenty years earlier by a Dorset farmer in a cowshed.

In 1774 Benjamin Jesty of Yetminster deliberately infected his family with cowpox to protect them from the deadly smallpox virus sweeping Europe. He had seen how milkmaids seemed to be immune from the more virulent human disease.

Jesty was vilified by local people, whose superstitions or beliefs made it difficult for them to accept the experiment. Jesty's social status also meant that the farmer’s role in the history of vaccination was largely overlooked.

Patrick Pead, a microbiologist, says that vaccination wasn't plucked out of the air by Benjamin Jesty or by Edward Jenner, it was built on what went before - that's why Jesty deserves our recognition.

Hosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale.

Executive Producer Kathryn Morrison.

Thanks to the Wellcome Collection and Patrick Pead.

The British countryside is known for its rolling hills, idyllic villages and picturesque views - but also for its comparative lack of ethnic diversity, compared to our urban areas. Why is that?

Dorset is 97.9% white. By default, that means encounters between people from different ethnicities can be rare and sometimes troubling. In this episode, Ollie Peart discovers what life is like if you are from an ethnically diverse background. Residents, including campaigners, describe the appeal of living in such a stunning landscape but how it’s also led to “covert racism”.

Criminologist at the University of Leicester and co-author of “Rural Racism”, Professor Neil Chakraborti has talked to individuals and families across the country and discovered a so-called “invisible” crime where incidents such as verbal abuse, staring, or avoidance tactics like crossing the street, go unreported.

This episode contains examples of racist language. A list of organisations that can provide help and support is available under the more support section at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Hosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale. Executive Producer Kathryn Morrison.

Carved into stone; how Shitterton's residents stopped their village sign being pinched. Again.

In this episode of “The Localist – Dorset” Ollie Peart finds out the origins of some accidentally naughty-sounding place names across the country. As part of his journey, he brings together people who love their rude location and wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Rob Bailey is the co-author of “Rude Britain: The 100 Rudest Place Names in Britain” and has researched the scandalous, the obscene and the just plain ripe varieties in his search for the roots of rude place names. He reveals what inspired his quest.

As you might expect, this podcast contains rude-sounding place names and involves swear words, so you might not want to listen in public spaces or where children might hear it.

Hosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale. Executive Producer Kathryn Morrison

Ollie Peart finds out what St Paul's Cathedral, The Cenotaph and the United Nations Building in New York have in common with Portland Stone, which is mined from the Isle of Portland quarries in Dorset.

The 150-million-year-old stone bears the fossilised imprint of creatures from the Jurassic era. The mining process has left behind a colossal, cavernous space. Huge, vaulted ceilings bridge between vast pillars of Portland Stone left by the miners. The miles of tunnels which twist and turn, hidden from the residents of Portland, could also hold the key to their future.

There's a proposal to turn these deep mines into a biodiversity attraction where visitors can marvel, explore and learn about the future of this unique place and how it connects with the rest of the planet.

Hosted and produced by Ollie Peart and Ian Ramsdale.

Online producer: Rachael Smith.

Executive producer Kathryn Morrison.

Thanks to Mark Godden (Mine Manager, Albion Stone) and Sebastian Brooke (Project Director).

Archive of Churchill and Cenotaph: www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/buildings/broadcasting-house

Featuring an extract from Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN, 2019.

Exploring the stories, places and people putting Dorset on the map.

In these snack-sized stories, Ollie Peart takes a personal journey through his county, enjoying sneak peeks into secret places, tackling difficult issues, and celebrating connections with the wider world.

Originally broadcast on BBC Radio Solent.