Today hasn’t completely gone to plan as my iphone crashed this morning and I couldn’t tweet or blog in the day. But I had a great time with my family on Flatpack Festival’s On Location Walking Tour in which we walked around various familiar spots in Birmingham, and found that they were locations in some familiar dramas, including Hustle and the brilliant film, Brassed Off.
Our Tour Guide, Mark Wilson was engaging, confident and a great storyteller. It was great to hear him telling stories that you can hear on on our DVD release, From ATVLand in Colour, including Chris Tarrant’s Frank Carson hotel and Lenny Henry/Trevor McDonald stories (Watch the DVD to hear Chris tell them!)
What I enjoyed about the tour was that we could explore the hidden Birmingham. It’s so easy to traipse around the shops and not take a moment to look at what is around you. To look at some of the beautiful buildings in Birmingham, from the BCU School of Art Building to the old Eye hospital, beautiful buildings that have doubled as fictional locations on TV and Film was refreshing and, a more gentle, relaxing way of looking at the city. Much better (and cheaper) than shopping! Also, as I went with family, we could share our own memories and thoughts on our Birmingham ancestors. Those who follow me on Twitter know me as an East Midlands girl but my maternal ancestry is firmly rooted in Birmingham, going back to the 17th Century (and perhaps earlier).
Perhaps on another blog entry, I’ll fill you all in on that interesting story!
You may be interested in reading more here:
Mark Wilson’s website: http://btvfloc.wordpress.com
The On Location Walking Tour formed part of the Flatpack Festival, but it is also one of a number of Birmingham walking tours by Still Walking. Check out their website below:
Still Walking Tours: http://stillwalking.org
Emma, MACE
Welcome to the Blog of the Media Archive for Central England 
Emma, really glad you and the family enjoyed it, I was worried that my own interests may not be shared by everyone that came. The ATVLand in Colour documentary was an engaging watch and I would recommend it (as I did on the tour) to anyone interested in the great programmes that were made there. Birmingham never fails to surprise me if you seek out the hidden and undiscovered you never know what you may find.
Hope you continue to enjoy the ‘tour’ experience with the clips on the website. Thanks again for coming along today and lovely to meet you all.
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